Islamic Manual

The nine kinds of fast

The nine categories of fasting in the Hanafi school, from the obligatory fasts of Ramadan, through the emphasised and recommended fasts, down to the fasts it is disliked or sinful to keep.

Not every fast is the same kind of fast. There are nine kinds, from fasts you absolutely must keep, down to fasts it is wrong to keep at all.

The nine kinds of fast
Kind What it meansExample
Fard (a specific day) You must fast; it's the strongest kindThe days of the Ramadan you are in
Fard (making up a day) You must fast, a Ramadan day you oweMaking up a fast missed in a past Ramadan
Wajib (a specific day) Almost as strong as fard; you must fastA named day you promised Allah you'd fast; a day whose moon-sighting wasn't officially accepted
Wajib (not tied to one day) You must fast, but you choose which dayA penalty (kaffarah) fast; a promised fast with no set day; making up any promised, sunnah, nafl or kaffarah fast you started and then broke
Sunnah muakkadah The Prophet ﷺ kept these; very good to keepThe day of Arafah (9th of Dhul-Hijjah); Ashura, the 10th of Muharram, kept with either the 9th or the 11th
Mustahabb (recommended) Good to do, and you are rewarded for itThe 13th, 14th and 15th of every month; every Monday and Thursday; six days in Shawwal, best one after another; fasting every other day like Dawud
Nafl Any other fast you choose, for extra rewardAny fast that isn't one of the above and isn't a disliked one, like the 15th of Sha'ban
Makruh tanzihi Better not to, but not sinfulFasting the 10th of Muharram on its own; picking out Friday because you think Friday itself carries reward; picking out Saturday on its own; fasting on through the night without breaking; a wife fasting nafl without her husband's permission
Makruh tahrimi Strongly disliked and sinfulFasting on Eid al-Fitr; fasting on Eid al-Adha and the three days after it

There are nine recognized kinds of fast: fard mu'ayyan, fard ghayr mu'ayyan, wajib mu'ayyan, wajib ghayr mu'ayyan, sunnah muakkadah, mustahabb, nafl, makruh tanzihi and makruh tahrimi.

The nine kinds of fast
Kind LevelWhat it is
Fard mu'ayyan Fard, tied to a specific dayThe fasts of the month of Ramadan one is in.
Fard ghayr mu'ayyan Fard, not tied to a specific dayThe make-up (qada) of fasts missed in a past Ramadan.
Wajib mu'ayyan Wajib, tied to a specific dayA fast vowed (nazar) for a named day; a day whose moon-sighting testimony was not accepted by the community, which the person who saw it must still fast.
Wajib ghayr mu'ayyan Wajib, not tied to a specific dayA vow (nazar) made without naming a day; fasts of expiation (kaffarah); the make-up owed for any vowed, sunnah, nafl or kaffarah fast that was begun and then broken.
Sunnah muakkadah Emphasized sunnahThe day of Arafah, the 9th of Dhu'l-Hijjah; the fast of Ashura, the 10th of Muharram, kept together with either the 9th or the 11th.
Mustahabb RecommendedThe White Days, the 13th, 14th and 15th of every lunar month; every Monday and Thursday; the six days of Shawwal, best kept consecutively; and any fast for which the sunnah records a request or a promise of reward, such as the fast of Dawud, fasting on alternate days, which is said to be the fast most beloved to Allah.
Nafl VoluntaryAny fast beyond those above, so long as it is not one of the disliked fasts. The 15th of Sha'ban is one the manual names.
Makruh tanzihi Disliked, not sinfulKeeping the 10th of Muharram alone, without the 9th or the 11th; singling out Friday if one holds that Friday itself carries a particular reward, there being no dislike otherwise; singling out Saturday, unless it falls together with a fast of another kind; wisal, fasting on without breaking at nightfall; a wife's voluntary fast kept without her husband's permission.
Makruh tahrimi Disliked, close to forbidden, and sinfulThe day of Eid al-Fitr; the day of Eid al-Adha and the three days that follow it, the days of Tashriq, the 11th, 12th and 13th of Dhu'l-Hijjah.
Disliked (Makrūh)better not to

Fasting on the day of Eid al-Fitr, on the day of Eid al-Adha, and on the three days of Tashriq that follow Eid al-Adha, is makruh tahrimi and sinful.

The Hanafi manuals set out nine categories of ṣawm: farḍ muʿayyan, farḍ ghayr muʿayyan, wājib muʿayyan, wājib ghayr muʿayyan, sunnah muʾakkadah, mustaḥabb, nafl, makrūh tanzīhī and makrūh taḥrīmī.

The nine categories of fast
Category LevelInstances
Farḍ muʿayyan Farḍ, fixed to a specific dayThe fasts of the Ramaḍān one is in.
Farḍ ghayr muʿayyan Farḍ, not fixed to a specific dayThe qaḍāʾ of fasts missed in a past Ramaḍān.
Wājib muʿayyan Wājib, fixed to a specific dayA fast vowed (naẓr) for a named day; the day of one who personally sighted the Ramaḍān or Eid moon but whose testimony was not accepted, and who remains bound to act on their own sighting.
Wājib ghayr muʿayyan Wājib, not fixed to a specific dayA naẓr ghayr muʿayyan; kaffārah fasts; the qaḍāʾ owed for any vowed, sunnah, nafl or kaffārah fast begun and then vitiated.
Sunnah muʾakkadah Emphasised sunnahThe Day of ʿArafah, 9 Dhu'l-Ḥijjah; ʿĀshūrāʾ, 10 Muḥarram, kept together with either the 9th or the 11th.
Mustaḥabb RecommendedAyyām al-Bīḍ, the 13th, 14th and 15th of each lunar month; every Monday and Thursday; the six days of Shawwāl, best kept consecutively; and any fast carrying a request or a promise of reward in the sunnah, such as ṣawm Dāwūd, alternating fast days, reported as the fast most beloved to Allah.
Nafl VoluntaryAny fast beyond the foregoing which is not among the disliked. 15 Shaʿbān is one instance the manual names.
Makrūh tanzīhī Disliked without sinʿĀshūrāʾ singled out without the 9th or the 11th; Friday singled out where one holds a reward to attach to Friday itself, no dislike attaching otherwise; Saturday singled out, unless it coincides with a fast of another kind; wiṣāl, continuing without breaking at nightfall; a wife's nafl fast kept without her husband's permission.
Makrūh taḥrīmī Disliked, near-forbidden, and sinfulEid al-Fiṭr; Eid al-Aḍḥā and the three days following it, the Ayyām at-Tashrīq, 11-13 Dhu'l-Ḥijjah.
Disliked (Makrūh)better not to

Fasting on Eid al-Fiṭr, on Eid al-Aḍḥā, and on the three Ayyām at-Tashrīq following it, is makrūh taḥrīmī and sinful.

This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 285 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.

Rulings of Fasting Introduction

3. Types of Fasting:

There are eight types of fasting:

There are eight types of fasting: Fard Mu'ayyan, Fard Ghair Mu'ayyan, Wajib Mu'ayyan, Wajib Ghair Mu'ayyan, Sunnah, Nafl, Makruh Tanzihiyyah, and Makruh Tahrimiyyah.

Explanation:

1. Fard Mu'ayyan (Specific Obligatory Fasting):

The fasts of the month of Ramadan.

2. Fard Ghair Mu'ayyan (Non-Specific Obligatory Fasting):

The missed fasts of Ramadan (Qada).

3. Wajib Mu'ayyan (Specific Necessary Fasting):

  1. The fasts of a specific vow (Nazar) (i.e., fasting on a particular day that was vowed).
  2. If a person saw the moon of Ramadan or Eid but their testimony was not accepted, they must fast on these days.

4. Wajib Ghair Mu'ayyan (Non-Specific Necessary Fasting):

  1. The fasts for atonement (Kaffara).
  2. The fasts of a non-specific vow (Nazar) (where no particular day is specified).
  3. The fasts missed after starting a voluntary fast.

5. Sunnah (Recommended Fasting):

  1. The fast of Ashura (10th of Muharram) and the 9th day along with it.
  2. The fast of Arafah (9th of Dhul-Hijjah).
  3. The white days (Ayam al-Bidh), i.e., the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every month.

6. Nafl (Voluntary Fasting):

  1. Six days of Shawwal (6 days in the month of Shawwal after Eid).
  2. The 15th of Sha'ban.
  3. Fasting on Fridays.
  4. Fasting on Mondays.
  5. Fasting on Thursdays.
  6. Dawoodi fasting (fasting on alternate days—one day fasting, one day breaking the fast).

7. Makruh Tanzihī (Disliked but not prohibited Fasting):

  1. Fasting only on the day of Ashura (10th of Muharram).
  2. Fasting only on Saturdays.
  3. Fasting continuously without break between days.
  4. A woman fasting without her husband’s permission.

8. Makruh Tahrīmī (Prohibited Fasting):

  1. Fasting on the day of Eid al-Fitr.
  2. Fasting on the day of Eid al-Adha.
  3. Fasting on the days of Tashriq (11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah).

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