Question:
Which one is better to fast the 9th and the 10th or the 9th, 10th and 11th in the month of Muharram, seeing how many people say the second is better. So what is the correct position?
Answer:
This is when there is a difference in the sighting of the moon for the beginning of the month. So if there is differing over when the month began then fast the 9th, 10th and 11th in order to be certain that one fasts the 10th. For example; there is differing over the start of the month so some say today is the 7th of Muharram and others say today is the 8th of Muharram. So with this there will be a difference on which day tomorrow will be, is it the 8th or 9th? So we have the days of Thulathah (Tuesday), Arbiyah (Wednesday) and Khamees (Thursday). So it will either be the 8th, 9th and the 10th or the 9th, 10th and 11th. So in this case it is said to fast since there is a difference on wether it’s the 9th or the 10th in order to be certain one fasts the 9th and the10th because that is the Sunnah, meaning it is highly recommended to fast them. Because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was eager to fast the 10th then he said if he lives to see the next year he will fast the 9th along with the 10th. So the day there is differing over whether it is the 8th or the 9th you fast it and the day after it and the day after it. So you will have either fasted the 9th, 10th and 11th or the 8th, 9th and 10th. So with that one would have obtained the fast of the 9th and 10th. That’s what is correct. Now if there is no differing over the start of the month then one is only to fast the 9th and 10th. As for the fasting on the 11th then this has not been confirmed on the Prophet ﷺ. The hadith of Ibn Abbas to fast the day before or the day after is weak. From the path of Muhammad ibn Abdul Rahman ibn Abi Laila who is trustworthy but has a bad memory and makes alot of mistakes. So with that he is considered weak in hadith. And it comes on Ibn Abbas mawquf موقوف (where the narration stops at him) to fast the 9th and 10th to be different from the Jews.
And Allah knows best.
Answered by: Shaikh Abu Abdillah Muhammad Ba Jamaal (May Allah preserve him)
Source: https://t.me/bajmaal/5207
Translated by: Abu Yusuf Bilal ibn Howard Robinson