Excellence of Fasting on the Day of Aashooraa

It is related on the authority of Aboo Qataadah al-Ansaaree that Allaahs Messenger (

)said, I hope by Allaah that fasting on the day of Arafah may atone for the sins of the
preceding year and the coming year, and I hope by Allaah that fasting on the day of Aashooraa
may atone for the sins of the preceding year.1
In another narration, Aboo Qataadah al-Ansaaree said: Allaahs Messenger ( ) was
asked about fasting on the day of Arafah, and he ( ) said, It expiates the sins of
the preceding year and the coming year. Then he ( ) was asked about fasting on
the day of Aashooraa (the tenth day of Muharram), and he ( ) said, It expiates
the sins of the preceding year.2
In another narration, Aboo Qataadah al-Ansaaree said: Allaahs Messenger ( ) was
asked about fasting on the day of Arafah, and he ( ) said, It expiates the sins of
two years. Then he ( ) was asked about fasting on the day of Aashooraa, and he
( ) said, It expiates the sins of a year.3
In another narration, Aboo Qataadah al-Ansaaree related that Allaahs Messenger (
)said, The fasting on the day of Arafah expiates sins of two yearsthe preceding year and
the coming year and the fasting on the day of Aashooraa (the tenth day of Muharram)
expiates the sins of the preceding year.4
Endnotes
1 Collected by Muslim [Sahih Muslim (English Trans.), vol. 2, pp. 566-7, no. 2602], Ahmad [Musnad
al-Ansaar] and Aboo Daawood (no. 2425) and it was authenticated (Saheeh) by Shaykh al-Albaanee
in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood, no. 2096.
2 Collected by Muslim [Sahih Muslim (English Trans.), vol. 2, p. 568, no. 2603] and Ahmad [Musnad
al-Ansaar].
3 Collected by Ahmad [Musnad al-Ansaar] and it was authenticated by Shaykh al-Albaanee in Irwaa
al-Ghaleel, vol. 4, pp. 108-9, under hadeeth no. 952.
4 Collected by Ahmad [Musnad al-Ansaar] and it was authenticated (Saheeh) by Shaykh al-Albaanee in
Saheeh al-Jaami as-Sagheer, no. 3806 in Irwaa al-Ghaleel, vol. 4, pp. 111, hadeeth no. 955.