“The Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — commanded a man from the tribe of Aslam to announce among the people: ‘Whoever has eaten should fast for the rest of his day, and whoever has not eaten should complete his fast, for today is the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ.’”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī (no. 2007) — and this is his wording — and by Muslim (no. 1135), from the ḥadīth of Salamah ibn al-Akwaʿ – may Allah be pleased with him.
Brief Explanation of the Hadith
The Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ is the tenth day of the sacred month of Allah, al-Muḥarram. It is a blessed day, on which Allah saved Mūsā (Moses) and his people, and destroyed Pharaoh and his troops. When the Messenger of Allah — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — arrived in al-Madīnah, he found the Jews fasting on the tenth day. He asked them about it, and they said: “This is the day on which Allah saved Mūsā and his people, and drowned Pharaoh and his troops; so Mūsā fasted it in gratitude to Allah.” Thereupon, the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — said: “I am closer to Mūsā than they are.” So he fasted on that day and commanded others to fast it as well.
In this ḥadīth, Salamah ibn al-Akwaʿ – may Allah be pleased with him – relates that the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — commanded a man from the tribe of Aslam, namely Hind ibn Asmāʾ ibn Ḥārithah al-Aslamī, to announce among the people on the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ that whoever had eaten or drunk should refrain from all that breaks the fast for the remainder of the day, intending it as a fast, because fasting on that day had become obligatory. Their fast being valid from the middle of the day was only accepted because they had been unaware (of the obligation beforehand), and also out of reverence for the sanctity of the time.
As for those who had not eaten or drunk, they were to refrain from food and drink for the remainder of the day, with the intention of fasting.
A group of scholars held that fasting on the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ was obligatory, based on the apparent wording of the text. Others, however, maintained that its fasting was recommended (mustahabb), interpreting the command to refrain (from eating and drinking) as an emphasis on its observance, not an obligation.
Later, when the fast of the month of Ramaḍān was made obligatory, the obligation of fasting the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ was abrogated, while its recommendation remained, by consensus of the scholars.