22/66. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 2321 — Announcing the Ashura Fast
If a person did not form the intention of fasting from the night before, can he observe a voluntary fast that day?
Ashura Fast Hadith: Complete the Day with Care
Sunan an-Nasai : 2321
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 2321
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ يَزِيدَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سَلَمَةُ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ لِرَجُلٍ " أَذِّنْ - يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ - مَنْ كَانَ أَكَلَ فَلْيُتِمَّ بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ أَكَلَ فَلْيَصُمْ " .
Yazid Narrated from:
Salamah told us that the Messenger of Allah said to a man: 'Announce the day of Ashura. Whoever has eaten let him not eat for the rest of the day, and whoever has not eaten, let him fast.'
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 2321In-book reference : Book 22, Hadith 232English translation : Vol. 3, Book 22, Hadith 2323
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 2321
This Hadith about Ashura fasting shows a public instruction from the Messenger of Allah. A man was told to announce the day of Ashura so people could act on it. The message was clear and practical. Whoever had already eaten was told not to eat for the rest of the day. Whoever had not eaten was told to fast. The core lesson is the serious attention given to the Ashura fast in this report. The Hadith does not discuss reward, later rulings, or the reason for Ashura. It focuses only on the announcement and the two groups of people: those who had eaten and those who had not eaten.
What we learn from this hadith
- Important religious instructions may be announced clearly to the community.
- A person who had already eaten was told to stop eating for the rest of Ashura.
- A person who had not eaten was told to fast that day.
- The text shows care in responding based on each person’s situation.
