four specific days for fasting

✅Answer: Please refer to the following narrations:

1 أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَيَّاشٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَحْمَدُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ الْهَمَذَانِيُّ وَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ التُّسْتَرِيُّ قَالا حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ اللَّيْثِ الْمَكِّيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْعَلَوِيُّ الْعُرَيْضِيُّ قَالَ وَ حَكَّ فِي صَدْرِي مَا الْأَيَّامُ الَّتِي تُصَامُ فَقَصَدْتُ مَوْلَانَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ عَلِيَّ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ هُوَ بِصَرْيَا وَ لَمْ أُبْدِ ذَلِكَ لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا بَصُرَ بِي قَالَ يَا أَبَا إِسْحَاقَ جِئْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي عَنِ الْأَيَّامِ الَّتِي يُصَامُ فِيهِنَّ وَ هِيَ أَرْبَعَةٌ أَوَّلُهُنَّ يَوْمُ السَّابِعِ وَ الْعِشْرِينَ مِنْ رَجَبٍ- يَوْمٌ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مُحَمَّداً إِلَى خَلْقِهِ رَحْمَةً لِلْعالَمِينَ وَ يَوْمُ مَوْلِدِهِ وَ هُوَ السَّابِعَ عَشَرَ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَبِيعٍ الْأَوَّلِ وَ يَوْمُ الْخَامِسِ وَ الْعِشْرِينَ مِنْ ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ فِيهِ دُحِيَتِ الْكَعْبَةُ وَ يَوْمُ الْغَدِيرِ فِيهِ أَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ أَخَاهُ عَلِيّاً عَلَماً لِلنَّاسِ وَ إِمَاماً مِنْ بَعْدِهِ قُلْتُ صَدَقْتَ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ لِذَلِكَ قَصَدْتُ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ حُجَّةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى خَلْقِه

📚Al-Tahdhib vol. 4, p. 305

`Areezi said: It was engraved in my heart what the days were in which one should fast! So I intended to visit our master, Ali ibn Muhammad (Imam al-Hadi, peace be upon him), while he was in Suraya (a village southeast of Medina that, according to Ibn Shahr Ashub in 📚Al-Manaqib vol. 4, p. 382, was built by Imam al-Kazim, peace be upon him, and is also the birthplace of Imam al-Hadi), and I did not reveal this matter to anyone among God's creation.

Then I entered upon the Imam. When he saw me, he said: O Aba Ishaq! You have come to ask me about the (specific) days in which one should fast! And they are four days:

The first of them is the twenty-seventh of Rajab, the day when God Almighty sent Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) as a mercy to the worlds for His creation

(Mab'ath)

And the day of his birth (the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family), which is the seventeenth of Rabi' al-Awwal

And the twenty-fifth of Dhu al-Qi'dah, on which the Ka'bah was spread

(Day of Dahw al-Ard)

And the day of Ghadir (`Eid al-Ghadir) when the Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, appointed his brother Ali, blessings of God be upon him, as a banner and Imam for the people after him!

`Areezi said: I said: You have spoken the truth, may I be your ransom! I intended to visit you for this very reason, and I bear witness that you are the proof of God over His creation!

2 وَ رُوِيَ عَنْ أَئِمَّةِ الْهُدَى أَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا مَنْ صَامَ يَوْمَ السَّابِعَ عَشَرَ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَبِيعٍ الْأَوَّلِ وَ هُوَ مَوْلِدُ سَيِّدِنَا رَسُولِ اللَّهِ كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ صِيَامَ سَنَةٍ.

📚Masar al-Shi'ah, p. 66

Shaykh Mufid says in the book Masar al-Shi'ah: And it has been narrated from the Imams of Guidance, peace be upon them, that they said: Whoever fasts on the seventeenth of Rabi' al-Awwal, which is the day of the birth of our master the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), God will write for him the fasting of one year!

✅A very beautiful Ziyarah for Imam Ali, peace be upon him, which contains many of the virtues of the Commander of the Faithful, blessings of God be upon him, has been narrated from Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, for the seventeenth of Rabi' al-Awwal, which is mentioned in Mafatih al-Jinan and the following books:

📚Bihar al-Anwar vol. 100, p. 373

📚Al-Mazar (Shahid al-Awwal) p. 89

📚Mazar Kabir Ibn Mashhadi p. 205

📚Iqbal al-A'mal vol. 3, p. 130

اللَّهُمَّ فَصَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ

اللَّهُمَّ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ

Question 585: Is there a narration-based foundation for shaking hands after the greeting in congregational prayer?

shaking hands

etiquette of meeting and parting

✅Answer:

1 عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ رِئَابٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: إِنَّ مِنْ تَمَامِ التَّحِيَّةِ لِلْمُقِيمِ الْمُصَافَحَةَ وَ تَمَامِ التَّسْلِيمِ عَلَى الْمُسَافِرِ الْمُعَانَقَةَ

📚Al-Kafi vol. 2, p. 646

Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: Indeed, part of perfecting the greeting for a resident person is shaking hands, and perfecting the greeting for a traveler is embracing!

2 عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَر يَقُولُ إِذَا الْتَقَى الْمُؤْمِنَانِ فَتَصَافَحَا أَقْبَلَ اللَّهُ بِوَجْهِهِ عَلَيْهِمَا وَ تَتَحَاتَ الذُّنُوبُ عَنْ وُجُوهِهِمَا حَتَّى يَفْتَرِقَا.

📚Al-Kafi vol. 2, p. 182

Aba Ubaydah said: I heard Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, say: When two believers meet and shake hands, God turns to them with His face, and sins fall from their faces until they part!

3 عَنْ رِفَاعَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ مُصَافَحَةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ مُصَافَحَةِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ.

📚Al-Kafi vol. 2, p. 183

Rifa'ah said: I heard the Imam (al-Sadiq, peace be upon him) say: Shaking hands with a believer is better than shaking hands with the angels!

4 عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّه إِذَا لَقِيَ أَحَدُكُمْ أَخَاهُ فَلْيُسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ وَ لْيُصَافِحْهُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَكْرَمَ بِذَلِكَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ فَاصْنَعُوا صُنْعَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ.

📚Al-Kafi vol. 2, p. 181

The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: When one of you meets his brother, he should greet him and shake hands with him, for indeed God, the Mighty and Exalted, has honored the angels with this matter, so you should do the work of the angels!

5 عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّه إِذَا الْتَقَيْتُمْ فَتَلَاقَوْا بِالتَّسْلِيمِ وَ التَّصَافُحِ وَ إِذَا تَفَرَّقْتُمْ فَتَفَرَّقُوا بِالاسْتِغْفَارِ

📚Al-Kafi vol. 2, p. 181

Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: When you meet, meet with a greeting and by shaking hands, and when you part, part with seeking forgiveness (for each other)!

6 عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ الْحَذَّاءِ قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ إِذَا صَافَحَ الْمُؤْمِنَ تَفَرَّقَا مِنْ غَيْرِ ذَنْبٍ.

📚Al-Khisal p. 21

Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, said: When a believer shakes hands with a believer, they part without sin!

✅'Shaking hands' is one of the praiseworthy manners when Muslims meet each other, and it has been greatly encouraged.

However, please pay attention to some of its limits:

7 عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ سَالِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ حَدِّ الْمُصَافَحَةِ فَقَالَ دَوْرُ نَخْلَةٍ.

📚Al-Kafi vol. 2, p. 181

Hisham said: I asked Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, about the limit of shaking hands; the Imam said: (The distance of) around a palm tree!

7 عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَر قَالَ: يَنْبَغِي لِلْمُؤْمِنَيْنِ إِذَا تَوَارَى أَحَدُهُمَا عَنْ صَاحِبِهِ بِشَجَرَةً ثُمَّ الْتَقَيَا أَنْ يَتَصَافَحَا.

📚Al-Kafi vol. 2, p. 181

Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him, said: It is fitting for two believers that when they are hidden from each other's (sight) for the distance of a tree and then meet again, they (again) shake hands!

✅Shaking hands is done when meeting others, and in the two narrations above, the limit for shaking hands again is set as the distance of being hidden and separated by the distance of a tree. This means that when two people are hidden and separated from each other by the distance of a tree and then meet again, they shake hands.

✅However, for some time now, it has become common in mosques for worshipers to shake hands with those next to them after the prayer and pray for the acceptance of the other person's prayer!

❗️There is no command in the narrations for doing this after congregational prayer, and it is considered a kind of transgression of the specified limit for shaking hands.

❗️It is strange that two people who were next to each other a few moments ago and shook hands and did not separate from each other now, after the prayer is over, feel obligated to shake hands with those around them, even though no command for this has reached them from the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them.

✅Insha'Allah, may this part of the Ziyarat Jamia be answered for all of us when we address the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, and say:

«وَ وَفَّقَنِی لِطَاعَتِکُمْ»

Translation: 'And make me successful in your obedience.'