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What is the virtue of fasting the three white days?

Fasting the 13th, 14th, and 15th of each lunar month is a sunnah the Prophet ﷺ recommended to his companions. Its equivalence to fasting the entire year.

10 passages from 8 books in the library

The library's cited passages speak more to the discipline of fasting and self-restraint than to the three white days by name. Al-Ghazali, in the Iḥyāʾ, frames fasting as spiritual training of the self, relating a teacher's measure of maturity: "if God withholds sustenance from you for three days, your spirit would not weaken." Ibn Battuta records people of Damascus who "fasted for three days" in devotion. For the specific reward and method of fasting the ayyām al-bīḍ, it is best to open the chapters on fasting in the library and consult a qualified teacher.

Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.

Where the answer comes from

The classical approach.

These passages are drawn from 8 books by Ibn Kathir, Imam al-Ghazali, Imam al-Dhahabī, and Ibn Battuta — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.

Read them closely. If a passage doesn't sit right, open the full book in the library and listen to the chapter around it. Context in the classical tradition is everything.

Cover of Volume 3 — The Sīrah: From the First Revelation to Badr
Volume 3 — The Sīrah: From the First Revelation to Badr
Ibn Kathir · Al-Bidāya wal-Nihāya

14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir → · Provenance →

  1. "Khadijah then affirmed that it was an angel, not a devil, and expressed her belief in the truth of his message. If you wish, I can tell you about the fasting of Sulaiman, son of Dawud. He would fast three days at the beginning of the month, three days in the middle, and three days at the end. He began the month with fasting. continued in the middle, and concluded it with fasting."

  2. "until your women prophesy as well? Atiqa claimed in her dream that she heard a voice saying, Prepare for your demise within three days. We will wait for these three days, and if what she says is true, it will happen. But if the three days pass without anything occurring, we will write a document declaring that you are the most deceitful family in the Arabs."

Cover of Volume 2 — From the Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
Volume 2 — From the Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
Ibn Kathir · Al-Bidāya wal-Nihāya

14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir → · Provenance →

  1. "He would dispel worries with his voice. If you wish, I can tell you about the fasting of Sulaiman, son of Dawud. He would fast three days at the beginning of the month, three days in the middle, and three days at the end. He began the month with fasting, continued in the middle, and concluded it with fasting. If you wish, I can tell you about the fasting of Isa, son of Maryam."

Cover of Book 16: Etiquettes of Seclusion
Book 16: Etiquettes of Seclusion
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din

11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali → · Provenance →

  1. "Solitude does not engage with this. They also argue against the prohibition on boycotting for more than three days, citing the Prophet's words: "Whoever boycotts his brother for more than three days and dies will enter the fire. And, "It is not lawful for a Muslim to boycott his brother for more than three days, and whoever initiates reconciliation will enter paradise."

Cover of Al-Kabā'ir — The Major Sins
Al-Kabā'ir — The Major Sins
Imam al-Dhahabī · Timeless Classics

13th–14th century · Damascus, Syria
Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ — the monumental biographical dictionary of Islamic scholarship, from the companions of the Prophet ﷺ through al-Dhahabī's own era. A working-scholar reference used for seven centuries.
More on Imam al-Dhahabī → · Provenance →

  1. "The companions of al-Shafi'i stated it is permissible from the time of death until three days after burial. It is generally discouraged after three days, as the heart of the bereaved is usually calmed by then. However, Abu al-Abbas mentioned that there is no harm in consoling after three days, as it remains beneficial even if a long time has passed."

Cover of The Prophets of Bani Israil
The Prophets of Bani Israil
Ibn Kathir · Stories of the Prophets

14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir → · Provenance →

  1. "torn by his tears. Yahya had the purest food, eating only with the beasts, avoiding mingling with people in their livelihood. Zakaria lost his son Yahya for three days and found him in the wilderness, standing in a grave he had dug, weeping. Zakaria asked, O my son, I have been searching for you for three days while you are in a grave you dug and standing weeping inside it. Yahya replied, O my father, did you not inform me that there is a distance between paradise and hell that can only be crossed with the tears of those who weep? So Zakaria said, Weep, my son, and they both wept together. It is also narrated that the people of paradise do not sleep due to the delight"

Cover of Volume Two: From India to the Lands of the West
Volume Two: From India to the Lands of the West
Ibn Battuta · Rihla — The Travels of Ibn Battuta

14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta → · Provenance →

  1. "we found only a scant amount. Pebbles and gold were offered as the guide. It is customary for visitors to stay in the Cave of Al-Keter for three days, during which they visit the footprint morning and evening, and we did the same. When the three days were complete, we returned via the Mama Road. We stayed at the Cave of Shem, who is Seth, the son of Adam, peace be upon them, then proceeded to Qohar al-Samak, then to the village of Qarmula, with a dama on the qaf, a sukun on the ra, and a dama on the mim, then to the village of Jabar Qawan, with a fatha on the jim, a datlisba, a sukun on the ra, and a fatha on the qaf, while an ending with"

  2. "I previously mentioned. All of these lands fall under the dominion of Hormuz and are considered part of Oman. We traveled then to Hormuz, staying for three days, after which we traversed the land to Khoristan, then to Lar, followed by Khanjbal, all mentioned prior. We continued our journey to Karzi, where we stayed for three days. Next, we traveled to Jamakan, with the name pronounced with an open jim, mim, and kaf, ending in a nun, and from there to Ma'man, where both the mims are pronounced openly with a ya in between as the final letter. The letters are vocalized and ends with nun. Then we traveled to Basa,"

Cover of Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā
Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā
Ibn Kathir · Al-Bidāya wal-Nihāya

14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir → · Provenance →

  1. "upon themselves. God Almighty said, But they hamstrung her so He said, Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days. That is a promise not to be belied. It is mentioned that when they harmed the she-camel, Qudar ibn Salif, may God curse him, was the first to attack her, cutting her tendons and causing her to fall. They then rushed at her with their swords, cutting her apart. When her young one witnessed this, it fled to the highest mountain, crying out three times. For this reason, Salih said to them, Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days, not counting that day. And they still did not believe this solemn promise."

Cover of Book 15: Friendship and Brotherhood
Book 15: Friendship and Brotherhood
Imam al-Ghazali · Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din

11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali → · Provenance →

  1. "Al-Khalil bin Ahmad said, "Whoever gossips to you, gossips about you; and whoever informs you of others' good, will inform others of your affairs." Another guideline is not to extend estrangement with someone he knows beyond three days, regardless of his anger towards them. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "It is not lawful for a Muslim to shun his brother for more than three days, meeting each other, one turning away and the other turning away, and the best among them is the one who starts with the greeting.""

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