"AWE ARUGBO" (FAST OF THE OLD)

 

©Ibn Abdillah As-sudaisiy Al-Iloori

First Published on 15th March, 2019

The People of Bid'ah insinuate that the People of Sunnah are driving people away from worshipping Allāh because they warn them not to engage in any bid'ah fasting in Rajab. It must be noted that warning against bid'ah and other evils is a collective responsibility of the entire Muslim community. All what the Salaf have said centuries ago on bid'ah are manifesting in our society. Part of what they said is that once a bid'ah is initiated, it tries to erase an aspect of the Sunnah.

The truth of the matter is that the People of Sunnah have not said we can't fast in Rajab at all as some people have made it look. What the People of Sunnah are saying is that there is no specially prescribed fast popularly known as "awe arugbo" (fast of the old) for Muslims in Rajab apart from the usual sunnatic fasts that are obtainable in other months too. 

The People of Sunnah have not said we can't fast in some of days of Rajab as a form of nawāfil, but we can't fast the whole days of Rajab or have it in mind that we are engaging on a special fasting fixed for 'Rajab'. We can continue our usual Monday and Thursday fast in Rajab.  We can continue our white days (14th, 15, and 16th days of the month) fasts in Rajab. We can also decide to fast on any day in Rajab to seek Allāh's pleasure. All these are different from having the intention of embarking on 'Rajab' fast because there is nothing like that in Islaam. Some people are greeting one another "eku oungbe" in Rajab. This is a result of ignorance of Sunnah and blind imitation. May Allāh have mercy on us all.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم didn't specify anything like "awe arugbo" (fast of the old) as it is very common in our society. It is a form of innovation. You will see some elderly people fasting the whole days of Rajab and even Sha'baan as if it is legislated in the deen. Some people would fast the whole of Rajab, Sha"baan and Ramadan with no break. This has no place in Islām. It is innovation and extremism. Even the Ramadan that is compulsory upon us, Allāh gave old people the leave not to fast if they unable to. Why would they now be fasting in Rajab without any authentic evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah? 

To worship Allāh properly, we need to understand the Sunnah and how the Companions رضي الله عنهم practised it. We shouldn't worship Allāh with ignorance or blindfollowing the people of the past. This principle is not only applicable to obligatory acts of worship alone, it is also applicable to all voluntary or superogatory acts of worship. It is dangerous to be worshipping Allāh without proper understanding of the Sunnah and the ways of the Companions رضي الله عنهم. It is better not to perform a naafilah than to perform it in a way different from how the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his Companions رضي الله عنهم performed it.

May Allāh guide us aright.