About this method of fasting...

About this method of fasting, he said, “Fasting on these three days is equal (in reward) to fasting for one’s whole lifetime and it removes satanic insinuation.”… He used to fast on the first Thursday of every month, the first Wednesday after ten days of the same month, and on the last Thursday.

[^3] According to another validly reported tradition, Imam al-Sadiq (‘a), commenting on this issue, has said: My father used to say, “None is more hated by Almighty Allah than one who, when informed about what the Holy Prophet (S) did, says, ‘Almighty Allah will not torture me if I do not show painstakingness in praying and fasting,’ thinking that because he himself failed to do certain supererogatory acts the Holy Prophet (S) omitted doing them as well.” [^4] In his book of al-Muqni’ah , Shaykh al-Mufid reported the Holy Prophet (S) to have said: “When the deeds of my people were shown before me, I found defects and flaws in the majority of them.

I therefore added to each obligatory prayer a supererogatory one whose units are twice as many the units of the obligatory so that the obligatory prayer of one who offers the supererogatory will be accepted. Verily, Almighty Allah is too Merciful to refuse, even the third of a deed, which one of His servants does for His sake. Thus, Almighty Allah has imposed upon you the offering of seventeen units of prayer every day and night, but the Holy Prophet (S) added thirty-four units.

Likewise, Almighty Allah imposed fasting during the month of Ramadhan every year, but the Holy Prophet (S) made it sixty days in a year so as to perfect the duty of fasting. He therefore made it a tradition to fast three days every month; the first and last Thursdays of the month, and the Wednesday in the middle of the month.[^5] According to other traditions, this is the most important fasting especially for those who are unable to fast in Ramadhan, being too weary to fast on those days.

Permission has been given to delay the fasting of these days to winter or any other appropriate days. Moreover, other traditions have allowed making up the fasting of these days at other times or replacing them with alms that may be given as half a bushel of food for each day. Other traditions recommend fasting on the so-called white days of each month: the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth. [^1]: - The supreme religious authority, Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim, used to offer this prayer regularly.

[^2]: - Al-Hurr al-`Amili, Wasa’il al-Shi`ah 5:286.