Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays is a voluntary Sunnah (the Prophet’s example and guidance), supported by a report about deeds being presented on those days and by ‘Aishah’s account of the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ practice. To observe it, make the intention to fast, eat suhur (the pre-dawn meal) if you can, and abstain from food, drink, and other invalidators from dawn until sunset. Keep this voluntary practice distinct from making up an obligatory fast, and do not fast on the days when fasting is prohibited.
Why are Mondays and Thursdays recommended for fasting?
The virtue is connected to the presentation of deeds to Allah. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Deeds are presented (to Allah) on Monday and Thursday. So, I like my deeds to be presented while I am fasting.” (Muslim and At-Tirmidhi, authentic hadith)
‘Aishah also described his practice: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ “used to strive to fast on Mondays and Thursdays” (Ibn Majah, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i and Ahmad, authentic hadith). These reports recommend the two fasts without making them obligatory: a missed Monday or Thursday is not a debt to make up.
How to make the intention and prepare for suhur
For a voluntary fast, intend in your heart that you are fasting for Allah; no spoken formula is required. Most scholars, including the Hanafis, Shafi‘is and Hanbalis, accept an intention made during the morning for a voluntary fast, provided you have eaten, drunk and done nothing else that breaks the fast since dawn; the Malikis require the intention before dawn for every fast. For a Ramadan make-up fast, the four schools agree that the intention must be made before dawn.
Suhur is the meal eaten before dawn. Finish it before the time of the dawn prayer begins, and keep the fast until sunset. Suhur is a recommended preparation, not a condition for the fast’s validity: if you wake too late or cannot eat, you can still fast.
Can a Monday or Thursday fast count as a make-up fast?
Yes. If you owe a fast from Ramadan, you may make it up on a Monday or Thursday, with the intention made before dawn. The fast is then an obligatory make-up fast (qada); the weekday does not change the obligation you are fulfilling. The Qur’an sets this obligation for missed days: “if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (Should be made up) from days later.” (Al-Baqarah 2:184)
Scholars differ on whether a single fast can earn both the make-up and the reward of the Monday or Thursday fast; they agree that the make-up obligation is what the fast fulfils first. For a personal question about a particular debt, ask a qualified scholar. For a broader discussion of how these weekday fasts relate to other voluntary fasts, see the discussion of Monday and Thursday fasting and the three monthly fasts.
Which days should you not fast?
Fasting is prohibited on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and on the days of Tashriq, the three days after Eid al-Adha. A Monday or Thursday that falls on one of these days is not a day to observe this Sunnah. The Hijri calendar shows when these dates fall.
The habit of fasting on Mondays and Thursdays also matters just before Ramadan. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Do not precede Ramadan by fasting a day or two unless a man has a habitual fast, then let him fast it.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim, authentic hadith) Someone who regularly fasts on Mondays and Thursdays may therefore keep that fast even when it falls a day or two before Ramadan.
In short: Monday and Thursday fasting is a voluntary Sunnah, linked to the presentation of deeds and to the Prophet’s ﷺ own practice. Make the intention, take suhur if you can, make the intention before dawn when the fast is a Ramadan make-up, and avoid the two Eids and the days of Tashriq.
Sources quoted
Every quotation was checked word for word against the Quran and hadith texts in our database.
- Surah Al-Baqara, verse 184
- Hadith narrated by Muslim and at-Tirmidhi — authentic
- Hadith narrated by at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and Ahmad — authentic
- Hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim — authentic
The Al Muslim Plus editorial team · reviewed on November 9, 2026