Hadith's from Imam Hosain (as); #223, People and Recommended Fasting

Masrooq said, I went to see Imam Hasan (as) on Arafeh. I saw him sitting and eating the food that was their with his friends and companions. A little while after, I got up and went to Imam Hosain (as) and noticed that he was fasting. I asked him, "Your brother is breaking his fast today and your fasting?"

اِنَّ الْحَسَنَ كَانَ اِماماً فَأفطَرَ لِئلّا يُتَخَذَ صُوْمُهُ سُنَةً , وَ لِيَتأسّى بِهِ اَلنَّاسُ, فَلَمَّا أنْ قُبِضَ كُنْتُ اَنا الاِمامَ فَاَرَدْتُ اَنْ لا يُتَخَذَ صَوْمُهُ سُنَّةً فَيَتَاَسَّى النّاسُ بة


Imam Hosain (as) said:

"My brother, Hasan (as), is people's leader, therefore today he didn't fast. So that people wouldn't think that his fasting is an absolute tradition, and they would follow him. So, whenever my brother leaves this world, I will be the leader of the community. Then I will also try to make it so that the people don't think our fasting is an absolute tradition so they would follow me."
In other words fasting or not fasting during Arafeh is exceptable...since that day Imam Hasan (as) did not fast and Imam Hosain (as) did fast. However, because Imameh Mojataba (as) was the leader of society and because it was possible that people would take his actions into account as a definite tradition, he didn't fast and observed the state and circumstance of the people.

1 مَنْ لا يحضره الفقيه ج 2 ص 87 حديث 1810


Collections of Clear Existence. A Dictionary of Conversations by Imam Hosain (as) [(فرهنگ سخنان امام حسین (س]; gathered by Mohammad Dashti, published by Mahshoor (Qum, Iran) 1377; pg 340-341; ISBN 964-6863-31-0.