The Virtue of Fasting Six Days of Shawwal
The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
prescribed for us the fasting of six days from the month of Shawwal, as
mentioned in the hadith: “He who observes
As-Saum (the fasts) in the month of Ramadan, and also observes As-Saum for six
days in the month of Shawwal, it is as if he has observed As-Saum for the whole
year.” (Narrated by Muslim in Kitab As-Siyam, with
An-Nawawi’s commentary (8/56))
That is,
it is like fasting a full year. A Muslim should note that this virtue is only
achieved after completing the entire month of Ramadan.
The Virtue of Fasting Six Days of
Shawwal
The
Prophet (peace
be upon him) explained the virtue of fasting six
days of Shawwal by saying: “Whoever fasts six
days after the Fitr will have completed the year, for whoever does a good deed
will have the reward of ten like it.”
In
another narration: “Allah has made each good
deed equal to ten like it. So a month is like ten months, and fasting six days
completes the year.”
(Narrated by An-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah; also found in Sahih At-Targhib Wat-Tarhib
(1/421))
Ibn
Khuzaymah narrated it with the wording: “Fasting
the month of Ramadan equals ten months like it, and fasting six days equals two
months; that is the fasting of a year.”
The
jurists among the Hanbalis and Shafi`is explicitly stated that fasting six days
of Shawwal after Ramadan is equivalent to fasting a full year as an obligation
in terms of reward.
Otherwise,
the multiplication of reward is generally established even in voluntary fasting,
since every good deed is multiplied tenfold.
Benefits of Fasting Six Days of Shawwal
Among the
important benefits of fasting these six days is that they compensate for any
shortcomings that may have occurred in the obligatory fasting of Ramadan. No
fasting person is free from some deficiency or sin that may negatively affect
his fast.
On the
Day of Judgment, voluntary acts will be used to make up for deficiencies in
obligatory acts. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The first thing
about which the people will be called to account out of their actions on the
Day of Judgment is prayer. Our Lord, the Exalted, will say to the angels -
though He knows better: Look into the prayer of My servant and see whether he
has offered it perfectly or imperfectly. If it is perfect, that will be
recorded perfect. If it is defective, He will say: See there are some optional
prayers offered by My servant. If there are optional prayer to his credit, He
will say: Compensate the obligatory prayer by the optional prayer for My
servant. Then all the actions will be considered similarly.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, 865)
Can You Fast the Six Days Anytime in
Shawwal?
These six days are not restricted to specific dates in
the month. A believer may choose to fast them at any time during Shawwal,
whether at the beginning of the month, in the middle, or at the end. He may
fast them consecutively or separately. The matter is flexible, praise be to
Allah.
However,
it is better to hasten and fast them consecutively at the beginning of the
month, as this falls under racing toward good deeds.
These
fasts are not obligatory; a person may leave them in any year. However,
maintaining them consistently is better and more complete, based on the saying of the Prophet
(peace
be upon him): “The
deed liked most by Allah is one to which the doer adheres constantly even if it
is small.” (Narrated by
Al-Bukhari (6465) and the wording is for Muslim (783))
Should You Make Up Missed Fasts Before
the Six Days of Shawwal?
Scholars
have differed regarding whether making up missed Ramadan fasts should come
before fasting the six days of Shawwal.
The more
sound opinion is that making up missed obligatory fasts takes priority over
fasting the six days or any voluntary fasts.
This is
based on the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “He who observes
As-Saum (the fasts) in the month of Ramadan, and also observes As-Saum for six
days in the month of Shawwal, it is as if he has observed As-Saum for the whole
year.”
Whoever
fasts the six days before completing missed Ramadan fasts has not truly
followed Ramadan with them, but rather followed only part of Ramadan.
Additionally,
making up missed fasts is obligatory, while fasting the six days is
voluntary—and fulfilling obligations takes precedence over voluntary acts.
For Further Reading:
- No Guidance But Through the Quran
- Does Islam Allow Fasting on Behalf of the Dead?
- 5 Qur'anic and Prophetic Teachings for Weight Loss
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