The
virtue of fasting six days of Shawal
What is the ruling on fasting six
days of Shawal? Is it waajib (obligatory)?
Praise be to Allah.
Fasting six days of Shawal after
the obligatory fast of Ramadaan is Sunnah Mustahabbah, not waajib. It is
recommended for the Muslim to fast six days of Shawwaal, and in this there is
great virtue and an immense reward. Whoever fasts these six days will have
recorded for him a reward as if he had fasted a whole year, as was reported in
a saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Abu Ayyoob (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of
Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts
Ramadaan and follows it with six days of Shawwaal, it will be as if he fasted
for a lifetime.” (Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i and
Ibn Maajah).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) explained this when he said: “Whoever fasts for six days
after (Eid) al-Fitr has completed the year: (whoever does a good deed (hasanah)
will have ten hasanah like it).” According to another report: “Allah has made
for each hasanah ten like it, so a month is like fasting ten months, and
fasting six days completes the year.” (al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah. See also Saheeh
al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 1/421). It was also narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah
with the wording: “Fasting for the month of Ramadaan brings the reward of ten
like it, and fasting for six days brings the reward of two months, and that is
the fasting of the whole year.”
The Hanbali and Shaafa’i fuqaha’
explained that fasting six days of Shawal after fasting Ramadaan makes it as
if one has fasted for an entire year of obligatory fasts, because the
multiplication of the reward applies even to naafil fasts, because each hasanah
brings the reward of ten like it.
Another of the important benefits of
fasting six days of Shawal is that is makes up for any shortfall in a
person's obligatory Ramadaan fasts, because no one is free of shortcomings or
sins that have a negative effect on his fasting. On the Day of Resurrection,
some of his naafil deeds will be taken to make up the shortcomings in his
obligatory deeds, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said: “The first thing for which people will be brought to account on the Day
of Resurrection will be their salaah (prayer).
Our Lord, may He be glorified
and exalted, will say to His angels – although He knows best – ‘Look at the
salaah of My slave, whether it is complete or incomplete.’ If it is perfect, it
will be recorded as perfect, and if something is lacking, He will say, ‘Look
and see whether My slave did any voluntary (naafil) prayers.’ If he did some
voluntary prayers, [Allah] will say, Complete the obligatory actions of My
slave from his voluntary actions.’ Then all his actions will be dealt with in a
similar manner.”
(Narrated by Abu Dawood).
And Allaah knows best
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