الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
Brothers and sisters! Fasting six days of Shawwal after the day of Eid ul-Fitr is not obligatory. However, it is a sunnah, and highly recommended. There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim that says:
مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَهُ سِتًّا مِنْ شَوَّالٍ كَانَ كَصِيَامِ الدَّهْرِ
“Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of fasting during the month of Shawwal will be as if he has fasted for the whole year.” According to another hadith,
صِيَامُ رَمَضَانَ بِعَشَرَةِ أَشْهُرٍ وَصِيَامُ السِّتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ بِشَهْرَيْنِ فَذَلِكَ صِيَامُ السَّنَةِ
“Fasting the month of Ramadan is like ten months of fasting and fasting six days of Shawwal is like two months of fasting, so those together is like fasting a year.” This is because Allah multiplies sincere good deeds tenfold. The verse 160 of Surat al-An’am tells us:
مَنْ جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا وَمَنْ جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَى إِلَّا مِثْلَهَا وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
“Whoever does a good deed will be repaid tenfold, but those who do a bad deed will only be repaid with its equivalent and they shall not be wronged.´ (al-An’am, 6:160). We learn through a hadith that tells us:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْحَسَنَاتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ بَيَّنَ ذَلِكَ فَمَنْ هَمَّ بِحَسَنَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسَنَةً كَامِلَةً وَإِنْ هَمَّ بِهَا فَعَمِلَهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِنْدَهُ عَشْرَ حَسَنَاتٍ إِلَى سَبْعِ مِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ إِلَى أَضْعَافٍ كَثِيرَةٍ وَإِنْ هَمَّ بِسَيِّئَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسَنَةً كَامِلَةً وَإِنْ هَمَّ بِهَا فَعَمِلَهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ سَيِّئَةً وَاحِدَةً
“Verily, Allah has recorded good and evil deeds and he made them clear. Whoever intends to perform a good deed but does not do it, Allah will record it as a complete good deed. If he intends to do it and does so, Allah Almighty will record it as ten good deeds, up to seven hundred times as much or even more. If he intends to do an evil deed and does not do it, Allah will record for him one complete good deed. If he does it, Allah will record for him a single evil deed.”
Therefore, we should take advantage of this opportunity to gain a tremendous amount of reward for a comparatively small amount of effort.
One of the purposes of fasting during the month of Shawwal is to continue the habit of fasting that we have developed during Ramadan. If we do not fast any days of Shawwal, it will be much more difficult to make fasting a regular habit throughout the year. We should use the good habits we developed during Ramadan to begin practicing the voluntary days of fasting, such as fasting on the days of Arafat and Ashura, fasting Mondays and Thursdays, and fasting three days in the middle of every month.
A man came to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “What is your view about fasting on the day of Arafat?” The Prophet said: “Fasting on the Day of Arafah expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year.” The man said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is your view about fasting the day of Ashura?” The Prophet (SAW) said: “Fasting the day of ‘Ashura’ (is of great merits), I hope that Allah will accept it as an expiation for (the sins committed in) the previous year.”
Regarding fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “The deeds are presented on Monday and Thursday. Thus, I love for my deeds to be presented while I am fasting.”
Regarding fasting on the white days (Ayyam ul-Beed), the Prophet (SAW) said: “If you are going to fast three days of the month, then fast on the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days.”
Even if one is incapable or finds it too difficult to fast six days of Shawwal, then he should fast at least a few days or as much as he can in order to make fasting a regular habit in each month. The consistency of a good practice is more important than its perceived size, as Allah loves good deeds that are done regularly even if they are small. According to a hadith, the Prophet (SAW) said: “Know that the most beloved deed to Allah is that which is done regularly even if it is small.” Therefore, let us reinforce the good habits we have cultivated during Ramadan and make fasting for some days a regular habit in every month, even if only a few days.
An important benefit of fasting six days of Shawwal is that is makes up for any shortfall in a person’s obligatory Ramadan 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 voluntary (nafil) deeds will be taken to make up the shortcomings in his obligatory deeds, as the Prophet (SAW) said: “The first thing for which people will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be their salah (prayer). Our Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, will say to His angels – although He knows best – ‘Look at the salah 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 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.” The six days of voluntary fasting are to the obligatory fast of Ramadan what the Sunnah prayers are to the obligatory prayers.
Our return to the habit of fasting right after Ramadan is a sign that our Ramadan fasts were accepted inshaAllah. When Allah accepts our worship, He blesses us to engage in further acts of piety. The saying goes: “The reward of virtue is further virtue.” Therefore, following one good deed with others like it is a sign that the first deed had been accepted by Allah. By contrast, if a person’s good deed is followed by a sinful one, it is an indication that the first good deed might not have been accepted.
Getting into the habit of fasting again soon thereafter is a means of giving thanks to Allah for the blessings that we have received. There is no blessing greater than forgiveness for one’s sins, and we know that fast of Ramadan is recompensed with forgiveness of one’s previous sins.
Fasting six days in Shawwal is one way for us to express our thanks for Allah blessing us in our observance of the Ramadan fast. Every blessing that Allah gives us is something that we have to be thankful about. Moreover, when Allah blesses us to show thanks, this is a further blessing from Allah that deserves further thanks from us. If we show further thanks, this in turn is another blessing deserving our gratitude. There is no end to this and we can never be thankful enough. When we recognize that our thanks are never enough, this is the highest expression of gratitude we can give.
What is the format of fasting? Some scholars hold the view that it is preferable to fast the six days in consecutive order, starting from the second day of Shawwal. Others are of the opinion that it is preferable to fast the six days intermittently, spreading them out throughout the month of Shawwal. Then there are those who hold the view that the days should all be postponed until later in the month and not close to the day of Eid, which is a time of celebration and feasting. They prefer fasting the three days in the middle of the month (Ayyam ul-Beed) along with the three days right before or after. So one may choose whatever format one wants to in order to complete the six days of fasting in the month of Shawwal.
