SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SIX DAYS OF SHAWWAL

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SIX DAYS OF SHAWWAL

ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA

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Tusday 2^nd Shawwal 1443 AH – 3^rd May 2022 CE

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بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيم

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum WA-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu.

Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (ﷺ) is His slave and Messenger.

Preamble

What is the ruling on fasting six days of Shawwal? Is it obligatory?

Fasting six days of Shawwal after the obligatory fast of Ramadan is Sunnah Mustahabbah, not Wajib. It is recommended for the Muslim to fast six days of Shawwal, and in this there is great virtue and an immense reward. Whoever fasts six days of Shawwal will have recorded for him a reward as if he had fasted a whole year.

Significance Of The Six Days Of Shawwal

Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari relates that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) says: “Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of fasting in the month of Shawwal, it will be as if he had fasted the year through.” (Sahih Muslim, 1163)

The month of Shawwal is singled out for the observance of extra fasts, since this month follows immediately after Ramadan. The six days of voluntary fasting are to the obligatory fast of Ramadan what the Sunnah prayers are to the obligatory prayers.

Thawban reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The fast of Ramadan is like observing 10 months of fasting. Fasting six days of Shawwal is like observing two months of fasting. This together is like fasting throughout the year.” (Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, Sunan Al-Nasai Al-Kubra; authenticated by Al-Albani)

Al-Nawawi says: “Scholars have explained that it is like observing a year of fasting because the reward of one’s good deeds are multiplied 10-fold. Therefore fasting the month of Ramadan is like fasting for 10 months and fasting six days in the month of Shawwal is like fasting for two months.” (Sahih Muslim)

 

Virtues Of Fasting Six Days

1. Fasting 6 days in Shawwal after Ramadan gives the person the reward of fasting throughout the year.

2. The fasts of Sha’ban and Shawwal are like the Sunnah prayers that accompany the five obligatory prayers. Like the Sunnah prayers, these extra fasts cover up for the deficiencies in our performance of our obligatory worship. On the Day of Judgment, our voluntary acts of worship will compensate for the shortcomings in how we carried out our duties. Most of us have deficiencies in our observance of our Ramadan fasts and we need something to cover up for those deficiencies.

3. Our return to the habit of fasting right after Ramadan is a sign that our Ramadan fasts were accepted. 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.

4. Those who observe the fast of Ramadan are given their recompense of the day of Eid Al-Fitr, the day when the fast is rewarded. 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.

Indeed, Allah has commanded us to give thanks for the blessings of the Ramadan fast and to do so by making mention of Him and through other means of giving thanks. Allah says: “(He wants you) to complete the number of days, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance you may give thanks.” (Qur’an, 2:185)

It is known that some of the pious predecessors would try to get up at night to pray the Tahajjud prayer. When Allah blessed them to wake up and do so, they would fast the next day in thanks to Allah for blessing them to observe that prayer.

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 is never enough, this is the highest expression of gratitude we can give.

Al-Shafii, Ahmad bin Hanbal and Ishaq Al-Rahawayh hold that is preferable and recommended to fast six days in the month of Shawwal.

This opinion has also been related from Ibn Abbas, Kab Al-Ahbar, Tawus, Al-Shabi, Maymun bin Mahran, and Ibn Al-Mubarak. They base their opinion upon the Hadith that we have discussed above.

Others have regarded fasting six days in the month of Shawwal to be something disliked. This view has been related from Malik and Abu Hanifah. They argue that it is feared from the general public that they might misconstrue fasting these six days to be something obligatory. They also see it as emulating the People of the Scripture to exceed the number of fasting days in the prescribed month of fasting.

However, these objections are spurious in the face of the clear statements of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that encourage this fast. If we were to abandon a Sunnah act on the grounds that we are exceeding what is obligatory, then we would have to abandon all recommended fasts, including the fast of Ashura and the fast of the middle of the month.

It has been related that Malik used to personally fast six days in Shawwal. Also, later Hanafi scholars decided that there is no objection to fasting these days.

The Maliki jurist Ibn Abd Al-Bar explains (Al-Istidhkar, 3:380): Malik did not know of the Hadith related by Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari, even though it is a Hadith from the people of Madinah. No one possesses all the knowledge held by others. Malik explained and clarified what he disliked about it. He was afraid that it would be added to the obligatory fast of Ramadan by the general public. Malik was extremely cautious when it came to matters of religion.

As for fasting six days in the month of Shawwal to seek extra blessings, as Thawban depicts it, this is something that Malik had no objection against — and Allah knows best — since fasting is a person’s protective shield and its virtues are well-known. When we give up our food and drink for Allah’s sake, it is a virtuous and good deed. Allah says: “O you who believe, bow down in Ruku and bow down in Sajdah, and worship your Lord and do good deeds, so that you achieve success.” (Qur’an, 22:77)

Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime.” (Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasai and Ibn Majah).

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-Nasai and Ibn Majah. See also Sahih al-Targhib wa’l-Tarhib, 1/421)

It was also narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah with the wording: “Fasting for the month of Ramadan 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 Shafi'i fuqaha explained that fasting six days of Shawwal after fasting Ramadan makes it as if one has fasted for an entire year of obligatory fasts, because the multiplication of the reward applies even to nafl fasts, because each hasanah brings the reward of ten like it.

Another of the important benefits of fasting six days of Shawwal is that it 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 nafl 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 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 (nafl) 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 Dawud).

There are various opinions about how to observe the fasts in Shawwal:

1. Some scholars hold the view that it is preferable to fast the six days in consecutive order, starting from the second day of Shawwal. This is the view of Al-Shafii and Ibn Al-Mubarak.

2. Others are of the opinion that it is preferable to fast the six days intermittently, spreading them out throughout the month of Shawwal. This is the position of Ahmad bin Hanbal and Waki.

3. 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 Al-Bid) along with the three days right before or after. This is the opinion of Mamar and Abd al-Razzaq. There is considerable flexibility in all of this. We can choose to follow any of these approaches that we wish.

End of selected topics on significance of the six days of Shawwal.

May Allah accept our Ibadat?

رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلۡ مِنَّآ‌ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ (١٢٧)

Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us; for thou art the All-Hearing the All-Knowing. There Is No god But Allah ﷻ And Muhammad Is His Messenger ﷺ

And Allah knows best

Sources

From Sheikh Salman Al-Oadah

No. 71187, en.islamtoday.net

From Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid & Islam Q&A 7859