Fasting Six Days of Shawwal

Aboo Ayyoob al-Ansaaree related that Allah’s Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said,

“If anyone fasts during Ramadaan, then follows it with six[1] days in Shawwaal, it will be like a perpetual fast.” [Collected by Muslim][2]

The hadeeth contains proof for the recommendation of fasting six days of Shawwaal which is the position of a group among the Aal [3], Ahmad and ash-Shaafi‘ee. Maalik disliked fasting these days because he did not see any people of knowledge fasting them and also in order that they not be considered obligatory.

However, what is obligatory is that after a text is confirmed authentic to that effect, explanations and interpretations have no value. What Ibn ‘Abdil-Barr said [regarding Imaam Maalik’s position] was excellent, [he suggested] that the hadeeth of Muslim [probably] did not reach Maalik.

It should be noted that the reward for fasting [the six days] will be given to whoever fasts them, whether separately or continually, immediately after ‘Eed or during the month. In Sunan at-Tirmithee [it is reported] from Ibn al-Mubaarak that he preferred [the fast to be] six days from the beginning of the month of Shawwaal. It was also narrated from Ibn al-Mubaarak that he said, “Whoever fasts six days from Shawwaal separately is permissible.” My opinion is that there is no evidence for choosing them from the beginning of Shawwaal, as whoever does them in any days of Shawwaal can be described as having followed Ramadaan with six days from Shawwaal.

The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) compared [following Ramadaan with six days from Shawwaal] to fasting the year because each good deed is equal to ten times its value, thus Ramadaan is equivalent to ten months (300 days) and six days of Shawwaal is equivalent to two months.

The hadeeth does not contain evidence for fasting the whole year and this will be explained at the end of the chapter.

It should also be noted that at-Taqee as-Subkee said, “Some without understanding have criticized this hadeeth, fooled by at-Tirmithee’s statement that it is hasan regarding the narration of Sa‘d ibn Sa‘eed al-Ansaaree, the brother of Yahyaa ibn Sa‘eed.” I say that the aspect of being fooled is that at-Tirmithee did not describe it as saheeh, but only as hasan according to the manuscript with as-Subkee. What we have seen in Sunan at-Tirmithee is that after mentioning this hadeeth the statement: Aboo ‘Eesaa said: hadeeth Aboo Ayyoob is hasan saheeh. As-Subkee then said: “And Sa‘d ibn Sa‘eed is the brother of Yahyaa ibn Sa‘eed al-Ansaaree. Some scholars of hadeeth have spoken negatively about Sa‘d ibn Sa‘eed’s power of memorization.” I say that Ibn Dihyah quoted Ahmad ibn Hambal as saying: “Sa‘eed’s hadeeths are weak,” and an-Nasaa’ee said: “He is not strong,” and Aboo Haatim said: “Using the hadeeths of Sa‘d ibn Sa‘eed is impermissible.” Ibn as-Subkee then said: “Our Shaykh, Aboo Muhammad ad-Dimyaatee, concerned himself with gathering its channels and he traced it through twenty plus narrators from Sa‘d ibn Sa‘eed and most of them were reliable expert memorizers (huffaaz thiqaat) including the two Sufyaans. Also Sa‘d’s brother Yahyaa, ‘Abdu Rabbih, Safwaan ibn Saleem and others had narrations from the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) through Thawbaan, Aboo Hurayrah, Jaabir, Ibn ‘Abbaas, al-Barraa ibn ‘Aazib and ‘Aa’ishah which agreed with Sa‘d’s narration. [For example,] the wording of Thawbaan’s narration from the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was:

“Whoever fasts Ramadaan, his month is equivalent to ten, and whoever fasts six days after breaking the fast, that will make a year of fasting.” [Collected by Ahmad [4] and an-Nasaa’ee][5]