The virtue of fasting six days of Shawwal

Abu Ayyub Al Ansary (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "He who observes As-Sawm (the fasts) in the month of Ramadan, and also observes As-Sawm for six days in the month of Shawwal, it is as if he has observed As-Sawm for the whole year." [Reported by Muslim].[1]

Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Fasting Ramadan equals fasting ten months, and fasting six days [of Shawwal] equals fasting two months. So both equal fasting the whole year."

In another narration, he said: "Whoever fasts six days after breaking the fast [of Ramadan], it will be as if he fasted the whole year. Allah, the Almighty, says (what means): {Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgment] with a good deed will have ten times the like thereof [to his credit].} [Quran 6:160]" [Reported by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Majah].[2]

Benefits and rulings:

The first: The virtue of fasting six days of Shawwal and stressing that the one who observes fasting them along with observing fasting of Ramadan is as if he has observed fasting for his entire lifetime which is a great virtue and a great work.

The second: Showing the great mercy of Allah (may He be Exalted) with His Servants and that rewards them for few actions with great reward.

The third: The desirability of hastening to fast the six days of Shawwal due to the command of hastening to do righteous actions and in order not to miss the fasting of these days or to avoid anything that may busy a person from fasting.

The fourth: The permissibility of fasting them in the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the month whether consecutive or separated, for all these are permissible. Anything a person does regarding the fasting of these days will be permissible and he shall get the reward for that if Allah (may He be Exalted) accepts this action from him.[3]

The fifth: The person who has missed some days of Ramadan has to make up first for these missed days then fasts the six days because the outward meaning of the Hadiths reads: "whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan" which means: The one who has missed some days of Ramadan did not complete the fasting of that month, so he must complete the fasting of Ramadan first then fasts these days[4] because fulfilling obligatory duties is more important than performing commendable actions.

The sixth: The wise Lawgiver ordained voluntary actions before and after obligatory duties such as the fixed Sunan before and after Salah, the permissibility of fasting Sha`ban, fasting six days of Shawwal and in between is the fasting of Ramadan.

The seventh: These voluntary actions complete the deficiency in obligatory duties because a fully competent person is not free of committing something to reduce the reward of his fasting such as idle talks, looking to women,...etc.

---

[1] Reported by Muslim (1164).

[2] Reported by Ahmad (5/280), Ad-Darimy (1755), Ibn Majah (1715), and An-Nasa'y in As-Sunnan Al Kubra (2860). Ibn Khuzaymah graded it as authentic (21154) and Ibn Hibban (3635).

[3] See: Al Mughny (4/440) and the commentary of An-Nawawy on Muslim (8/56).

[4] See: Ash-Sharh Al Mumti` (6/466).