Sitta Shawwal : ﺷﻮّﺍﻝ
Fasting six days of Shawwal after the obligatory fast of Ramadhan 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 these six days will have recorded for him a reward as if he had fasted a whole year, as was reported in a sahih hadith from the Prophet ( peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). 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 Ramadhan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime.”يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O you who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil).
— Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nisa’i 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.” [An-Nisa’i and Ibn Majah. See also Sahih at-Targhib wa’t-Tarhib , 1/421). It was also narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah with the wording: “Fasting for the month of Ramadhan 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.”
It is related from Thawbân that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The fast of Ramadan is like observing ten months of fasting. Fasting six days of Shawwâl is like observing two months of fasting. This together is like fasting throughout the year.” [ Sahîh Ibn Khuzaymah (2115) and Sunan al-Nasâ’î al-Kubrâ (2860) – and authenticated by al-Albânî]
The Hanbali and Shafi’i fuqaha’ explained that fasting six days of Shawwal after fasting Ramadhan makes it as if one has fasted for an entire year of obligatory fasts, because the multiplication of the reward applies even to nafil fasts, because each hasanah brings the reward of ten like it.
Another of the important benefits of fasting six days of Shawwal is that is makes up for any shortfall in a person’s obligatory Ramadhan 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 nafil 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 (nafil) 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
Virtues of Fasting Six Days in Shawwâl
1. Fasting six days in Shawwâl after observing the Ramadan fast gives the person the reward of fasting throughout the year.
2. The fasts of Sha`bân and Shawwâl 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.
[ Note: The deficiencies being discussed here are not missing days of fasting. Rather, they are the deficiencies in our conduct that detract from the value of our worship.]
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`Id 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.
May Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) be praised. Imagine, a year! Now, lets assume one lives for forty years and observes Ramadan and Sital-Shawwal completely for twenty-eight years out of forty, that means he has perform fasting for the whole of twenty-eight years -Allah A’lam. How awesome and great the reward of such person will be? Neither you nor I have the idea, as Allah’s reward is far beyond our imagination.
may almighty Allah in his abundant mercy give us the strength in completing and accept it as an act of ibadah. (Ameen)
reference:IslamQ&A
Nafysah @.Knowislam.com.ng
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