Praise be to Allaah.
Fasting six days of Shawwaal
after the obligatory fast of
Ramadaan is Sunnah
Mustahabbah, not waajib. It is
recommended for the Muslim to
fast six days of Shawwaal, 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 saheeh hadeeth
from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). Abu Ayyoob (may Allaah be
pleased with him) reported that
the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “Whoever fasts
Ramadaan and follows it with six
days of Shawwaal, it will be as if
he fasted for a lifetime.” (Narrated
by Muslim, Abu Dawood, al-
Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i and Ibn
Maajah).
The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah 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: “Allaah has made for each
hasanah ten like it, so a month is
like fasting ten months, and
fasting six days completes the
year.” (al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah.
See also Saheeh al-Targheeb
wa’l-Tarheeb, 1/421).
It was also narrated by Ibn
Khuzaymah with the wording:
“Fasting for the month of
Ramadaan 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 Shaafa’i fuqaha’
explained that fasting six days of
Shawwaal after fasting
Ramadaan makes it as if one has
fasted for an entire year of
obligatory fasts, because the
multiplication of the reward
applies even to naafil fasts,
because each hasanah brings the
reward of ten like it.
Another of the important benefits
of fasting six days of Shawwaal is
that is makes up for any shortfall
in a person’s obligatory
Ramadaan 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 naafil
deeds will be taken to make up
the shortcomings in his obligatory
deeds, as the Prophet Image
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “The first thing for
which people will be brought to
account on the Day of
Resurrection will be their salaah
(prayer). Our Lord, may He be
glorified and exalted, will say to
His angels – although He knows
best – ‘Look at the salaah 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 (naafil) prayers.’
If he did some voluntary prayers,
[Allaah] 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 Dawood).
And Allaah knows best.