This is Why You should Fast Six more Days after Ramadan
The blessed month of Ramadan has come and lo it’s time to bid her farewell. I hope it turned out positive for you as one of your best Ramadan ever. If it didn’t, there’s still hope to keep pushing forth deeds of righteousness, asking Allah for forgiveness and praying you get to witness another Ramadan. So it’s important to bear in mind that fasting has not ended with Ramadan. The journey has only begun as the Sitta Shawwal days are just around the corner.
It’s highly recommended for Muslims to fast six days in the month of Shawwal, for in this there is a great virtue and an immense reward. This fasting after the obligatory ones is Mustahabbah, not wajib. That means it’s highly recommended but not compulsory. It is encouraged by the virtues of its reward because the Prophet peace be upon him mentioned that whoever fasts these six days will have recorded for him a reward as if he had fasted a whole year.
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.” — Muslim, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nisa’i, and Ibn Majah
So here are some of the virtues of this meritorious act:
- Fasting six days in Shawwal gives you the reward of fasting a lifetime and in another narration, throughout the year. This is a huge reward to miss out on.
- The scholars have explained that the Sha’ban and Shawwal fasts are like the Sunnah prayers that accompany the five obligatory prayers. They cover up for the deficiencies in our performance of our obligatory worship. Since many of us have deficiencies in observing Ramadan, we hope Allah covers up for us with Shawwal.
- When Allah accepts your worship, He blesses you to engage in further acts of piety. We hope that our return to fasting ways right after Ramadan is a pointer to our Ramadan being well done.
- Fasting these days is in line with the Sunnah of the Messenger peace be upon him. And we already know Allah’s injunction: If you truly love Allah, then follow the messenger. Then Allah will love you and forgive your shortcomings.
Say [O Muhammad to mankind]: “If you truly love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful” — Qur’an 3[Al-Imran]:31
5. Getting into the habit of fasting again after Ramadan is a blessing. A means of expressing gratitude and further submission to Allah. So this is an opportunity to earn more rewards after knowing you’ve been blessed with Allah’s forgiveness after Ramadan.
In conclusion, bear in mind that there’s no rush in observing this fast. However, the quicker you do, the easier and better it gets for you before laxity sets in. Remember it is not permissible to fast on the day of Eid. Also, you have to complete your missed days from Ramadan either owing to illness, ‘cycle flow’ or journeying before you embark on the Shawwal fasting. The mode of observance is flexible — you can either take a marathon fast in six days as a row or break it down into bits of selected days. The most important thing is to complete it before the crescent of Dhul Qadah is sighted.
We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to accept this from us and count us among His righteous servants who have earned His forgiveness and emancipation. And success comes only by Allah’s Mercy.
Your Brother,
DhunNurayn ElShabazz
Yaumul Ithnayn 29th Ramadan 1440H // Monday 3rd June 2019.
