Month of Shawwal
Hadith on Fasting in the Month of Shawwal
In the Islamic calendar, the moon of the eleventh month brings joy and happiness to Muslims worldwide as it’s the month of Shawwal, which arrives after Ramadan’s holy and blessed month.
After fasting, praying, and all the additional worship during Ramadan, the moon of Shawwal arrives, bringing a wave of happiness. Allah SWT granted this day to celebrate and greet each other to share the joy of Eid ul Fitr.
To continue the blessings of Ramadan in the coming months, fasting the six days of Shawwal after Eid ul Fitr increases the sanctification of fasting in the Holy Month of Ramadan. To keep fasting during these six days can also cover up if we had any paucity in fasting during Ramadan.
What is the Month of Shawwal?
Shawwal is also named the month of ‘reward’. It is an Arabic word. It is imitative from the word ‘Sawal’. The literal meaning of Shawwal is ‘raised’. Or we can say that it is the month of the renewal of our faith and a new dawn of our spiritual cleaning after the blessed month of Ramadan. Shawwal allows us to follow up on the practices and struggles we have been doing during Ramadan.
The month before Ramadan, Sha’ban, is the time to prepare for Ramadan. Similarly, after the blessed month of Ramadan, Shawwal is equally important for Muslims to continue Ramadan’s good deeds and blessings. Muslims worldwide count the first day of Shawwal as a Holy reward from Allah SWT for completing Ramadan.
Fasting in the month of Shawwal
Fasting is the most beautiful feature of Islamic culture. It is obligatory in the month of Ramadan. But after Ramadan, Shawwal is the only month we are instructed to keep fast. Muslims believe that fasting in the first six days of Shawwal after Eid ul Fitr is equivalent to fasting for the whole year.
To fast in these six days has many delightful benefits. It is a blessing, especially for women who miss fasting during menstruation. So, these six days are a sacred sign for them to compensate for those days.
If a person was ill or was traveling and missed fasting during Ramadan, he can keep his habitual fasting in post-Eid ul Fitr days and get the reward of fasting for the whole year.
Six days of fasting in Shawwal’s start makes us realize that we can carry on the good deeds and worship we have been practicing during Ramadan. This training or rehearsal can keep us away from the misleading path. The only need is to prepare ourselves mentally and physically to carry it on.
Hadith on Fasting For the Month of Shawwal
Shawwal is the month when Muslims are very grateful to Allah SWT. To fast in Shawwal is a way to show gratitude to the Almighty for all His blessings, mercy, and rewards He SWT grants us during the sanctified month of Ramadan.
Allah SWT mentioned in Holy Quran,
يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ١٨٥
“Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you, and perhaps you will be grateful”.
Quran 2: 185
In the same way, we found a few hadiths for fasting in the month of Shawwal. There is a hadith about not fasting on the first day of Shawwal. Abu Saeed (R.A) narrated that,
“The Prophet Muhammad PBUH forbade fasting on the day of Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha”.
(Bukhari)
But Prophet Muhammad SAWW instructed his Ummah to fast in the post-Eid ul Fitr, six days of Shawwal. According to a hadith,
“Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of fasting in the month of Shawwal, it will be as if he fasted for the entire year.”
(Sahih Muslim)
The grateful month of Shawwal catches the fragrance of the blessed month of Ramadan. We should keep holding Allah SWT’s love and blessings after Ramadan as well. For this purpose, we should fast the six days of Shawwal and, if possible, make a pilgrimage to Umrah. May Allah keep us stuck to His right path. Ameen