The Six Fasts of Shawwaal
HOW TO GET THE REWARD OF FASTING FOR THE WHOLE YEAR!!!
The Month of Shawwaal begins with one of the most auspicious days – Eid ul Fitr. Eid ul Fitr is a day of great ibaadah and a day of immense happiness.
The month of Shawwaal is further enhanced by the six voluntary fasts which can be kept within it.
Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) reports that: “Whoever completes the fasts of Ramadan and then follows it with the six fasts of Shawwaal, it will carry the thawaab (reward) of fasting for the whole year.” (Muslim)
Scholars have commented on the six fasts stating that every good deed is multiplied by ten, therefore the reward of 30 days of Ramadan amounts to the reward of 300 days of fasting.
The six fasts of Shawwaal amounts to the rewards of 60 more days, hence raising the aggregate reward to 360 – a whole year’s reward of fasting!
This hadith has described the great thawab of six fasts of this month. Therefore, the Muslims should take this opportunity of acquiring such an enormous reward from Allah. It is more preferable to start these fasts from the 2nd of Shawwaal and keep fasting up to the 7th of it. However, if, they are kept in other days, it is hoped that the requirement of the above hadith may also be fulfilled.
