Shawwal Fasting 6 Days its Significance
Shawwal fasting is a religious observance that commemorates the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal.
In the Islamic calendar, Shawwal is the ninth month of the year. Shawwal is also known as the month of fasting. During Shawwal, Muslims are encouraged to fast from sunrise to sunset.
Muslims are also encouraged to fast during Shawwal because it helps to improve their physical health. Fast during Shawwal helps to improve the overall health of Muslims by helping to reduce their weight and blood pressure.
What is shawwal fasting?
Shawwal fasting is also a time of repentance and self-reflection. Muslims during Shawwal are encouraged to reflect on their own personal sins and make a resolution to improve their behavior in the future.
The Beloved Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Fasts in Ramadan and following it with six days from Shawwal is like continual fasting.”
[Hadith Muslim, on the authority of Abu Ayyub (Allah be pleased with him)]
This is because the reward of actions is multiplied (at least) ten-fold. So Ramadan is like fasting 300 days, and the six days of Shawwal like fast 60 days.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) himself stated this explicitly: “Fasting Ramadan is like fasting ten months and fasting six days [of Shawwal] is like fasting two months. That is like fasting a full year.” [Ahmad; Nasa’i]
The wisdom of Shawwal fasting these six days. Among the benefits of fasting Shawwal is:
- Sign of acceptance. It is a sign of the acceptance of one’s Ramadan fasts. This is because a sign of Allah’s accepting a good deed is to be granted the success to perform similar good deeds, with consistency.
- Consistency itself is beloved. The actions most beloved to Allah and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are those done most consistently.
- Sign of thankfulness. these six days fast is an expression of thankfulness for the reward of fasting that Allah grants on the day of Eid. Continuing to fast is a sign of being, as the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) described himself, “A truly thankful servant.” Thankfulness is the key to increase, and a means of securing one’s blessings and good.
- Sign of commitment to continue. these six days fast is a sign of one’s commitment to continue in worship and submission to Allah, willingly—and not merely out of obligation.
Every blessing that Allah gives us is something that we have to be thankful about. Moreover, when Allah blesses us to show thanks, this is a further blessing from Allah that deserves further thanks from us. If we show further thanks, this in turn is another blessing deserving our gratitude.
There is no end to this and we can never be thankful enough. When we recognize that our thanks is never enough, this is the highest expression of gratitude we can give.
Indeed, Allah has commanded us to give thanks for the blessings of the Ramadan fast and to do so by making mention of Him and through other means of giving thanks. Allah says: “(He wants you) to complete the number of days, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance you may give thanks.” (Qur’an, 2:185)
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If unable to fast the six days of Shawwal due to some genuine excuse, one should make the firm intention that if this excuse didn’t exist one would have fasted.
If one is sincere and true in one’s intention, then one will—by Divine Grace—have the full reward of fasting these days, because, “Actions are by their intentions, and each person shall have whatever they intended,” as the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) explained. [Muslim] The signs of being true in one’s intention is that if one’s excuse is lifted, one hastens to fulfill the intended matter.
