Ramadan, in which Muslims fasted continuously for 29 or 30 days, is over and we are now almost in the middle of Shawwal. But for those who love fasting, there is a great chance of earning extra reward with fasting in Shawwal. Abu Ayub (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace 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.” (Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah) According to another report: “Allah has made for each hasanah (good deed/reward) ten like it, so fasting a month is like fasting 10 months, and fasting six days (more) completes the year.” (Al-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah) It might seem odd that someone who has already endured a month of abstinence, in which their momentum of worship only increased as the days went by, would willingly opt to start fasting again, voluntarily, soon after being “freed” from the obligatory fasts. One may feel that once the obligation of fasting is lifted, a Muslim may want to spend at least a few days eating and drinking well, and spending his days or nights catching up on the sleep he “lost” in the last 10 days of extra worship. The opposite should really be true. A slave of Allah, who has captured the true spirit of fasting during Ramadan, will be humbled towards Allah and won't have the tendency to transgress Allah's limits and laws. He will be sad that the month of mercy is over. He would not want to change his routine of doing good deeds and staying away from useless pursuits. The Qur'an was his companion at all times during Ramadan, so he would want to hold on to it much longer than Ramadan and keep up his spiritually-charged routine before the “normal” life catches up on him again. Fasting six days in Shawwal allows a Muslim to gradually taper off the fasting schedule over a span of a few days. Since the body's clock is accustomed to waking up in the wee hours of the morning, he might not even need an alarm initially to continue waking up an hour or so before dawn. Observing voluntary fasts during Shawwal therefore, allows him to utilize the eating and sleeping habits of his body to his spiritual benefit, by perhaps offering the usual night prayer before Fajr as he used to during Ramadan, followed by Suhoor and then the fast. If someone couldn't complete the recital of the Qur'an in Ramadan, the six Shawwal fasts give him the opportunity to do so. When the entire family is fasting the six voluntary fasts of Shawwal, it also makes it easier for young women to make up the fasts they missed in Ramadan due to menses. On average, a woman's cycle lasts from six-seven days. When everyone is waking up for Suhoor, it definitely makes it easier for those women to quickly complete their obligatory fasts first and then follow up with the voluntary ones if they wish. Muslims have been given the leeway to observe the six Shawwal fasts together, i.e. in six consecutive days, or by fasting in any pattern during the course of the month – there are no restrictions. So let us all reap extra rewards by resolving to fast six days during Shawwal Insha, Allah. We can easily achieve this goal with Allah's help, Insha, Allah!
