Source: Fatawa Arkan-e-Islam
❀ Can the Six Fasts of Shawwal Be Observed on Any Day? Is It Obligatory to Keep Them Every Year?
✿ Question:
Is it permissible for a person to observe the six fasts of Shawwal on any days of their choice? Are these fasts limited to specific dates? And if a Muslim observes them once, does it become obligatory to continue doing so every year?
✿ Answer:
Alhamdulillah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
A clear explanation is found in an authentic Hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
«مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ ثُمَّ اَتْبَعَه سِتًّا مِنْ شَوَّالٍ کَانَ كَصِيَامِ الدَّهْرِ»
(Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Siyam, Bab Istihbab Sawm Sittati Ayyam min Shawwal, Hadith: 1164)
Translation: “Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he has fasted for the entire year.”
❀ Method of Fasting the Six Days of Shawwal
✿ There are no specific days prescribed for observing these six fasts of Shawwal.
✿ A Muslim has full flexibility to observe them at any time during the month:
◈ Whether at the beginning of the month,
◈ In the middle,
◈ Or at the end,
◈ In fact, they may even be kept on separate, non-consecutive days.
✿ Allah ﷻ has granted ease and broad leeway in this matter.
❀ Virtue of Fasting Them Consecutively
✿ If a Muslim fasts six consecutive days at the start of Shawwal, it is a more virtuous practice.
✿ Its merit lies in hastening towards good deeds and being proactive in performing righteous acts.
❀ Is It Necessary to Fast Them Every Year?
✿ If a Muslim observes these fasts in some years and skips them in others, there is no blame upon them.
✿ This is because these fasts are voluntary (nafl) and not obligatory (fard or wajib).
ھٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
