Ruling on Observing Six Fasts of Shawwal When Qada Fasts Remain
Source: Fatawa Arkan-e-Islam
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ ثُمَّ اَتْبَعَه سِتًّا مِنْ شَوَّالٍ كَانَ كَصِيَامِ الدَّهْرِ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ṣiyām, Bāb Istiḥbāb Ṣawm Sittah Ayyām min Shawwāl, Ḥadīth: 1164)
"Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he has fasted the entire year."
If a person still has pending fasts of Ramadan and wishes to observe six fasts in the month of Shawwal, the question arises:
Should such a person first make up the missed Ramadan fasts, or is it permissible to observe the six Shawwal fasts before that?
For example:
If someone has fasted only 24 days of Ramadan and still owes 6 missed fasts, and then fasts six voluntary days in Shawwal without first completing the missed Ramadan fasts, then it cannot be said that he fasted the six days of Shawwal after fasting Ramadan.
✔ This statement can only be applied when all the Ramadan fasts have been completed.
① If a person still owes qada (missed) fasts from Ramadan and observes the six fasts of Shawwal, he will not attain the virtue mentioned in the ḥadīth — the reward equivalent to fasting for an entire year.
② Fasting the six days of Shawwal without having completed the obligatory fasts of Ramadan does not fulfill the intended meaning of the ḥadīth.
This issue is not connected to the general juristic disagreement among scholars regarding:
✿ Can a person who owes obligatory (qada) fasts also observe voluntary (nafl) fasts?
Because:
✔ That disagreement pertains to general voluntary fasts.
✔ The six fasts of Shawwal are specific, and their reward is conditional upon completing the fasts of Ramadan in proper sequence.
✔ The reward mentioned in the ḥadīth is dependent upon first fasting the full month of Ramadan.
✿ Whoever still has missed Ramadan fasts remaining will not attain the reward mentioned in the authentic ḥadīth by fasting the six days of Shawwal before completing the qada.
✿ It is necessary to complete all missed Ramadan fasts first, and only after that, observe the six fasts of Shawwal in order for the reward in the ḥadīth to apply.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatawa Arkan-e-Islam
The Ruling on Fasting Six Days of Shawwal for One Who Has Missed Ramadan Fasts
Ḥadīth Mubārakah
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ ثُمَّ اَتْبَعَه سِتًّا مِنْ شَوَّالٍ كَانَ كَصِيَامِ الدَّهْرِ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ṣiyām, Bāb Istiḥbāb Ṣawm Sittah Ayyām min Shawwāl, Ḥadīth: 1164)
"Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he has fasted the entire year."
❖ Clarification of the Issue
If a person still has pending fasts of Ramadan and wishes to observe six fasts in the month of Shawwal, the question arises:
Should such a person first make up the missed Ramadan fasts, or is it permissible to observe the six Shawwal fasts before that?
For example:
If someone has fasted only 24 days of Ramadan and still owes 6 missed fasts, and then fasts six voluntary days in Shawwal without first completing the missed Ramadan fasts, then it cannot be said that he fasted the six days of Shawwal after fasting Ramadan.
✔ This statement can only be applied when all the Ramadan fasts have been completed.
✿ Important Rulings
① If a person still owes qada (missed) fasts from Ramadan and observes the six fasts of Shawwal, he will not attain the virtue mentioned in the ḥadīth — the reward equivalent to fasting for an entire year.
② Fasting the six days of Shawwal without having completed the obligatory fasts of Ramadan does not fulfill the intended meaning of the ḥadīth.
❖ Difference Between Qada and Voluntary Fasting
This issue is not connected to the general juristic disagreement among scholars regarding:
✿ Can a person who owes obligatory (qada) fasts also observe voluntary (nafl) fasts?
Because:
✔ That disagreement pertains to general voluntary fasts.
✔ The six fasts of Shawwal are specific, and their reward is conditional upon completing the fasts of Ramadan in proper sequence.
✔ The reward mentioned in the ḥadīth is dependent upon first fasting the full month of Ramadan.
❖ Conclusion
✿ Whoever still has missed Ramadan fasts remaining will not attain the reward mentioned in the authentic ḥadīth by fasting the six days of Shawwal before completing the qada.
✿ It is necessary to complete all missed Ramadan fasts first, and only after that, observe the six fasts of Shawwal in order for the reward in the ḥadīth to apply.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
