Is it true that after Ramadan one has to fast another six days?
Is it true that after Ramadan one has to fast another six days?
Is it true that after Ramadan one has to fast another six days and are these days considered special? If so, how should one make up for the days missed for a valid reason – keep on account these six days or should one fast these six days first and then make up for the missed days?
It is advisable to also fast for six days in the month of Shawwal after Ramadan - this is Sunna. It is better to fast for six days in a row immediately after the Eid day of breaking the fast. If one fasts after the Eid on separate days, then this is considered Sunna as well. In the hadith of the Messenger of God ﷺ, reported by Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari , it is said, “The fast of a person who observes the month of Ramadan and adds to it six days of the month of Shawwal is like fasting a whole year without interruption.” (Narrated by Muslim)
It is best to start fasting immediately from the day after Eid al-Fitr, so as to show haste in worship. But this is not an obligatory condition. If one fasts after the Eid on separate days, then this is also considered as a Sunna, because continuous fasting of this fast is not an obligatory condition. That is, the Sunnah is fulfilled if one fasts six days separately, but it is better to fast all six days in a row and for this one will be rewarded more.
As for one who missed a fast in the month of Ramadan without a valid excuse, he does not have the right to delay making it up, so he must make it up in the month of Shawwal without delay. Therefore, if a person has missed fasts, he does not have the right to fast with the intention of only the desirable fast, moreover, in this case it will be sinful for him to make the intention of only the desirable fast of the month of Shawwal. However, if he intends to make up the obligatory fast of Ramadan and also intends to make up the voluntary fast of Shawwal, this is permissible, and according to the majority of scholars of our madhhab, his missed fast is considered to be made up and he receives the full reward for the voluntary fast.
As for a person who has missed Ramadan fasts for a valid reason, he has the right to first observe the voluntary six-day fast of the month of Shawwal, and then he can make up the missed days of Ramadan during the year. It is worth noting that if these days are not made up before the beginning of the next Ramadan, then for each day that is not made up, he will have to pay one mudd of the most commonly consumed product of that area.
One mudd is equal to one-fourth of a sakh. Some scholars (faqihs) write that four times the amount of grain that fills the palms of both hands of an average-sized person is enough for a sakh. According to this statement, a mudd is equal to one full grain of a handful of both palms of a person of average height.
Therefore, it is desirable for such a person (a person who has missed Ramadan fasts for a valid reason) to combine them with the desirable fast of the month of Shawwal and begin observing them immediately from the day after Eid al-Fitr.
Khatib Ash-Shirbini, Imam Ar-Ramali and some other scholars of the Shafi’i madhhab claim that even if on such days or months one intends to make up only the obligatory fast, then the one who did so will receive a reward for both the desirable fast and for showing respect for these days or months. However, Ibn Hajar says that such a person does not receive a reward for the desirable fast, if he did not intend it along with the obligatory fast. (Fathul Alam, 4/164)
Based on all of the above, it turns out that a person who missed an obligatory fast in the month of Ramadan without a valid reason should first make up for the missed fasts from the beginning of the month of Shawwal, because it is prescribed to make up for missed fasts as soon as possible, and if he wants to receive a reward for desirable fasts, he can make an intention for a desirable fast and receive a full reward for them.
And the one who missed a fast for a valid reason has the right to do as he wishes but it will be better for him to immediately make up for the missed fasts and at the same time to have the intention for a desirable fast, because in this case his missed fasts are considered made up and he also receives a reward for observing desirable fasts.
