Fasting 6 days in Syawal: 3 things you should know

This article was first published on 5 March 2020, and has since been updated as of 8 April 2025

Praise be to Allah. As we celebrate Aidilfitri and bask in the festivities, there is one special sunnah of fasting which only presents itself in this joyous month - it is the sunnah of fasting the six days in Syawal. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. mentioned:

 مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَهُ سِتًّا مِنْ شَوَّالٍ كَانَ كَصِيَامِ الدَّهْرِ

"Fasting in Ramadan and following it with six days in Syawal is like continual fasting."

(Sahih Muslim)

1. Fasting 6 days in Syawal is like fasting for a year

Scholars have explained that the reward of actions is multiplied at least tenfold. Based on the statement above, fasting in Ramadan for thirty days is equivalent to fasting for three hundred days, and the six days of Syawal is akin to fasting for sixty days. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. himself stated this explicitly.

صيامُ شَهرِ رَمَضانَ بِعَشرةِ أشهُرٍ، وسِتَّةُ أيَّامٍ بَعْدهُنَّ بِشَهرينِ، فذلك تمامُ سَنَةٍ

"Fasting of Ramadan is like fasting ten months, and fasting six days (of Syawal) is like fasting for two months. That is like fasting a full year.”

(Musnad Ahmad)

2. Fasting on the first day of Syawal is prohibited

The first day of Syawal marks Aidilfitri, a joyous occasion that Muslims worldwide celebrate after completing the month of Ramadan. On this day, fasting is prohibited – a ruling established where Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. specifically forbade fasting on both Aidilfitri and Aidiladha.

It was narrated that Abu ‘Ubaid said, 

“I was present for ‘Eid with ‘Umar bin Khattab. He started with the prayer before the sermon, and said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade fasting on these two days, the Day of Fitr and the Day of Adha. As for the Day of Fitr, it is the day when you break your fast, and on the Day of Adha, you eat the meat of your sacrifices.’”

(Sunan Ibn Majah)

This prohibition carries deep wisdom. Aidilfitri is meant to be a day of communal celebration, gratitude and strengthening bonds. Muslims are encouraged to start their day with the Eid prayer, share meals with family and friends, and engage in festive activities. These celebrations acknowledge the completion of Ramadan's fasting obligation and express gratitude to Allah s.w.t. for enabling us to fulfil this pillar of Islam.

Therefore, those intending to observe the six days of Syawal fasting should begin only from the second day of Syawal onwards, ensuring they fully embrace the spirit of Eid first.

3. Permissible to combine missed fasts in Ramadan with the sunnah fasting of six days of Syawal

The Office of the Mufti is of the opinion that one can combine the two fasts together. It is valid to combine the intention of making up missed fasts (Qadha') during Ramadan and the sunnah of fasting the six days in Syawal, though performing both separately would lead to a greater reward. This is as mentioned by Al-Hafidz As-Suyuthi in his book, Al-Asybah wa al-Nadhair, where he cited this to the position of al-Bariziy. However, you would need to make the intention that this fast is primarily intended to make up for the missed fast, and the fast of six days of Syawal is only a supplementary one.

It is for this reason that Imam Ar-Ramli in his book Nihayatul Muhtaj ila Syarh al-Minhaj stated that while it is permissible to combine both fasts, for example, missed fasts of Ramadan and the fast of six days in Syawal, the reward would be as comparable with the one who fasts separately where they will naturally gain more rewards.

On the other hand, scholar like Sheikh Ali Gom’ah opines that the hadith of fasting six days of Syawal is general and as long as you have fasted 6 days in Syawal whether for the primary purpose of repaying missed fasts or for any of the sunnah fasts, you have obtained the reward of fasting six days of Syawal.

Regardless of any views that we opt for, we should accept others adopting a different opinion on this matter. Any opinions that are based on scholarly Ijtihad have goodness in them, InsyaAllah.

And Allah knows best.

Read: Fasting on the white days

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