It’s the age-old question: should I make up my fardh fast first or should I do the 6 nafl of Shawwal before the month ends?  Most of us have haphazardly done one or the other in confusion as to a certain course of action.  I have even heard opinions that you can do the fardh and nafl simultaneously due to your intention although I don’t know where that came from.  What confusion! 

A lot of us came up with the following logic: well, Shawwal is for a limited time, so let me do the 6 first and then do my obligatory make-ups in the remaining months (I do after all have almost a year left to do so).  I myself began on this course until my sister (jazahaAllahu khayran) brought up this fatwa from Islam Q & A.

Therefore, since our motivation to fast the 6 of Shawwal is based on ahadith which mention “Whoever completes the fast of Ramadhan…” and then mention the 6 of Shawwal, declaring the reward is, in different narrations, a year or even a lifetime- then the logic of the fatwa states we must first “complete” our Ramadhan by making up the obligatory fasts.  This is probably something very good, when you reflect on it, since it will force us to make up our fasts quickly instead of delaying them!

You should note that the fatwa does not in any way state it is wrong to do the nafl fasts before the obligatory make-ups.  So if you make nafl fasts, they count.  HOWEVER, you do not fit into the category mentioned by the ahadith : “Whoever fasts Ramadaan then follows it with six days of Shawwaal, it will be as if he fasted a lifetime.” (in some narrations “as if he fasted the whole year”) Also obviously you do have a year to make up your fardh fasts and you do not have to do Shawwal at all.  We are just discussing if you would like to follow the hadith.

Now, a final point for those of you (like me) who might fall into the category of sisters who didn’t know and feel that their fasts did not count, etc.- remember, intention is everything.  If you did not know this information before and started with the sincere intention of completing the fast of Shawwal, Allah may write you among the people who fulfilled this hadith even if you could not do it- just because you were unaware before.  (I myself was lucky enough to realize if I fasted every single day from now until the end of Shawwal I would just make it!) Also those of you sisters who fall into the category mentioned in the fatwa of having too many obligatory days to make up due to illness, post-partum bleeding, etc.  Allah does not wrong anyone even the string of a date. (4:77)

So do not give up hope or “scratch” the idea of the voluntary fasts of Shawwal due to disappointment or confusion.  Now you know, inshallah, so just do your best and know Allah looks at your sincere intentions.  Shawwal ends December 5th- make the most of it!

You are now prepared for next year.  Spread the word, spread your ajr…