The Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, said:
“Whoever fasts Ramadan, then follows it with six from Shawwal, it is as though he fasted the whole year (dahr).”
Now it was said in the Muwatta that Imam Malik ibn Anas said about fasting six days of Shawwal:
Yahya said that he heard Malik say about fasting for six days after breaking the fast at the end of Ramadan, that he had never seen any of the people of knowledge and fiqh fasting them. He said, “I have not heard that any of our predecessors used to do that, and the people of knowledge disapprove of it and they are afraid that it might become a bid’a and that common and ignorant people might join to Ramadan what does not belong to it, if they were to think that the people of knowledge had given permission for that to be done and were seen doing it.
Imam Malik has been criticized for holding this opinion, which on the surface seems to go against the instructions of the Messenger of Allah. But is it?
The truth is, that the “Imam of the Imams”, the Scholar of Madina, understood the real meaning of the hadith. He was the master who knew what the hadith meant, while those who criticized him showed that they do not have his level of understanding in the religion.
Imam Malik knew that the secret of this hadith lay in another hadith: that every action will be rewarded ten times.
For example, a companion narrated in a famous hadith that the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, told his Companions to fast the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every month, and that it is like fasting the entire year.
Why? Because three days multiplied by 10x the reward = 30. So it is like fasting the whole month. If you do that every month, then it is as if you have fasted the entire year. Therefore, the point is not these particular days, but their number.
Likewise, when one fasts Ramadan, then he fasts for a whole month (30 days). 30 x 10 = 300.
The lunar year is between 354-355 days. So if you want to get the reward of a whole year, you need at least 6 more days of fasting.
6 x 10 = 60.
300 + 60 = 360
That way it is as if you’ve fasted a whole year.
If you do that every year, then it is as if you’ve fasted your entire life, thus the brilliance in the Prophet’s choice of the word dahr, which usually means “Time” or “all time”, but can also mean “year.” He chose a word that combined both meanings, salla Allahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam.
Therefore, when the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, told his Companions the hadith about the six days of Shawwal, he was using the six days of Shawwal as an example. Since Shawwal is the month directly following Ramadan, and one has been in the spirit of fasting, then they might as well fast another six days and “seal” the year in terms of reward. So in his great wisdom, the Messenger of Allah mentioned Shawwal as his example.
It is as if he was saying: You have fasted an entire month, now if you just fast another six days from the coming month, it’s like you’ve fasted the whole year.
Thus there’s nothing special about Shawwal itself. Shawwal was used as an example and for encouragement.
Imam Malik understood this, and he was not the only one. That is why he said that he never knew any of the imams of knowledge and fiqh fasting six consecutive days of Shawwal after Ramadan for the sake of this reward. That is because in the eyes of Imam Malik, the one who is a true scholar, and a true man of fiqh (understanding), is not just the man who knows many narrations, but the one who knows the impact of his teachings and actions.
One time Imam Malik was told that a certain scholar narrated a hadith about Allah Most High putting His foot in Hellfire to “fill it” so that no more people go into it. He was asked by his students why he doesn’t narrate this hadith as well. He told them that even though this hadith was authentic, he who narrates it is not a a true faqih (man of understanding, a true scholar), because while the Companions would have understood the meaning of this hadith correctly, the people of his age might understand it literally, that Allah Most High has a foot, and this is of great danger. Therefor the true scholar does not teach this hadith, out of fear of its impact on the people of his time.
Likewise, the narration in the Muwatta makes it clear that Imam Malik and the other men of knowledge in Medina feared that if they took the hadith of the six days according to its apparent meaning, and fasted six days in Shawwal, the people would imitate them and think that the scholars understood the hadith in the same superficial way. Thus the people would come to believe that there is something special about these six days in Shawwal, and they would “join them” to Ramadan, after the Eid break, that is.
Time has shown that Imam Malik was correct, as most people now think the fasting must be done in six consecutive days in Shawwal to get this special reward, and have erroneously called these days “The white days.” In fact, any six days of the year will do.
But is there anything wrong with doing six days in Shawwal? Definitely not, and in fact since the Messenger of Allah used Shawwal as an example, then that becomes even more worthy of following. But one should be aware of what they are doing and why. As for Imam Malik and the early scholars of Madina, since they were the earliest guardians of the Sunna, and the whole world looked to them for the proper interpretation of the Sunna, they feared to act in any way that could mislead the people, not from their own actions, but from the people’s misinterpretation of their proper actions. Thus they took it upon themselves to fast six other days outside of Shawwal.
May Allah allow us to understand His injunctions, and the teachings of His Messenger, salla Allahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam, according to their correct meaning. And may Allah reward the “Imam of the Imams”, Imam Malik, the defender of the Sunna, ever vigilant about the introduction of innovations to the religion… A true man of knowledge, who carefully weighed every word he spoke, every narration he narrated, and every practice he did.
“Knowledge is not the abundance of narrations but a light that God places in the heart” – Imam Malik
wAllahu subhanahu wa ta’aala a’lam.
NuruddinZangi al-Maliki
nuruddinzangi