Fatwa ID: 01933
Answered by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Question:
Salaam, brother my question is, i know that the six fasts in shawaal are nafil, but if someone says that i know that but to me they are like fard, because of the sawaab. is that correct if not, is fatwa obligatory on him. jazakallah khair.
Answer:
Saaiduna Abu Ayyub Al Ansari [ranhu] narrates that the Prophet of Allah [saw] said: “Whoever fasts Ramadhan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime.” (Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud)
It is considered a sunnah and desirable to fast six days in the month of Shawwal. The brother in question should not consider it to be fardh or obligatory even in terms of thawab. This belief is a form of harshness or extremism, which Islam does not like. Saaiduna Abdullah Ibn Masud [ranhu] narrates that the Prophet of Allah [saw] said, “Those who go to extremes are doomed.” He said it three times. (Sahih Muslim).
Imam Nawawi [rahimahu] has said the meaning of the aforementioned hadith applies to those who go to extreme in worship and overstep the limits of the Shariah. (Sharh Muslim p.220 v.16)
Only Allah Knows Best
Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham