616. Can I Last The Six Days Of Shawwaal even after The Month Is Over?

By Asma bint Shameem 

If you had a *VALID* reason that *prevented* you from fasting at all in the month of Shawwaal, for example:

-you had continuous menses or nifaas or 

-you were sick throughout the month of Shawwaal or 

-you had too many fardh fasts of Ramadhaan to make up before you could begin to fast the Nafl fasts of Shawwaal and there was no time left for you to fast the six days of Shawwaal or

-other such valid reasons,

then in such situations, the scholars say that you can fast *even after Shawwaal ends.* 

*And it will count as if you fasted the six days of Shawwaal.*

Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“If a woman still owes days from Ramadhaan, then she should not fast the six days of Shawwaal until after she has made up what she owes, because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: 

“Whoever fasts Ramadaan then follows it with six days of Shawwaal…” 

Whoever still has days to make up from Ramadhaan has not fasted Ramadhaan, so she will not attain the reward of fasting the six days of Shawwaal until after she has finished making up the days she owes. 

If we assume that this making up missed fasts lasts throughout Shawwaal, such as if a woman was bleeding following childbirth and did not fast at all in Ramadhaan, then she started to make up her missed fasts in Shawwaal and did not finish that until Dhu’l-Qa’dah began, then she may fast the six days, and she will have the reward of one who fasted them in Shawwaal, because she delayed it for a necessary reason, so she will have the reward.”

(Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 20/19)

Alhamdulillaah! 

Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala is *Most Merciful*.

He KNOWS your situation and He knows you intention. 

He *knows* that you could not fast the six days of Shawwaal although you wanted to, so He will reward you for your fasting even if you fasted the six days after the month of Shawwaal is over. 

But if you were just “lazy” or didn’t “think” about fasting in Shawwaal and want to make that intention, after the month is over, then it would not count as “the six fasts of Shawwaal”. 

It will just be a “general” Nafl fast. 

And Allaah knows best