1. Allah allowed us to enter into the second half of Ramadan, and observe it as such, and it’s a sign of tawfīq that we were able to do so. By the same token, it’s a sign of tawfīq that we were able to enter the last ten days of Ramadan, and observe it as such. Do not take this ni’ma for granted – rather, show shukr (gratitude) for it, and show hamd (gratefulness) for it. Our teachers tell us that showing gratitude for blessings is to use those blessings in ways that are pleasing to God – and in these last ten days, we have so many ways in order to engage and act that are pleasing to Allah. And at the very least, we ought to avoid all ways that are not.
2. In terms of supplications that can be made during the last ten days – there are many, and our scholars have put them together in books like Kanz al-Najah. The important thing is that you make du’a. One of the most oft-repeated ought to be that which is narrated from the Prophet, alayhi salat wa salam, when Sayyida A’isha asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, if I know what night the Night of Power is, what do you think I should say during it?’ And the Prophet replied, “Say: “O Allah, You are Pardoning and you love pardon, so pardon me.”” اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عُفُوٌّ كَرِيمٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي (Imam Tirmidhi narrates this.)
3. Take full advantage of these nights. Do your recitations of the Qur’an; pray extra nawafil of salat; and perhaps most of all, engage in du’a. Our teachers relayed to this to read the following in particular, especially the first dhikr, which is what the Prophet specifically told Sayyida Aisha as noted above:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عُفُوٌّ كَرِيمٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
اللهمّ إنا نسألك العفو والعافية والمعافاة الدائمة في الدين والدنيا والآخرة
لا اله الا الله الحليم لااله الا الله العلي العظيم سبحان الله رب السموات السبع ورب الارضين السبع ورب العرش العظيم
آية الكرسى
4. Our teachers remind us that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that on the final night of the month everyone would be forgiven. His Companions asked if this night was Laylat al-Qadr. He replied: “No, do you not see that when workers finish their work they are paid their wages in full?” Seek out His forgiveness!
5. In the last days, seek out forgiveness – making istighfar – give your sadaqa, and prepare your Zakat al-Fitr (and Zakat otherwise if it applies).
6. During these last days, make your intention to continue your worship past Ramadan; to begin or continue reading a portion from the book of Allah in Shawwal and thereafter. Indeed, our teachers remind us – in this last day, remember, you are still rewarded multiple times over for the same deed, so take full advantage – make your intentions for the coming year between this Ramadan and the next, and have those intentions multiplied again and again. Make your intentions to fast during the month of Shawwal and all your fasts for the ensuing months; your intentions to hold to the prayer throughout the year; your intentions to give in sadaqa and pay your zakat; your intentions to hold to the adab of the Prophet ‘alayhi salat wa salam; your intentions to hold to his sunna and to his shari’a; your intentions to orient yourselves to Allah subhana wa ta’ala.
8. On the last day of Ramadan, a little bit before Maghrib comes when you break your last fast, some of the salihin would recite the following three times:
ﺍﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺭﺏ ﺭﻣﻀﺎﻥ ﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﺍﻧﺰﻝ ﻓﻴﻪﺍﻟﻘﺮﺍﻥﻭﻗﺪﺭ ﻓﻴﻪ ﺍﻟﺼﻮﻡ ﺍﻋﻮﺫ ﺑﻚ ﻣﻦﺍﻥ ﺗﻐﻴﺐﺷﻤﺲ ﻳﻮﻣﻲ ﻫﺬﺍ ﻭﻟﻚ ﻋﻠﻲﺫﻧﺐ ﺗﺮﻳﺪ ﺃﻥﺗﻌﺬﺑﻨﻲ ﺑﻪ ﻳﻮﻡ ﺃﻟﻘﺎﻙ.ﺍﻟﻠﻬﻢ ﺍﻟﻬﻤﻨﺎ ﻣﻦ ﻧﺒﻴﻚ ﺍﻟﺸﻔﺎﻋﻪﻭﺍﺟﻌﻞ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻮﻯ ﻟﻨﺎ ﺃﺭﺑﺢ ﺑﻀﺎﻋﺔﻭﻻ ﺗﺠﻌﻠﻨﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺷﻬﺮ ﻫﺬﺍ ﻣﻦﺍﻫﻞ ﺍﻟﺘﻔﺮﻳﻂﻭﺍﻻﺿﺎﻋﻪ ﻭﺍﻣﻦ ﺧﻮﻓﻨﺎ ﻳﻮﻡ ﺗﻘﻮﻡﺍﻟﺴﺎﻋﺔﺑﺮﺣﻤﺘﻚ ﻳﺎ ﺍﺭﺣﻢ ﺍﻟﺮﺍﺣﻤﻴﻦﻭﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪﻋﻠﻰ ﺳﻴﺪﻧﺎ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﻭﺍﻟﻪ ﻭﺻﺤﺒﻪﺍﺟﻤﻌﻴﻦﻭﺍﻟﺤﻤﺪﻟﻠﻪ ﺭﺏ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﻟﻤﻴﻦ
Shawwal:
1. The night before Shawwal is a night of an Eid, and the Prophet was related as having said: “One who gives life to the nights preceding the two Eids, then Allah will give life to his heart on the day when hearts will die.” So, engage with this night, particularly in the reading of takbirat.
2. During the day of Eid, particularly after one has prayed the morning prayer, many of the righteous would recommend reciting istighfar 100 times, and reciting subhanAllah wa bihamdihi 100 times. Al Wuna’i mentions that those who did the former, their sins would be wiped away, and on the Day of Judgement, they would be secure from the punishment. He also mentions that those who did the latter, and then followed it by beseeching to Allah that they donated the reward of that to the people of the grave, there would not be a single soul that has died except that they would said, ‘O Merciful, have mercy upon this slave of Your’s (that donated the reward) and make their reward Paradise.’
3. The Eid al-Fitr prayer is one of the strongest sunna mu’akkada prayers according to our school of Imam al-Shafi’i – do try to attend it. The only prayer superior to it from among the sunna prayers is the prayer of Eid al-Adha.
4. It is recommended in our school that on Eid al-Fitr, from sunset when Shawwal comes in, until the Imam starts the salah of Eid, to recite takbirat specifically – after the prayers, out of the prayer. One of the ways to do so:
اللهُ أَكبرُ اللهُ أَكبرُ اللهُ أَكبر، لا إله إلا الله، الله أكبر الله أكبر ولِلَّهِ الحَمْد
اللهُ أَكبرُ اللهُ أَكبرُ اللهُ أَكبر، لا إله إلا الله، الله أكبر الله أكبر ولِلَّهِ الحَمْد
اللهُ أَكبرُ اللهُ أَكبرُ اللهُ أَكبر، لا إله إلا الله، الله أكبر الله أكبر ولِلَّهِ الحَمْد
الله أكبرُ كَبيرا والحمدُ لله كثيرا وسُبْحانَ اللهِ بُكْرَةً وأَصيلاَ
لا إله إلا الله لا نَعْبُدُ إلا إِيَّاهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الكافِرون
لا إله إلا الله وَحْدَه صَدَقَ وَعْدَه ونَصَرَ عَبْدَه وأَعَزَّ جُنْدَه وهَزَمَ الأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَه
لا إله إلا الله واللهُ أكبرْ ولِلَّهِ الحَمْد
5. It is related that the Prophet said, “Beautify both Eids with tahlil (la ilaha ilAllah), taqdis (Subhan al-Malik al-Quddus), tahmid (alhamdulillah), and takbir (Allah Akbar).”
6. Our teachers of Azzawia related to us that whomsoever reads ” astaghfirullah” 100 times after subh on the day of ‘Eid, all of their sins are not simply forgiven, but expunged altogether.
7. Azzawia further related that saying subhanallah wa bi hamdihi 100 times during the day of ‘Eid, followed by the dedication of the reward of what he recited to all the people in the graves, every dead person will make dua ( allahumma irham abduka hadha – O Allah have mercy on this slave of yours.) for the one read this and dedicated the reward of it, on the Day of Judgement.
8. Shaykh Ahmad of Azzawia reminds us that according to Shaykh Ahmad Fashani, the person who says “subhanallah wa bi-hamdihi” 300 times and gifts the reward to all those dead among the Muslims, 1000 emanations of light will enter the grave of every Muslim, and Allah Will place 1000 emanations of light into the grave of every person who did this.
9. It is also related that the Prophet said “whoever recites on either of the Eids لا إلهَ إلا اللهُ وحده لا شريكَ له، له الملكُ وله الحمدُ يحيى ويميتُ وهو حيٌّ لا يموتُ بيدِه الخيرُ وهو على كلِّ شيءٍ قديرٌ ” 400 times, then Allah will assign angels to him, who will build cities and plant trees for him (in Paradise) until the Day of Judgement.”
10. It is said that the one who fasts six days in Shawwal will be rewarded as though they fasted the entire year. In this regard, there are three seperate sunnas related to fasting 6 days in Shawwal:
a) The fasting of 6 days itself
b) Fasting the 6 consecutively
c) Fasting the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th days of Shawwal.
Doing all three is the most optimal way of fulfilling the sunna. The next less optimal way is to fast them consecutively any time in Shawwal, and the least optimal way is to fast them at any time, intermittently, in Shawwal. But as long as one has fasted 6 days, they have fulfilled the sunna, and can expect the reward, insha’Allah.
If one has makeup fasts from the month of Ramadan, one can combine their intention to make them up in Shawwal with the sunna of fasting six days in Shawwal.
Our teachers remind us that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that whoever fasts Ramadan and then fasts six days in the month of Shawwal has fasted the whole year, since each good deed is multiplied by ten. Thus the thirty days of Ramadan equal three hundred days and the six days equal sixty which together make up the whole year of three hundred and sixty days. The scholars say that what is meant is that one has the reward of a whole year’s compulsory fasting, not merely supererogatory fasting. The Prophet ﷺ also said that whoever completes Ramadan and the six days will emerge as free from sins as a new born baby.
[Extra detail for those who wish to know from within the Shafi’i school: On combining the 6 sunna fasts of Shawwal with make-up fasts of Ramadan, there are a few opinions to keep in mind.
- There is a non-relied upon (ghayr mu’tamad) opinion in the Shafi’i school that notes that combining intentions nullifies both intentions, and as such, combining would not be permitted. [I do not follow this opinion – I’m simply mentioning it for the sake of clarity.]
- According to some scholars of the Shafi’i school (notably, Imam Ibn Hajar), if you combine the fasts, then you will have fulfilled the request of the sunna (suqut al-talab), but you’re not eligible for receiving the rewards that are mentioned in the hadith around 6 days.
- According to other scholars of the Shafi’i school, (notably Imam al-Ramli the younger), you do get some reward for these sunna fasts, but not the full reward mentioned in the hadith.
- According to other scholars still, (notably, Imam al-Ramli the senior), you do get the full reward even if you do combine. (There is another fatwa from Imam al-Ramli the senior where he indicates you do not receive the full special reward).]
