Shawwal

Shawwāl (Arabic: شوّال‎‎) is the tenth month of the lunar Islamic calendar. Shawwāl means to 'lift or carry'; so named because a female camel normally would be carrying a fetus at this time of year.

Fasting during Shawwāl

The first day of Shawwāl is Eid al-Fitr. Some Muslims observe six days of fasting during Shawwāl beginning the day after Eid ul-Fitr since fasting is prohibited on this day. These six days of fasting together with the Ramadan fasts, are equivalent to fasting all year round. The reasoning behind this tradition is that a good deed in Islam is rewarded 10 times, hence fasting 30 days during Ramadan and 6 days during Shawwāl is equivalent to fasting the whole year in terms of reward.^[1]

The Shia scholars do not place any emphasis on the six days being consecutive while among the Sunnis the majority of Shafi`i scholars consider it recommended to fast these days consecutively. They based this on a hadith related by Tabarani and others wherein Muhammad is reported to have said, "Fasting six consecutive days after Eid al-Fitr is like fasting the entire year." Other traditional scholarly sources among the Hanafiyya and Hanbaliyya do not place an emphasis on consecutive days, while the strongest opinion of the Malikiyya prefers any six days of the year, consecutively or otherwise.

Timing

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 10 to 11 days shorter than the solar year, Shawwāl migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Shawwāl, based on the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia, are:^[2]

Islamic events

• 01 Shawwāl, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated throughout the Muslim World for a month till the 28th/29th/30th day of the month.
• 08 Shawwāl, the destruction of Jannatul Baqee' [Baqee' Holy Graveyard] and Jannatul Mualla on 8 Shawwal 1926 by the Saudi government
• 13 Shawwāl, primary traditionist of the Sunni Muslims, Muhammad al-Bukhari, was born in 194 AH.
• 17 Shawwāl, early Muslims took part in the Battle of Uhud
• 22 Shawwāl 1284 AH, death of Haji Dost Muhammad Qandhari, an Afghan Sufi master of Naqshbandi tradition
• 25 Shawwāl, martyrdom of Imām Ja‘far as-Sādiq
• 29 Shawwāl, Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib was born.

Hadith

• Abu Hurairah said that the Prophet said:

  There will be an Ayah (sign) in (the month of) Ramadan. Then, there will 'isabah (splitting into groups) in Shawwal. Then, there will be fighting in (the month of) Dhu al-Qi'dah. Then, the pilgrim will be robbed in (the month of) Dhu al-Hijjah. Then, the prohibitions will be violated in (the month of) al-Muharram. Then, there will be sound in (the month of) Safar, then the tribes will conflict with each other in the two months of Rabi' al-awwal & Rabi' al-thani. Then, the most amazing thing will happen between (the months of) Jumada and Rajab. Then, a well-fed she-camel will be better than a fortress (castle) sheltering a thousand (people).^[3]

Notes

External links

• Islamic-Western Calendar Converter (Based on the Arithmetical or Tabular Calendar)
• Islamic Prayer for Makkah
• Shawwal Month