SHAWWALThe month of Shawwal is one of the twelve months in Islam. The Islamic or Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar. It contains 12 months that are based on the motion of the moon. Islamic calendar is consistently shorter than a solar year by about 10 days every year, and therefore it shifts with respect to the Gregorian calendar. [1]
Quran
Months in Islamic CalendarThe Twelve months of Islamic Calendar are as follows:
Virtues of fasting in ShawwalAbu Ayyub al-Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who observed the fast of Ramadan and then followed it with six (fasts) of Shawwal. It would be as if he fasted perpetually (whole year). Sahih Muslim 1164 and Jami` at-Tirmidhi 759
Marriage in Shawwal'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) contracted marriage with me in Shawwal and took me to his house as a bride during Shawwal. And who among the wives of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was dearer to him than I, and' A'isha liked that the women (of her family) should enter the houses as brides during the month of Shawwal. Sahih Muslim 1423, Sunan Ibn Majah Vol. 3, Book 9, Hadith 1990 and Sunan an-Nasa'i 3377
Scholars viewAl-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Our companions said: it is mustahabb to fast six days of Shawwaal. Because of this hadeeth they said: it is mustahabb to fast these days consecutively at the beginning of Shawwaal, but if one separates them or delays them until after Shawwaal, this is permissible, because he will still be following the general guidelines of the hadeeth. We have no dispute regarding this matter, and this was also the view of Ahmad and Dawood. Al-Majmoo Sharh al-Muhadhdhab
These days do not have to be fasted immediately after Eid al-Fitr; it is permissible to start fasting them one or more days after Eid, and they may be done consecutively or separately during the month of Shawwaal, according to what is easier for a person. There is plenty of room for maneuver in this matter, and this is not obligatory. Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 10/391 [3]
See alsoHijrah; Ramazaan; Rabi ul Awwal; Safar; Saum; Muharram;
References[1] http://snahle.tripod.com/higri.htm [2] http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/index.php?page=articles&id=155869 |
There are twelve months in Islamic Calendar as mentioned in Qur’an: “Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein” Quran Surah Tawbah 9:36.