Shawwal

Shawwal ( _ar. شوّال) is the tenth month of the lunar Islamic calendar. "Shawwal" means to ‘lift or carry’; so named because she-camels normally would be carrying a fetus at this time of year.

Fasting during Shawwal

The first day of Shawwal is Eid ul-Fitr. Some Muslims observe six days of fasting during Shawwal 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 "perpetually", according to Sahih Muslim. 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 Shawwal is equivalent to fasting the whole year in terms of reward. [ [http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503546310&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar%2FFatwaE%2FFatwaE] Islam online.] It is a common misconception that the six days of fasting must be undertaken on consecutive days, but there is no hadith that support or stipulate this.

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 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Shawwal migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Shawwal are as follows:

* 1426 AH – First day: November 3, 2005; last day: December 1, 2005
* 1427 AH – First day: October 24, 2006; last day: November 21, 2006
* 1428 AH – First day: October 13, 2007; last day: November 10, 2007
* 1429 AH – First day: October 1, 2008; last day: October 30, 2008

Islamic Events

* On 01 Shawwal, Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated throughout the Muslim World.
* On 13 Shawwal, Muhammad al-Bukhari was born in 194 AH.Fact|date=February 2007
* On 15 Shawwal, Sixth Imam Jafar Sadiq was killed.
* On 17 Shawwal, early Muslims fight in the Battle of Uhud.

In this month Muhammad married Aisha, the daughter of his companion Abu Bakr. Fact|date=September 2008

Notes

External links

* [http://www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/islam/islam_tabcal.htm Islamic-Western Calendar Converter (Based on the Arithmetical or Tabular Calendar)]
* [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/006.smt.html Sahih Muslim]