Short answer
Not in the Hanafi school: one fast cannot count both as a make-up fast and as one of the six days of Shawwal. If you intend both, it counts as qada. Because the Hanafi school allows qada at any time, you may fast the six days of Shawwal first and make up your missed Ramadan days later.
When an obligatory and a voluntary fast are intended together, the relied-upon Hanafi view is that the fast counts as the obligatory one (qada), and the separate sunnah of the six days of Shawwal is not fulfilled by it. Because Ramadan qada has no deadline in the Hanafi school, it is permitted to fast the six days of Shawwal before completing the qada, though hastening qada is better.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- A qada fast in Shawwal is valid as qada, and many Shafi'i scholars hold that it also earns some of the reward of the six days, though less than fasting them separately.
- Hanbali
- The reward of the six days is gained only after Ramadan has been completed, so qada should be done first; combining the two does not work.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if they fasted the whole year. The six days are a separate sunnah with their own reward, and the qada is a debt you owe from Ramadan. In the Hanafi school, one fast cannot settle both.
Which comes first? In the Hanafi school, qada can be done any time, so if Shawwal is short on days, you may fast the six days first and make up Ramadan later in the year. This helps women who missed many days for their period, and anyone who was ill. The Hanbali school, by contrast, says the hadith speaks of completing Ramadan first, so qada should come before the six days.
- The six days can be fasted on any days of Shawwal after Eid day, together or spread out.
- A qada fast needs an intention at night; a Shawwal fast can be intended before midday.
- If you intend both in one fast, it counts as your qada.
If you can manage both, fasting them separately is the safest way to gain both rewards in every school. For the virtues and a planner, see the six days of Shawwal. To count your missed days, use the qada calculator, and see when to make up missed fasts.
The evidence
Sahih Muslim 1164
Sahih... من صام رمضان ثم أتبعه ستا من شوال كان كصيام الدهر ...
"Whoever fasts Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is like fasting for a lifetime."
The six days are a separate sunnah with their own reward.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Sawm, opening chapter on intention. Intending qada and a voluntary fast together counts as qada in the relied-upon view.
- al-Bahr al-Ra'iq, Kitab al-Sawm, chapter on intention. When an obligatory and a voluntary fast are combined in one intention, the stronger, obligatory one prevails.
- Kashshaf al-Qina', Kitab al-Siyam, chapter on voluntary fasting. The Hanbali view that the virtue of the six days follows completing Ramadan.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.