No Decrease in Thawaab for Ramadhaan and Zul Hijjah
Coming back to our point at the beginning, there is reason to believe that the deficiency in our amal (practice) in the case of Ramadhaan having 29 days will leave us with less thawaab for fasting one day less.
Similar is the case with the first 9 days fast of Zul Hijjah which hold great significance and are Masnoon. If we took the previous month, that is the month preceding Zul Hijjah, to be 30 days and then commenced the 9 days fast of Zul Hijjah only to receive news thereafter that Zul Qa’dah had 29 days, it is obvious that in this case we would be only fasting 8 days of Zul Hijjah. In this case, too, a person aiming for closeness to Allah Ta’ala will be troubled, thinking that he only fasted 8 days. He lost the one day’s fast. On the 10th he cannot fast [as it is the Day of Eid]. Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) allayed his concern saying:
شَهْرَا عِيْدٍ لَا يَنْقُصَانِ رَمَضَانُ وَذُوالْحِجَّةِ
“The two months of Eid, Ramadhaan and Zul Hijjah, do not decrease.”
This does not mean that in count and number they do not decrease. Here, the tameez [specification] is omitted. People with tameez [perception, i.e. knowledge of the Arabic grammar] will understand.
In other words,لَا يَنْقُصَانِ ثَوَابًا. And the tameez which is ثَوَابًا is actually the faa’il or subject in the sentence. لَا يَنْقُصُ ثَوَابُهُمَا is intended. Their thawaab does not decrease. Whether the month of Ramadhaan has 29 or 30 days, 30 days of thawaab will be received.
And the reason for this is that thawaab [divine reward] is based on intention. And our intention is surely to fast 30 days if the month turns out to be 30 days. Thus, this readiness on our part to fast 30 days is in effect fasting 30 days. In this manner, Allah Ta’ala has consoled the seeker of divine closeness.
(Awdul Eid)