What is the ruling on fasting the six days of Shawwal, and is it obligatory?

Fasting six days of Shawwal after Ramadan is a recommended Sunnah, not an obligation. It holds immense virtue, as fasting them is equivalent to fasting a whole year, because a good deed is rewarded tenfold. Thus, the month of Ramadan is equivalent to ten months, and fasting the six days is equivalent to two months. Among its benefits is compensating for any deficiencies that may have occurred in the obligatory fasting of Ramadan, as the obligatory deeds will be supplemented by supererogatory ones on the Day of Judgment.