Sha'baan: A Blessed Month that People Neglect - I

These days we are living a season of profitable trade with Allaah The Almighty, namely; the days of the month ofSha’baan which many people neglect.

Here are some of the rulings and virtues of this month:

The virtue of fasting:

Abu Hurayrah  narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, , said: "Allaah The Exalted says, 'Every (good) deed of the son of Aadam would be multiplied, a good deed receiving a tenfold to seven hundredfold reward, with the exception of fasting, for it is done for Me and I will give reward for it.'" [Muslim]

When Ibn ‘Uyaynah  was asked about the meaning of: 'With the exception of fasting, for it is done for Me and I will give reward for it', he said, "On the Day of Resurrection, Allaah The Exalted calls His slave to account and makes him pay for wronging people from all his other acts of worship until nothing remains except fasting. Thereupon, Allaah pays for the remaining grievances and lets him enter Paradise with his fasting."

‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr  narrated that the Prophet, , said: "Fasting and the Quran intercede for the slave on the Day of Judgment." [Ahmad] [Al Albaani: Saheeh]

Abu Umaamah  narrated that he asked the Prophet,  to order him with a deed. The Prophet, , said: "Adhere to fasting as it has no equal"or in another narration "no similar" [An-Nasaa’i] [Al Albaani: Saheeh] [Saheeh At-Targheeb]

Fasting of the predecessors:

Daawood ibn Abi Hind  fasted for forty years without his family knowing about it. He was a clothes seller and used to carry his lunch with him, but usually gave it in charity to the needy he would meet on the road. [Tahtheeb Siyar A‘laam An-Nubalaa’]

Abu Muslim Al-Khawlaani  was fasting while invading the land of the Romans. He was asked, "What made you fast while you are traveling?" He answered, "If we were to fight, I would break my fast, prepare myself and seek strength. Horses do not run rapidly when they are fat; rather, they do when they are thin. Our remaining days are coming for which we shall work.” [Tahtheeb Siyar A‘laam An- Nubalaa’]

Narrations about the virtue of fasting in Sha’baan

‘Aa’ishah  said, "The Messenger of Allaah  used to fast till one would say that he would never stop fasting, and he would abandon fasting till one would say that he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allaah  fasting for a whole month except the month of Ramadhaan, and did not see him fasting in any month more than in the month of Sha’baan."[Al-Bukhaari]

’Aa’ishah  also said, “I never saw the Prophet,  observing (voluntary) fast more in any other month than that of Sha’baan. He used to fast throughout the whole of Sha’baan.”

‘Imraan ibn Husayn  narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, , said to a person: ‘Did you observe any fast in the beginning of Sha’baan?’ He said, ‘No.’Thereupon, the Messenger of Allaah, , said: ‘Fast two days instead (of one fast) when you have completed (the fasts of) Ramadhaan."[Muslim] An-Nawawi said, "This Hadeeth contradicts the authentic Hadeeths that prohibit fasting directly before Ramadhaan. The Prophet, clarified that usual fasting is not included in the prohibition; rather, the prohibition is for voluntary fasting."

The evidence of the preference of fasting it is that ’Aa’ishah  said, “I never saw the Prophet,  observing (voluntary) fast more in any other month than that of Sha’baan. He used to fast throughout the whole of Sha’baan.”[Al-Bukhaari]

"He (the Prophet ) never fasted a whole month except Sha’baan which he combined with Ramadhaan." [Abu Daawood] That is to say that he used to fast most of the days of Sha’baan. At Tirmithi narrated from Ibn Al-Mubaarak  that in the Arabic language, one may say "he fasted the whole month" while he only fasted the majority thereof. Others said that he would sometimes fast the whole month and at other times fast most of it. It was also said: from its (the month’s) beginning to its end.