IN the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
The Holy Qur’an, Ahzab 33:39-44 says, “(It is the practice of those) Who preach the Messages Of God, and fear Him And fear none but God. And enough is God To call (men) to account. Muhammad is not The father of any Of your men, but (he is) The Apostle of God, And the Seal of the Prophets: And God has full knowledge Of all things. O ye who believe! Celebrate the praises of God, And do this often; And glorify Him Morning and evening. He it is Who sends Blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may Bring you out from the depths Of Darkness into Light: And He is Full of Mercy To the Believers. Their salutation on the Day They meet Him will be “peace!”; and He has Prepared for them A generous Reward.”
Sha’ban is the eighth month of the Islamic lunar or Hijri calendar, falling in-between Rajab and Ramadan. Sha’ban is translated from Arabic to mean the “month of separation”. It is also referred to in several sayings of Prophet Muhammad as the neglected month as people tend to overlook its importance.
The importance of the month of Sha’ban has been strongly emphasized in the Sunnah I.e Practice of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as a warm-up to Ramadan, a time to prepare ourselves – mind, body and soul. While Ramadan is the most important time of the entire year, both a test of endurance and a mercy from Allah, The Messenger stressed on giving Sha’ban its due as well. This is a clear lesson in mindfulness and organisation, a reminder to get into the headspace for Ramadan a whole month before it arrives.
One of the major ways of engaging in acts of worship in the month of Sha’ban is to observe fasting and engage in special prayers on the 15th of Sha’ban because this is the period Almighty Allah review the destiny of every individual in the world. According to a Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), “When it is the night of the middle of Sha’ban, spend its night in prayers (Qiyamu-Layl) and observe a fast on that day. For Allah descends at sunset on that night to the lowest heaven and says: “Is there no one who will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive him? Is there no one who will ask Me for provision so that I may provide for him? Is there no one who is afflicted by trouble, that I may relieve him?’ And so on, until dawn comes.” (Sunan Ibn Majah).
Second is seeking forgiveness from Allah on Sha’ban 15th (Nisfu-Sha’ban). It is a good period to double our acts of worship and to seek for forgiveness from Allah for our sins, And Allah grants blessings after forgiving our sins. As we increase our Taubah (repentance), we purify our hearts and keep our tongues moist with remembrance. Read this post on 13 ways to seek forgiveness as enunciated by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The Messenger (SAW) taught us the following dua:
- Allahumma innaka `Afuwwun TuHibbul `Afwa Fa`fu `Annii.
“O Allah, you are the Forgiver, You love to forgive, so forgive me.”
- Making dua for provision and relief: Acknowledging Allah as The Provider and The Most Merciful, we turn to him to ask for an increase in our livelihood and relief from our troubles. The below dua includes all of this and more:
Allaahumma ighfirlee, war-Hamnee, wahdinee, wa ‘Aafinee, warzuqnee
“O, Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, help me, guide me, and grant me sustenance.”
- Waking for Tahajjud: Sha’ban is an excellent time to get into the habit of waking up during the last third of the night to offer nafl prayers. Nothing matches the tranquillity of Tahajjud and the closeness to Allah we feel while the rest of the world sleeps.
- Starting a dua list: We all have our Ramadan dua lists from previous years, whether written down or not. This is an excellent time to bring them out and update them to reflect our current situations. Journaling or mind mapping is a great way to organize and plan duas.
Thirdly, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) emphasises fasting on the 15th of Sha’ban (Nisfu Sha’ban) in an Hadith brought by the wife, Aisha (RA). It says, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I saw the Messenger of Allah (SAW) fasting for an entire month except in Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha’ban.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari).
Fourthly, the month of Sha’ban provides opportunity for the Muslims to make up for the fasts missed last Ramadan. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is reported to have observed more voluntary fasts in the month of Sha’ban than any other month. So while it may seem as though we have procrastinated making up our missed fasts, this is a great time to catch up! It was narrated that Aishah (RA) said: “One of us (women) would miss some fasts in Ramadan and she would not be able to make it up until Shaban began…” (Sunan an-Nasa’I).
Fifthly, since there are differences in opinion on the significance of the 15th of Sha’ban in particular, fasting on the white days i.e. the 13th, 14th, and 15th of each month has special significance regardless, due to the immense rewards in it. The Messenger (ﷺ) is reported to have said: “If you fast three days of the month, then fast the 13th, 14th and 15th.” – (Tirmidhi) And“Fast for three days a month, for the reward of a good deed is multiplied by ten, and so the fasting of three days a month equals the fasting of a year.” – (Sahih al-Bukhari).
Sixthly, the evidence of our deeds are lifted up to Allah in the month of Sha’ban. Usamah Ibn Zayd (RA) said, “O Messenger of Allah (SAW), I do not see you fasting in any other month as you fast in Sha’ban. He said, ‘That is a month to which people do not pay attention between Rajab and Ramadan, and it is a month in which deeds are lifted to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting” (Sunan an-Nasa’i).
Seventhly, the month of Sha’ban provides the opportunity for reciting and memorising the Glorious Quran. This includes the planning of the recitation, revising what we have memorized, and looking into the translations and commentaries (Tafsir). The Holy Qur’an, Waq’ia 56: 75-80 says, “Furthermore I call To witness the setting Of the Stars,—And that is indeed A mighty adjuration If ye but knew,—That this is indeed A Qur-ān most honourable,In a Book well-guarded,Which none shall touch But those who are clean :A Revelation from the Lord Of the Worlds”.
Eighthly, the month of Sha’ban provides opportunity for us to increase our alms to the poor in the society. The Giving of Sadaqat (charity)include finances and in kind such as a mere smile is a form of charity! Other simple ways to do this could be to include others in our duas, to spread knowledge and share our time. The Holy Qur’an Baqarah 2:110 attests, “And be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity: and whatever good ye send forth for your souls before you ye shall find it with God; for God sees well all that ye do”.
Ninthly, the month of Sha’ban awakens us to the Offering of voluntary prayers such as Tahajjud; Salatul Doha; Salatul Hajat etc Anas ibn Malik narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said, “Whoever prays the dawn prayer in congregation and then continues to make dhikr until sun has fully risen and then prays two rakahs, he will gain rewards of a full Hajj and Umrah combined.” – (Tirmidhi). The Holy Qur’an, Muzammil 73:1-6 admonishes, “O thou folded In garments !Stand (to prayer) by night, But not all night,— Half of it,— Or a little less,Or a little more ; And recite the Qur-ān In slow, measured rhythmic tones. Soon shall We send down To thee a weighty Message.Truly the rising by night Is most potent for governing (The soul), and most suitable For (framing) the Word (Of Prayer and Praise).”
Tenthly, the period of the month of Sha’ban provides the need to Increasing dhikr (remembrance of Allah). This is a great time to practice mindfulness by remembering Allah as we go about our days and renewing our intentions no matter what we’re doing. The Holy Qur’an, Ahzab 33:41-42 says, “ O ye who believe ! Celebrate the praises of God, And do this often ;And glorify Him Morning and evening”. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) says, “He who remembers his Lord and he who does not are like the living and the dead” (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim). The Holy Qur’anBaqarah 2:152 also says, “Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and reject not faith”. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) says, Almighty Allah has said, “I am with my Servant when he remembers Me and his lips move making mention of Me” (Sahih Bukhari). Another Hadith also says, “A man does nothing more calculated to rescue himfrom Allah’s punishment than making mention of Allah” (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah).
Eleventhly, the month of Sha’ban provides opportunity for us to Forgiving others. What a powerful hadith! Sha’ban is an annual reminder to look into our hearts and remove any bitterness we may be holding onto. Reflect, have those difficult conversations (if possible) and forgive. In another Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, “Allah Almighty looks upon all those created by Him in the middle Night of Sha’ban and forgives all those created by Him, except the one who associate partners with Him or the one who has malice in his heart against a Muslim” (Sunan Ibn Majah).
Twelfthly, the month of Sha’ban provides good opportunity for us to Seeking forgiveness from others. The flip side of this is to seek forgiveness for any hurt we may have caused ourselves while keeping in mind the proper etiquette of seeking forgiveness and committing to changing ourselves for the future.
Allahumma barik lana fi Rajab wa Sha’ban wa ballighna Ramadan.
“O Allah, bless us in Rajab and Sha‘ban, and let us reach Ramadan.”
May Allah allow us to reap the benefits of Sha’ban. Ameen.
and then