Virtue of the Month of Sha’ban

By the Name of Allah, praises be to Allah, prayer and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. As Allah has preferred some Messengers over other Messengers, He has also preferred some months over others, and some days and nights over others with some virtues. Among these preferred months is the month of Sha’ban, and among these preferred nights is the night of the middle of Sha’ban which holds a great significance to all Muslims.

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Position of the Month of Sha’ban:

Sha’ban is one of the greatest Hijri months. It holds as a bridge between two great months; it is preceded by Rajab, one of the sacred months, and followed by Ramadan, the most blessed and the greatest month at all. This shows the significant location of the month of Sha’ban; it lies between two blessed months.

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Month of Preparing for Ramadan:

Both Rajab and Sha’ban are considered introductions to the month of Ramadan. What you plant in them, you will gain in Ramadan. So Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) encouraged increasing the practice of good deeds during it, practising much remembrance of Allah, reciting the Holy Qur’an, offering prayers at their specified times, offer voluntary prayers and so on. By keeping on these good deeds, you will for sure, spiritually and physically, enter Ramadan with a strong resolution and deep faith.

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A virtue of the month of Sha’ban

* Sha’ban is the month that people often neglect between Rajab and Sha’ban. However, the Prophet peace be upon him used to fast most days of this month. He gave it great attention, fasting most of it and increasing his good deeds during it.

* Sha’ban is the month in which deeds of the year are raised to Allah the Al-Mighty. Deeds are raised to Allah in special times. For example: Deeds are raised to Allah every Monday and every Thursday. Also, deeds of the whole year are raised in Sha’ban.

Therefore, it is a good chance to exploit this month in righteous deeds; such as fasting, practising good manners, giving to charities, keeping on offering prayers regularly, sending blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and so on, so that your deeds will be raised to Allah while practising a good deed.

The Prophet was asked about fasting much during the month of Sha’ban, and so he replied: “That is a month to which people do not pay much attention, between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which the deeds are taken up to the Lord of the worlds, and I like that my deeds be taken up when I am fasting.”

* In addition, by fasting during the month of Sha’ban, you are practising one of the Prophet’s traditions. It was narrated from Abu Salamah bin Abdelrahman that he asked ‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) about the fasting of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). She said: “The Messenger of Allah used to fast until we said: ‘He will not fast.’ And he used to fast Sha’ban or most of Sha’ban.’” In another narration, she said: “He (the Prophet) used to fast the whole of Sha’ban, i.e. he would fast all but a little of Sha’ban.”

These Hadiths show the great attention that the Prophet (peace be upon him) paid to the month of Sha’ban. This encourages us to exert our effort not to leave any day pass of this month without seizing it.

* Moreover, by fasting during Sha’ban you are preparing yourself, spiritually and physically, to fasting in the month of Ramadan. It is known that the body takes some time to get accustomed to any new habit, and so fasting some days in Sha’ban prepares the body for fasting during the whole month of Ramadan.

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Night of the Middle of Sha’ban:

The 15th night of Sha’ban, also known as Laylat al-Bara’ah (the Night of Forgiveness), is believed to be a night of forgiveness and blessings. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told us that Allah shows His servants with forgiveness during the month of Sha’ban.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah looks upon His creation on the middle night of Sha’ban and forgives all of them, except the polytheist and the one who is hostile.”

This Hadith emphasizes the importance of purifying one’s heart from hatred and envy to gain Allah’s Forgiveness. To do this, one should forgive others and engage in good deeds.

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Avoiding Innovations in Sha’ban:
Indeed Sha’ban is a virtuous month, and good deeds are recommended to be practiced therein. But it is not permissible to specialize this month or any of its days with special acts of worship. For example, some people consider that it is from the Sunnah to fast in the middle night of Sha’ban. However, this was not reported about the Prophet peace be upon him. For sure this is a good deed; an act of worship, but we only take teachings, rituals and practices of Islam from the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

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Conclusion:

The month of Sha’ban holds importance in Islamic tradition. It is full of virtues and benefits. It represents a great opportunity for all Muslims to renew their faith, strengthen it and prepare for Ramadan, spiritually and physically. By gaining it, you will draw close to Allah, enter Ramadan with a new spirit discharged from all worldly enjoyments and hope only for Allah the Hereafter.

May Allah help us exploit the month of Sha’ban in His Obedience, enter Ramadan with a clean and sound heart, and grant us success in this world and in the Hereafter!

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