This is the great month of Sha`ban, most of which our beloved Prophet  used to fast. It is of paramount importance for us to keep alive this Sunnah and use it to get ready for the best time of the year to be a Muslim and feel like a Muslim—the month following this one, blessed Ramadan.

And what can be a better preparation than learning what the best example for humankind said about Sha`ban.

Usamah ibn Zayd  said: "The Prophet  used to fast so many days in succession that we would say: `He will never break his fast.' At other times he would go without fasting for so long until we said: `He will never again fast,' except for two days, which he would fast even if they occurred during the times he was not fasting consecutive days. Furthermore, he would not fast in any month as many days as he fasted during Sha`ban. I said: `O Messenger of Allah! Sometimes you fast so much it is as if you will never break your fast. At other times you leave fasting for such a long period it is as if you will never again fast [voluntarily], except for two days that you always fast.’ He  asked: `Which two days are those?' I replied, `Monday and Thursday.' The Prophet  said: `Those are two days in which the deeds are presented to the Lord of the Worlds. I love that my deeds are presented [to Him] while I am fasting'. I said: `I do not see you fasting in any month like you fast during Sha`ban.' The Prophet  said: ‘That is a month occurring between Rajab and Ramadan that many people neglect. It is a month in which the deeds ascend to the Lord of the Worlds, The All-Mighty and Majestic, and I love for my deeds to ascend while I am fasting.’ ” [Ahmad and An-Nasa'i]

And ‘Aa’ishah, the Mother of the Believers  said: "I did not see the Messenger of Allah fast any month in its entirety except Ramadan. And I did not see him fast as frequently in any other month as he did during Sha`ban." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Master Hadeeth scholar Zainuddeen ibn Rajab al-Hanbali  said that "To fast in Sha'ban is [to me] better than fasting in the Sacred Months [like the month of Rajab]. Also, the best of voluntary fasts are those done closest to Ramadan—before or after it- for they are, thus, like the voluntary so-called as-Sunan ar-Rawatib prayers, which are done before and after obligatory prayers. [One of the main reasons for such Rawatib] is that they compensate for one's shortfalls in the manner he made those obligatory prayers. The same may be said of the fasts observed [immediately] before [as many as one chooses to in Sha`ban] and after Ramadan [the six days of Shawwal]. Furthermore, like as-Sunan al-Rawatib of prayer are better than other voluntary prayers, so are the immediate fasts observed before and after Ramadan. They are better than other voluntary fasts."

The Prophet  said: "The best fasting after [i.e., second to] Ramadan is that of [the month of] Muharram." [Muslim].

So, which is a better month to fast in, Sha'ban or Muharram? Most scholars are of the opinion that the fasting in Sha'ban is better because of the Hadeeth narrated by Abu Dawood in his "Book of Sunan" that "The most beloved of months for the Messenger of Allah  to fast in was Sha`ban, and his fasting in Sha'ban was continuous with his fasting in Ramadan." This authentic Hadeeth applies in the most general way to Sha'ban while the narration by Muslim may be seen as restricted to the first nine days of Muharram as indicated by other Hadeeths. And in addition to this and what Ibn Rajab  stated above, the Prophet  fasted most of Sha'ban and maintained that Sunnah until he passed away.


Another benefit of fasting in Sha’ban is that it is a kind of training for the Ramadan fast, in case a person finds it difficult to fast when Ramadan starts; if he fasts in Sha’ban he will have gotten used to fasting and he will feel strong and energetic when Ramadan comes.


Sha’ban is like an introduction to Ramadan and it has some things in common with Ramadan, such as fasting, reciting Quran and giving in charity. Salamah ibn Suhayl  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him used to say: “The month of Sha’ban is the month of reciters (of the Quran).” Habeeb Ibn Abu Thabit  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him used to say, when Sha’ban came: “This is the month of reciters (of the Quran).”


The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said to a man: “Have you fasted anything of the Sirar of this month?” He said: “No.” He  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: “If you have not fasted, then fast two days.” According to a report narrated by Al-Bukhari  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him: I think he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) meant Ramadan. According to a report narrated by Muslim  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: “Have you fasted anything of the Sirar of Sha’ban?”


There was some dispute as to the meaning of the word Sirar. The most well known view is that it refers to the end of the month. The end of the month is called Sirar because the moon is hidden (istisrar, which is "hiding" in Arabic) at that time. Someone may raise the point that it was reported in the books of Imams Al-Bukhari and Muslim  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them from Abu Hurayrah  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: “Do not pre-empt Ramadan by one or two days, except for those who have the habit of fasting regularly, in which case they may fast.”


How can we reconcile the narration which encourages fasting at this time with the narration which says not to fast at this time? The answer is: many of the scholars and most of those who commented on this narration, said: this man to whom the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) addressed this question was known to have the habit of fasting regularly, or else he had made a vow, so the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) commanded him to make up his fast. There are also other points of view on this issue. In brief, we may say that there are three scenarios for fasting at the end of Sha’ban.


The first scenario is when a person fasts at the end of Sha’ban with the intention of being on the safe side and not missing the first day of Ramadan. This is forbidden.


The second scenario is when a person fasts with the intention of fulfilling a vow or of making up a day of Ramadan that he missed or as an act of expiation, etc. This is permissible according to the majority.


The third scenario is when this is purely a voluntary fast. This is regarded as disliked by those who said that we should differentiate between Sha’ban and Ramadan by not fasting for a while.


If it happens to coincide with a day when a person habitually fasts, Malik and those who agreed with him  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them permitted this, but Ash-Shafi’i, Al-‘Owza’i, Ahmad and others  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  them made a distinction between cases where it is a fast which a person habitually observes or otherwise.


In conclusion, the narration of Abu Hurayrah  may  Allah  be  pleased  with  him quoted above is what we should follow according to the majority of scholars. It is disliked to observe a voluntary fast one or two days before Ramadan for those who do not habitually fast on those days and who have not previously fasted until the end of Sha’ban. It may be asked: why is it disliked to fast just before Ramadan (for those who do not have a prior habit of fasting)? The answer is that there are a number of reasons why this is so, such as:


Firstly: lest extra days be added to the fast of Ramadan that are not part of it. Fasting on the day of 'Eed is prohibited for the same reason, lest we fall into the same trap as the People of the Book with regard to fasting, as they added to their fasts because of their own whims and desires.


For the same reason it is also forbidden to fast on the “day of doubt”.


The “day of doubt” is a day when people are not sure whether it is Ramadan or not, when news of the sighting of the crescent moon come from one whose word cannot be accepted. As for a cloudy day, some scholars said that this was also a ‘day of doubt’ and said that fasting was not allowed on this day. This is the view of the majority.


Secondly: to make a distinction between obligatory fasts and supererogatory fasts, because making a clear distinction between them is prescribed in Islam. Hence it is prohibited to fast on the day of 'Eed, as the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) forbade following an obligatory prayer immediately with another prayer unless they are separated by saying salam or speaking, especially in the case of the Sunnah prayer performed just before Fajr. It is prescribed to make a clear separation between this prayer and the obligatory prayer.


Some ignorant people may think that the reason why we do not fast just before Ramadan is so that we can make the most of eating and have our fill of our desires before we have to deny ourselves by fasting.


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


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


The virtue of fasting:


Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), said: "Allah 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, may Allah be pleased with him, 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, Allah 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, Allah pays for the remaining grievances and lets him enter Paradise with his fasting."


‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), said: "Fasting and the Quran intercede for the slave on the Day of Judgment." [Ahmad] [Al Albaani: Saheeh]


Abu Umaamah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that he asked the Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) to order him with a deed. The Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), 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  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him 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  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him 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, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "The Messenger of Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) 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 Allah  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) fasting for a whole month except the month of Ramadan, and did not see him fasting in any month more than in the month of Sha’baan." [Al-Bukhari]


’Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, also said, “I never saw the Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) 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, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), said to a person: ‘Did you observe any fast in the beginning of Sha’baan?’ He said, ‘No.’Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ), said: ‘Fast two days instead (of one fast) when you have completed (the fasts of) Ramadan." [Muslim] An-Nawawi said, "This Hadeeth contradicts the authentic Hadeeths that prohibit fasting directly before Ramadan. The Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) 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, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “I never saw the Prophet,  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) observing (voluntary) fast more in any other month than that of Sha’baan. He used to fast throughout the whole of Sha’baan.”[Al-Bukhari]


"He (the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention )) never fasted a whole month except Sha’baan which he combined with Ramadan." [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  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him 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.