Merits of Sha‘ban—Muwasala
Reblogged from Muwasala
Sha‘ban—The Branch
The scholars say that the linguistic root of the word Sha‘ban is a branch, because the month of Sha‘ban “branches off” and leads on to many good things. It acts as a bridge between the two blessed months of Rajab and Ramadan. Despite this, it is often overlooked.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) alerted us to this fact when he was asked why he was fasting so much in Sha‘ban. He replied:
“It is a month that people neglect, between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which actions are raised to the Lord of the Worlds, and I love for my actions to be raised while I am fasting.” [Ahmad; Nasa’i]
What Is Meant By “Actions Being Raised”?
The scholars say it is a symbolic display of our actions to Allah. Of course, Allah is All-Seeing and All-Knowing, and He does not need our actions to be displayed to Him, as He is constantly aware of them.
However, if the slave is not aware of Allah’s constant vigilance, then he should at least strive to do good actions at times when his actions are displayed to Allah. If he can gain Allah’s pleasure at these times, then he hopes that Allah will overlook his wrongdoings and shortcomings at other times.
There is a daily display after Fajr and ‘Asr, a weekly display on Monday and Thursday, and a yearly display, which takes place in the month of Sha‘ban. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was always keen to perform good deeds and encouraged his Umma to do the same.
Recommended Actions in Sha‘ban
One of the greatest works we can perform in Sha‘ban is fasting, and this is what the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) loved to do when his actions were raised, on Monday and Thursday, and also during Sha‘ban.
Sayyida ‘Aisha said of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace):
“I did not see him fasting in any month more than Sha‘ban.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
She also said: “The month which he loved to fast the most was Sha‘ban.” [Nasa’i]
Both hadith, of course, refer to voluntary fasting outside of Ramadan. Some hadith suggest that he would fast the whole of Sha‘ban, although there is perhaps more evidence to suggest that he would fast most of the month, leaving a few days. In another hadith, he said (Allah bless him and grant him peace), in response once again to a question about his fasting in Sha‘ban:
“In this month, those who are destined to die are recorded for the Angel of Death. I love for my name to be recorded when I am fasting.”[Haythami]
Wisdoms of Fasting
One of the wisdoms behind the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) fasting abundantly in Sha‘ban is 
mentioned by Sayyida ‘Aisha, who said that in Sha‘ban, he would make up any voluntary fasts that he had missed during the course of the year. [Ibid.]
At this time, she would fast with him to make up for any of the fasts that she had missed in Ramadan. [Tabarani]
From this, we learn the necessity of making up any days of Ramadan that we have missed before Ramadan comes round again, and also the importance of making up supererogatory actions that we are accustomed to performing.
The scholars also mention that fasting in Sha‘ban before Ramadan resembles praying the supererogatory prayers which come before the obligatory prayer, while fasting in Shawwal after Ramadan resembles praying the supererogatory prayers which come after the obligatory prayer. Performing supererogatory actions makes up for any deficiencies in the obligatory actions that we have performed.
In spite of all this, the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) also said: “When the first half of Sha‘ban is finished, do not fast.” [Tabarani]
The scholars of the Shafi‘i school understood that this hadith prohibits voluntary fasting in the second half of Sha‘ban, except in certain circumstances. [Tirmidhi; Ibn Maja; Hakim; Ibn Hibban]
(Such as if someone begins fasting in the first half of the month and continues his fast into the second half, or if someone regularly fasts on a Monday throughout the year. In these situations, it is permissible to fast in the second half of the month. A make-up fast (qada’) is, of course, permissible, as this discussion only revolves around voluntary fasting.)
The other schools, however, argue that there is no prohibition on fasting in the second half of the month, but advise against fasting a day or two before Ramadan.
We have mentioned many details on fasting, and this is due to the sheer number of narrations on the subject. Even if we can just fast the “White Days” or any three days, this would have a great effect. In general, we should do any action, inward or outward, great or small, that we would love to be raised to Allah.
(The “White Days” are the days that follow nights in which the moon is full, namely the 13th, 14th, and 15th days of each lunar month. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) encouraged his Companions to fast three days in every month and to observe these specific days as fasts. The 15th day is regarded as being in the first half of the month, and thus there is no prohibition in the Shafi‘ī school on fasting it in Sha‘ban.)
Recommended Supplications During Sha‘ban
In addition to fasting, it is recommended to bestow abundant blessings and peace upon the Beloved of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace). It was in this month that Allah revealed:
﴿إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلاَئِكَـتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِيِّ يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْتَسْلِيماً﴾
“Indeed, Allah showers His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him. O believers! Invoke Allah’s blessings upon him, and salute him with worthy greetings of peace.” [Quran, 33:56]
Perhaps this is why the Prophet called Sha‘ban “my month,” when he said in the hadith:
“Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha‘ban is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my Umma.”[Suyuti]
Bestowing blessings upon him is one of the greatest means of strengthening our connection to him in this life and also the next, as he informed us (Allah bless him and grant him peace):
“The closest people to me on the Day of Rising will be those who bestow the most blessings upon me.” [Tirmidhi; Ibn Hibban]
It was also the habit of some early Muslims to recite the Quran in abundance during the month of Sha‘ban. This, along with fasting, gives us the best preparation for Ramadan, as it takes time for the soul (nafs) to become accustomed to doing these things in abundance. If we are already accustomed to doing them before Ramadan, it will enable us to do more when the month begins. Perhaps this is why Imam Abu Bakr al-Warraq said: “In Rajab you sow the seeds, in Sha‘ban you irrigate them, and in Ramadan you reap the harvest.”
Two momentous events occurred in Sha‘ban. The scholars of Sira say that it was the month in which the moon was split in half for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace). It was also the month in which the Qibla (direction of prayer) was changed from Bayt al-Maqdis in Jerusalem to the Ka‘ba in Makka. While these events have now passed, there is one momentous event that comes around every year, and that is the Fifteenth Night of Sha‘ban, one of the greatest nights of the year. We intend to deal with it in detail closer to the time.
We end by asking, as the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked:
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا في رَجَبٍ وَ شَعْبَانَ وَ بَلِّغْنا رَمَضَانَ
“O Allah, bless us in Rajab and Sha‘ban and enable us to reach Ramadan!” [Ahmad]
