“O Allah! Make the months of Rajab and Shaban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan.”
——–Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When it is the night of the middle of Sha’ban, spend its night in prayer 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
In the name of Almighty Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers. The month of Shaban is the 8th month of an Islamic calendar. The Arabic month names were known before the advent of Islam. There are reports that these names were introduced by Kilab ibn Murrah, the 5th grandfather of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).The months’ names reflected the prevailing social practices and weather conditions at the time. For example, it is reported that the name of the month of Ramadan was derived from “ramadha” which indicates intense heat; Ramadan was named so because it coincided with the severe heat of summer.So, there are some explanations of the name of the month of Shaban. The word Shaban is derived from the root “sha `a ba” which has a number of meanings including branching and separating. In view of these two meanings, we find a number of explanations of the reasons of naming Shaban so. It is reported that Shaban was named so because: People used to scatter in Shaban to engage in raids and fights after they were restrained in Rajab, the month preceding Shaban. For Arabs, Rajab was a sacred month and violent conflicts were not allowed in it. People used to spread in Shaban in search of water. Plants would send out their branches in this month (so, the branches separate from each other.). It is named Shaban because it comes between Rajab and Ramadan. One of the names of Shaban is Al-`Ajlan, which means the fast or quick month. It is called so because people feel that it flies fast and that the next month, Ramadan, comes very quickly. There are a few months that hold a superior status as compared to other months and because of this, they are given more value and respect by the Muslims. One of such months is the month of Shaban. Shaban is considered one of the virtuous months for which we find particular instructions in the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). It is reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast most in the month of Shaban except the last few days of the month. Shaban is the month that comes immediately before the month of Ramadan. Shaban acts as a connection between the two blessed and sacred months of Rajab and Ramadan. Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned in hadith, “Rajab is the month of Allah, Shaban is my month and Ramadan is the month of the Ummah (Community)”. There is a host of different reasons why Sha’ban holds so much importance in Islam, why it is anticipated by the Ummah. Let us shed light on some of the most important reasons and how this month can be beneficial for every Muslim. Allah’s beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Sha’ban is my month, Rajab is Allah’s month and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah (Community). Sha’ban is an expiator, while Ramadan is the purifier.” According to Islamic scholars, the whole of the month of Shaban is meritorious. Its excellent merit is evident from a tradition narrated by Aisha (r.a), the mother of the faithful: “I never saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fast for a complete month except for Ramadan, and I never saw him do more fasting in any month than he did in Sha`ban” (Al-Bukhari). In another hadith Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) aid related to the significance of the month of Shaban in these words: “People neglect this month which is between Rajab and Ramadan, in this month the actions of the people are presented to Allah; so I like my deeds to be presented while I am fasting”. (Abu Dawood). The above-mentioned hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) give the importance of the fasting in the month of Shaban. In hadith Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described the significance of worship during midnight and fasting in the day in these words: “When the Middle Night of Shaban arrives, you should stand (Praying) in the night and should fast in the day following it” (Ibn Majah). From this hadith, we came to know the importance of fasting on the 15th of Shaban and worship during the night when Allah Almighty forgives whoever seeks forgiveness from Him. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned in one of His Hadith about the blessings of 15th Shaban night, during the night of 15th of Shaban, Allah will say “is there any person repenting so that I forgive him, and any person seeking provision so that I provide for him, and any person with distress so that I relieve him, and so on until dawn” (Ibn Majah). This night should be spent in worship and total submission to Allah Almighty as much as possible.
Shaban acts as a bridge between the sacred month of Rajab and the holy month of Ramadan. Scholars narrate that Rajab is the month of planting, Shaban is for cultivation, and Ramadan is for harvesting. Therefore, good deeds and charity should be planned in Rajab, and performed in Shaban.
The recitation of the Noble Quran is another form of beneficial worship in this night. After performing Salah, or at any other time, one should recite as much of the Holy Quran as one can. The best benefit one can take from the blessings of this night is by asking Allah sincerely. It is hoped that all our prayers in this night will be accepted by Allah. Dua itself is a form of ibadah or worship, and Allah Almighty rewards the one who recites for asking, in addition to fulfilling his/her needs. However, even with so many references, other schools of thought differ in their opinion. According to some, there is no direct resolve of the night of freedom or no direct context, other than narrations and text were taken out of context. As for the verse in Surah Ad-Dukhan, it is said, “The night referred to here cannot be a Sha’ban night, because it is said here clearly that the Qur’an was revealed on this night. We know from the Surah al-Qadr (97) that the Qur’an was revealed in the night of Qadr and we also know from the Qur’an (Al-Baqarah 2:185) that the Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan, so it is obvious that the night of the revelation of the Qur’an was in Ramadan, not Sha’ban, and that it was Laylatul Qadr not Shab-e-barat (or the Sha’ban night).” Fasting in the month of Shaban gives you a chance to start preparing for the month of Ramadan. For fasting, you will have to wake up early on Fajr time, and spending a day without eating and drinking, will give you a clear idea of what it would take in order to successfully spend the blessed month of Ramadan.The mother of the faithfuls, also reported: “The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘On the middle night of Shaban (that is, Shab-e-Barat), Allah most high descends to the lowest heaven and remits more sins than the hair of the goats of Banu Kalb.’” (Jami Tirmidhi) A third tradition of Hazrat Aisha (r.a), the truthful, states that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: “Do you know what happens this night?” meaning the middle night of Shaban (that is, Shab-e-Barat). She submitted: “O Allah’s Messenger, what happens in it?” He replied: “In it record is made of every human being who will be born, and of every human being who will pass away this year. In it their deeds are taken up to heaven and in it their provisions are sent down.” (Baihaqi) The pious predecessors of the Muslim nation have always observed this night as a night of special blessings and have spent it in divine service. Often, women who missed fasts in Ramadan make them up in this month. Apart from worshipping on this night, fasting the following day is also recommended. It is reported from Hazrat Ali (R.A) that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When the middle night of Shaban arrives, spend it in worship and fast during the day. On this night, at sunset, Allah descends to the nearest heaven and announces: ‘Is there no one asking forgiveness that I may forgive him? Is there no one asking provision that I may grant him provision? Is there no one afflicted that I may relieve them? Is there not such and such?’ (He keeps announcing) till the dawn comes.” The special blessings of Almighty descend during the night. According to Muadh ibn Jabal, Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah Almighty looks upon all those created by Him in the middle night of Shaban and forgives all those created by Him. Excepted is the one who associates partners with Him, or the one who has malice in his heart.” Hadrat Ayesha Siddiqa (radi Allahu ta’ala anha) reports: “One night, which was the 15th of Shabaan, I did not find the Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in the house so I went in search of him. After a long search, I found him in Baqiah (the cemetery of Madinah) offering Du’a for the deceased and praying for their forgiveness”. (Baihaqi) A special point must be made to visit the cemetery during this night and pray for the deceased buried therein, as the Most Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is been reported as having visited the cemetery on this night and spending a long time therein, lamenting, reading and praying for the deceased. This night should be spent in worshipping Allah from the depth of heart. It is the time to focus one’s attention to Him alone. It is the time to enjoy the direct contact with Allah, Most Compassionate, Ever-Merciful. Most of all, it is the time for reforming one’s life to come. In most places in the world, people fast on 15th of Shaban, visit graves and commemorate their ancestors on this night. Thus, it is evident, that Sha’ban for different reasons holds immense importance in the Islamic calendar. The month links up to Ramadan which is why the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) loved it so much. This is the month where followers of Islam gear up and prepares themselves for the month of fasting to come. However, it cannot rule out the importance of fasting in Sha’ban as well, as done by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).In brief, Shaban acts as a bridge between the sacred month of Rajab and the holy month of Ramadan. Scholars narrate that Rajab is the month of planting, Shaban is for cultivation, and Ramadan is for harvesting. Therefore, good deeds and charity should be planned in Rajab, and performed in Shaban. Let us Make dua on this occasion for the welfare of all Humans on this earth who are suffering in one way or the other. May Allah give us the utmost love for such a month that meant so much to our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). May He give us the ability to fast abundantly in this month and committing good deeds and Muslim gain countless blessings from Allah Almighty in addition to receiving pardon and forgiveness. Ameen!
( The authors write regularly on Islamic topics exclusively for “Kashmir Horizon”. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
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