Alhamdullilah Praised be to Allah who blessed us to enter the month of Shaban which is the 8th month of Islamic calender between Rajab and Ramadhan.
Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I do not see you fasting in any other month like 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 up to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.'" (Narrated by al-Nasa'i).
It is one of the best month to fast according to the sunnah of our beloved prophet (pbuh) but he did not fast entire month according to the following hadith.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Messenger (p.b.u.h.) used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah fasting for an entire month except in Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha'ban." (Bukhari and Muslim).
From the above mentioned hadith it is clear that prophet muhammed (sal) did not fast completely in the month of shaban but compared to other month he fasted most of the days.A group of scholars say that the Prophet did not fast all of Sha'ban, but he fasted most of it. This is supported by a report in Saheeh Muslim narrated from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: "I never knew of him - meaning the Prophet (PBUH) - fasting for any entire month apart from Ramadan." According to another report also narrated by Muslim, A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I never saw him fast for any entire month from the time he came to Madeenah, apart from Ramadan."
It was reported in al-Bukhari and Muslim that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) did not fast any entire month apart from Ramadan.” Ibn ‘Abbas regarded it as makrooh to fast any entire month apart from Ramadan. Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “He observed more voluntary fasts in Sha’ban than in any other month, and he used to fast most of Sha’ban.”
Virtue of fasting and doing good deeds in the month of shaban
· We could Follow the sunnah of The Messenger (p.b.u.h.) so that we can be rewarded
When Sha'ban began, if the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) some voluntary fasts outstanding that he had not fasted, he would make them up during Sha'ban so that his Nafl fasts would be complete before Ramadan came. Similarly, if he had missed some Sunnah prayers or he had missed Qiyam al-Layl (night prayer), he would make it up. Aisha used to make the most of this opportunity to make up any obligatory Ramadan fasts that she had missed because of menstruation; during other months she was too busy with the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) to fast.
· 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.
· Practicing more good deeds such as Qiyamul Layl ,More quranic recitation,charity,fasting ,dhikr,learning in shabaan make the practice of good deeds in Ramadan easier and familiar.
· It is more concealing of one's good works, and hiding and concealing Nawafil (supererogatory) actions is better, especially fasting, because it is a secret between a slave and his Lord.
Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I do not see you fasting in any other month like 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 up to the Lord of the Worlds. I like for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.'" (Narrated by al-Nasa'i).
It is one of the best month to fast according to the sunnah of our beloved prophet (pbuh) but he did not fast entire month according to the following hadith.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Messenger (p.b.u.h.) used to fast until we thought he would never break his fast, and not fast until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah fasting for an entire month except in Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more than he did in Sha'ban." (Bukhari and Muslim).
From the above mentioned hadith it is clear that prophet muhammed (sal) did not fast completely in the month of shaban but compared to other month he fasted most of the days.A group of scholars say that the Prophet did not fast all of Sha'ban, but he fasted most of it. This is supported by a report in Saheeh Muslim narrated from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: "I never knew of him - meaning the Prophet (PBUH) - fasting for any entire month apart from Ramadan." According to another report also narrated by Muslim, A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I never saw him fast for any entire month from the time he came to Madeenah, apart from Ramadan."
It was reported in al-Bukhari and Muslim that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) did not fast any entire month apart from Ramadan.” Ibn ‘Abbas regarded it as makrooh to fast any entire month apart from Ramadan. Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “He observed more voluntary fasts in Sha’ban than in any other month, and he used to fast most of Sha’ban.”
Virtue of fasting and doing good deeds in the month of shaban
· We could Follow the sunnah of The Messenger (p.b.u.h.) so that we can be rewarded
When Sha'ban began, if the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) some voluntary fasts outstanding that he had not fasted, he would make them up during Sha'ban so that his Nafl fasts would be complete before Ramadan came. Similarly, if he had missed some Sunnah prayers or he had missed Qiyam al-Layl (night prayer), he would make it up. Aisha used to make the most of this opportunity to make up any obligatory Ramadan fasts that she had missed because of menstruation; during other months she was too busy with the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) to fast.
· 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.
· Practicing more good deeds such as Qiyamul Layl ,More quranic recitation,charity,fasting ,dhikr,learning in shabaan make the practice of good deeds in Ramadan easier and familiar.
· It is more concealing of one's good works, and hiding and concealing Nawafil (supererogatory) actions is better, especially fasting, because it is a secret between a slave and his Lord.
