Monday, 03/02/2025 (Sha’aban 04, 1446 AH)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
All praise be to Allah, who is in control of everything. He preferred one month to another, and designated some of them with greater reward and blessings. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner, the Provider of blessings, and the bestower of mercy. I bear witness that our master and Prophet Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, the Prophet of mercy and ease, always working and giving good news. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. He is more pure than he who worships Allah, fasts, supplicates to Allah, and stands until his feet are broken. And whoever follows them with goodness and faith always. As for what follows:
Dear servants of Allah! The blessed month of Sha’aban has entered. Yes, this month is upon us, reminding all Muslims of the approaching month of Ramadan, and in it the breezes of faith blow, heralding the approaching month of Ramadan, a month that the believer awaits and cares about. It is the month of reciters, the month of submitting deeds to the Lord of the Worlds, the month of preparation for Ramadan, oh Did we realise that it entered? Have we felt the value of this month? It seems that many are negligent in this. It is heedlessness, O servants of Allah. Yes, heedlessness, heedlessness of his destiny, virtue, and status.
Dear brothers and sisters! Did you know that the reward for worship during times of negligence is double? He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“Worshiping in turmoil is like a migration to Me.” [Muslim]
That is a time of heedlessness, temptation, and confusion of matters. Where a minority is steadfast in obedience and truth, and they are the people of uniqueness and distinction, and they are the righteous.
It is unique to pray at night while the people are asleep, to fast during the day while the people are not breaking their fast, to work hard while the people are lazy, to memorize the remembrance of Allah while the people are silent, and to recite the Qur’an while the people are busy with worldly conversations.
Respected brothers and sisters! On the authority of Usama Bin Zaid, may Allah be pleased with them both, he said:
“I said: O Messenger of Allah, I have not seen you fast a month of the months as you fast in the month of Sha’aban. He said: That is a month that people neglect between Rajab and Ramadan, and it is a month in which deeds are submitted to the Lord of the Worlds, so I would like to My deeds will be removed while I am fasting.” [An-Nasa’i]
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentioned two reasons for preferring this month. The first is that it is a month that people ignore because it falls between two great months. The Muharram month is Rajab, and the blessed month of Ramadan. The second is that the deeds of the servants are presented to Allah Almighty, so he wanted his deeds to be presented while he was fasting, and this presentation of deeds is the annual presentation; Presenting deeds to Allah is daily, weekly, and annual; The Almighty will offer him the work of the night during the day, and the work of the day at night, and the weekly work will be offered to him on Monday and Thursday. Therefore, he, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, enjoined their fasting, and as for the annual deeds, deeds are presented in Sha’aban. So it is desirable to fast most of it.
Dear brothers and sisters! Fasting most of Sha’aban is a Sunnah established by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Our mother Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not fast more in any month of the year than in Sha’aban.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
And in another narration:
“He used to fast all of Sha’aban.”
Imam Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“Fasting Sha’aban is better than fasting the sacred months, and the best voluntary fasting is that which is close to Ramadan before and after it, and its status in fasting is like the regular Sunnahs with the obligatory duties before and after them, and it complements the shortcomings of the obligatory prayers, and so is fasting before and after Ramadan, just as the regular Sunnahs are better than absolute volunteering. By praying, likewise fasting before and after Ramadan is better than fasting after it.”
Dear servants of Allah! Have you seen that players train before playing the match to get fit and not get a sports injury? Likewise, the believer prepares for the season of competition and the race to Allah. He practices fasting, praying, and reading the Qur’an so that he does not become tired and lazy in Ramadan and miss out on the great reward. Rather, when Ramadan comes, he is the strongest, most patient, and most enduring person in worship and wins the great reward.
Respected servants of Allah! Our great problem is that, every year Ramadan comes to us while we are heedless, so we begin to obey and worship from scratch, then we advance little by little, and we hardly find the taste of worship and the sweetness of obedience until Ramadan has passed, and its pages are folded, so we regret, feel sad, and suffer, and say: We will make up for it next year, and the next year will come and we will not. He will be in a better condition than before, and so on until the truth is achieved, and the person leaves this world as he is, even if we remember what was. It is said about our pious predecessors (Salafus-Salih) that they used to welcome Ramadan six months before its arrival. If we remembered this, we would know why they used to find Ramadan a taste that perhaps we do not find. The issue – then – is the issue of preparing for this month with worship, obedience and righteousness. The issue – then – is the issue of seizing the times of the blessed month of Sha’aban; So that Ramadan does not come unless a person has ascended to high levels of obedience and worship.
So make the most of your days and nights, and initiate good deeds. For whoever fasts a day for the sake of Allah, Allah will keep his face away from Hell for seventy days, as stated in the two Sahih books (Bukhari and Muslim), especially the days of virtue such as Mondays, Thursdays, and the days of whiteness. Urge your children and train them to do so. So that they do not suffer from heaviness or fatigue during Ramadan.
Dear brothers and sisters! Among the acts of worship (Ibadah) that the righteous predecessors used to do in the month of Sha’aban: reading the Noble Qur’an. They used to devote themselves to Sha’aban and prepare for Ramadan by reciting the Qur’an a lot. Anas Bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
“When Sha’aban began, the Muslims would fall upon the Qur’an, read it, and pay Zakat on their wealth to strengthen the weak among them to fast. When the month of Sha’aban began, Amr Ibn Qais – who was also one of the Followers (Tabi’in) – used to close his shop – that is, his shop – and devote himself to reading the Qur’an. Since Sha’aban was an introduction to Ramadan, Muslims should be diligent in it with something that happens in Ramadan.
Respected brothers and sisters! Sha’aban is like the regular Sunnah before Ramadan, and like the preliminary training session before it, so practice and increase your good deeds during it. If you are in Rajab, you recite part of it a day, then increase it, and if you do not fast before Sha’aban, then fast during it, and if you stay in the Mosque for a short time, then increase your stay, until… If Ramadan comes upon you, you will be more and more popular. Allah the Most High says:
“And advance for yourselves, and fear Allah, and know that you will meet Him, and give good news to the believers.” [Surah Bakarah, 223]
Ya Allah, let us reach Ramadan, bless its days and nights for us, and grant us its fasting and prayer in the manner that pleases you with us, ameen.
Dear brothers and sisters! Know that, the Messenger of guidance, Prophet Muhammad may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, did not celebrate this month of Sha’aban with any special deeds other than fasting, so the Prophet, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, did not call for blessings in this month. As for what is narrated that when the month of Rajab began, he said:
“Oh Allah, bless Rajab and Sha’aban for us, and make us reach Ramadan.”
This Hadith is weak (Da’if).
Among them is glorifying the night of the middle of Sha’aban (Nisf Sha’aban), showing joy and adornment, celebrating it with prayer and remembrance, gathering in Mosques, singing poems and praises, or fasting during its day. All of this is not from the guidance of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, nor from the action of his companions, may Allah be pleased with them, so it was not reported from them, that they singled out this night for prayer or something else, and if it had been good, they would have preceded others to it.
Beloved brothers and sisters! It is worth remembering that it is obligatory to make up for the fast for someone who broke his fast in the previous Ramadan. It is not permissible for him to delay it until after the next Ramadan unless it is necessary, and each one of us should remind his family of that. Whoever is able to make up for it before Ramadan and does not do so, is a sinner. Two things are required: The first is repentance, the second is to make up for it, and the third is obligatory, according to what some scholars say. It is feeding a poor person for every day he spends.
It is also worth noting that it is forbidden to advance Ramadan by fasting a day or two, with the intention of being on the safe side, so one should not fast unless the crescent of Ramadan is sighted, or the number of days of Sha’aban has been completed, so fasting on the day of doubt is forbidden. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“None of you should precede Ramadan by fasting a day or two, unless he is a man who used to fast during his fast, in which case he should fast that day.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
It is not included in the prohibition if someone has a habit of fasting, and it happened a day or two before Ramadan, or he fasted to make up for it.
Great servants of Allah! Honor this month of Sha’aban, and appreciate its value. It is an ambassador of Ramadan, and a station to replenish faith, and train yourself to do good deeds and abandon sins and evils. Make sure to end your concerns in Sha’aban, so that you can devote yourself to Ramadan, especially the last nights of it. Getting rid of them now will save your time and gather the contents of your heart.
Ya Allah, let us and all the Muslims reach Ramadan while we are In the best condition of the world and religion, and make us among the first and the pious, and make us and them among Accepted, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the Merciful.
All perfect praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), and upon his family, his Companions and his true followers.
*Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of: Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah Mosque; and Late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene Mosque, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: [email protected]; or +2348038289761.
