✿ Fasting After the 15th of Shaʿbān Is Prohibited Without Habit ✿
✍ Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❖ Prohibition of Fasting After Mid-Shaʿbān for Those Without a Habit
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إذا انتصف شعبان فلا تصوموا
“When half of Shaʿbān has passed, do not fast.”
📘 [Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2049, Kitāb al-Ṣiyām: Bāb fī Karāhiyyat Dhālik; also: Abū Dāwūd: 2337; Tirmidhī: 738; Ibn Mājah: 1651; Aḥmad: 2/442; Ibn Abī Shaybah: 3/21]
➡ This prohibition applies only to those who do not already have a regular routine of fasting.
Those who habitually fast, such as on Mondays and Thursdays, are not included in this restriction.
❖ Regular Fasting of the Prophet ﷺ on Mondays and Thursdays
➊ ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها narrated:
إن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يتحرى صيام الإثنين والخميس
“The Prophet ﷺ used to be keen on fasting Mondays and Thursdays.”
📘 [Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah: 1414, Kitāb al-Ṣiyām: Bāb Ṣiyām Yawm al-Ithnayn wa al-Khamīs; Aḥmad: 6/80; Tirmidhī: 745; Nasāʾī: 4/152; Ibn Ḥibbān: 3643; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2116]
➋ Reason: Deeds Are Presented to Allah on These Days
The Prophet ﷺ said regarding these fasts:
إن أعمال العباد تعرض يوم الإثنين والخميس
“Deeds of the servants are presented (to Allah) on Mondays and Thursdays.”
📘 [Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2128, Kitāb al-Ṣiyām: Bāb fī Ṣawm al-Ithnayn wa al-Khamīs; also: Abū Dāwūd: 2436]
➌ Preference of Being in a State of Fasting
Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported:
تعرض الأعمال كل اثنين وخميس، فأحب أن يعرض عملي وأنا صائم
“The deeds are presented every Monday and Thursday, and I like that my deeds be presented while I am fasting.”
📘 [Ṣaḥīḥ Tirmidhī: 596, Kitāb al-Ṣiyām: Bāb Ṣawm Yawm al-Ithnayn wa al-Khamīs; Aḥmad: 2/268; Tirmidhī: 747; Ibn Mājah: 1740; Dārimī: 1758; Ibn Ḥibbān: 3644; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2120]
➍ Virtue of Monday: Day of Birth and Revelation
Abū Qatādah رضي الله عنه reported:
When the Prophet ﷺ was asked about fasting on Monday, he replied:
ذلك يوم ولدت فيه وأنزل علي فيه
“That is the day I was born, and the day on which revelation was sent down to me.”
📘 [Aḥmad: 5/296; Muslim: 1162; Abū Dāwūd: 2426; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2117; Ibn Ḥibbān: 3642; Bayhaqī: 4/286; Ibn Abī Shaybah: 3/78]
❖ Summary of the Ruling
✔ Fasting after the 15th of Shaʿbān is prohibited for those who are not regular in fasting.
✔ Those who have a habitual routine, such as fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, may continue even after mid-Shaʿbān.
✔ The Prophet ﷺ himself observed consistent voluntary fasts, particularly on Mondays and Thursdays, with various spiritual benefits.
