❀ Fasting in Sha'ban is Sunnah and a Preparation for Ramadan ❀
What is the ruling on observing fasts during the month of Sha'ban?
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
Observing fasts during the month of Sha'ban, and doing so frequently, is a Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. It is narrated from ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها):
«مَا رَأَيْتُهُ أَکْثَرَ صِيَامًا مِنْهُ فِی شَعْبَانَ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ṣawm, Bāb Ṣawm Shaʿbān, Ḥadīth: 1969)
Translation:
“I never saw him (ﷺ) fasting in any month more than he did in Sha'ban.”
✿ In light of this blessed ḥadīth, frequent fasting during the month of Sha'ban is a Sunnah practice.
✿ Scholars have explained that the fasts of Sha'ban carry a similar status to Sunnah Mu’akkadah (emphasized Sunnah) performed before obligatory prayers.
✿ These fasts serve as a means of preparing for the arrival of Ramadan.
✿ The fasts of Sha'ban are essentially a spiritual and physical preparation for the fasts of Ramadan, allowing a person’s soul to be conditioned beforehand.
✿ Through this preparation, fasting in Ramadan becomes easier and more effective.
✿ Just as the six fasts of Shawwal are considered as Sunnah Mu’akkadah after the obligatory fasts of Ramadan, likewise, the fasts of Sha'ban are like Sunnah Mu’akkadah observed before the obligatory fasts of Ramadan.
ھٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
This is what I understand; and Allah knows best what is correct.
❖ Question:
What is the ruling on observing fasts during the month of Sha'ban?
❖ Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
Observing fasts during the month of Sha'ban, and doing so frequently, is a Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. It is narrated from ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها):
«مَا رَأَيْتُهُ أَکْثَرَ صِيَامًا مِنْهُ فِی شَعْبَانَ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ṣawm, Bāb Ṣawm Shaʿbān, Ḥadīth: 1969)
Translation:
“I never saw him (ﷺ) fasting in any month more than he did in Sha'ban.”
❖ The Sunnah of Fasting in Sha'ban
✿ In light of this blessed ḥadīth, frequent fasting during the month of Sha'ban is a Sunnah practice.
✿ Scholars have explained that the fasts of Sha'ban carry a similar status to Sunnah Mu’akkadah (emphasized Sunnah) performed before obligatory prayers.
✿ These fasts serve as a means of preparing for the arrival of Ramadan.
❖ A Means of Preparation for Ramadan
✿ The fasts of Sha'ban are essentially a spiritual and physical preparation for the fasts of Ramadan, allowing a person’s soul to be conditioned beforehand.
✿ Through this preparation, fasting in Ramadan becomes easier and more effective.
❖ Comparison with the Fasts of Shawwal
✿ Just as the six fasts of Shawwal are considered as Sunnah Mu’akkadah after the obligatory fasts of Ramadan, likewise, the fasts of Sha'ban are like Sunnah Mu’akkadah observed before the obligatory fasts of Ramadan.
ھٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
This is what I understand; and Allah knows best what is correct.
