The Holy month of Shabaan
ast week’s khutba we discussed the current month of Rajab and we follow on with this week’s topic being of the month of Sha’baan.
Sha’baan is a month that is between two special months in Islam. We have the sacred month of Rajab that we are currently in and of course the holy month of Ramadhan which every muslim is acutely aware of.
So how should we as muslims regard this month? The best way to answer this is by reflecting on a Sahih Muslim hadith of the Prophet SAWS.
Aisha (may Allah SWT be pleased with her) said of the Prophet SAWS:
“He used to fast until we thought that he would always fast, then he would not fast until we thought that he would always not fast, but I never saw him fast in any month more than he fasted in Sha’baan. He used to fast all of Sha’baan, and he used to fast all of Sha’baan apart from a few days.”
My brothers, as we can see from this hadith upon reflection, is that the month of Sha’baan is an important month in the Islamic calendar.
We should aim to use this month as a warm-up to the month of Ramadhan. Get our minds and our bodies used to the act of fasting.
It is also important to note that most scholars deem it impermissible to carry any missed fasts from last Ramadhan up to the start of this year’s Ramadhan.
Hence if any muslim has fasts outstanding then the month of Sha’baan is the last one that can be used to make up these missed fasts.
In Sahih Bukhari there is another Hadith relating to this month which further mentions the case for observing voluntary fasts in the month of Sha’baan.
The Prophet SAWS said:
“None of you should fast a day or two before the month of Ramadhan unless he has a habit of fasting and if his fasting coincides with those days then he can fast that day”
Dear brothers, this hadith is in relation to those scholars who state that it is better not to fast in the latter days of the month.
There is a wisdom behind this advice. If one was to reflect on the hadith then it is clear that for those out of practice in fasting should have a break in between voluntary and obligatory fasts so that they can recover in time for the month of Ramadhan.
Think of it like exercise. If one is not used to exercise for months and months. Isn’t it better to do a warm up, take a break and then tackle the exercise program?
If one were to just tackle the exercise program without any break between the warm up and exercise then surely they would run the risk of burning out half way through the program!
This weekend marks the start of this important month. Now is the time to metaphorically start the spring clean for the imminent arrival of the esteemed guest that is the Holy Month of Ramadhan.
May Allah SWT give us the will to fast in the month of Sha’baan. May Allah SWT enable us to gain the most from the month of Sha’baan. And may Allah SWT generate the excitement of Ramadhan in our hearts during the month of Sha’baan.
Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.
