What is the virtue of fasting in the month of Shaban?

Weather of Arabia - God Almighty has singled out the worship of fasting among the worships with many virtues and characteristics

First : Fasting belongs to God Almighty and He rewards it, as was proven in Al-Bukhari (1894) and Muslim (1151) from the hadith of Abu Hurairah that the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “For every deed of the son of Adam, a good deed is multiplied ten times to seven hundred times, God said. He is mighty Glory be to Him except fasting, for it is for Me and I will reward it. He gives up his desire and his food for My sake.”

Second : The fasting person has two joys that make him happy, as was proven in Al-Bukhari (1904) and Muslim (1151) from the hadith of Abu Hurairah that the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “The fasting person has two joys that make him happy: when he breaks his fast, he rejoices, and when he meets his Lord, he rejoices over his fast.”

Third : The smell from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of God than the scent of musk, as was proven in Al-Bukhari (1894) and Muslim (1151) from the hadith of Abu Hurairah that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, the smell from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of God Almighty on the day of Resurrection from the scent of musk.

Fourth : God has prepared for those who fast a door into Paradise through which no one can enter except them, as proven in Al-Bukhari (1896) and Muslim (1152) from the hadith of Sahl bin Saad, who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Indeed, there is a door in Paradise that is called: Al-Rayyan, from which those who fast will enter on the Day of Resurrection, and no one will enter from it except them. It is said: Where are the fasting people? Then they would stand up and no one would enter except them. When they entered, it would be closed and no one would enter.”

Fifth : Whoever fasts one day for the sake of God, God will keep his face away from Hell for seventy years, as proven in Al-Bukhari (2840); And Muslim (1153) from the hadith of Abu Saeed Al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “There is no servant who fasts a day for the sake of God but that on that day God will distance his face from the Fire by seventy distances.”

Sixth : Fasting is a shield (meaning protection) from Hell. It is proven in the Two Sahihs from the hadith of Abu Hurairah that the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - said: “Fasting is a shield.” Ahmad (4/22) and Al-Nasa’i (2231) narrated from the hadith of Othman bin Abu Al-Aas said: I heard the Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace - saying: “Fasting is a protection from Hell, like one of you’s protection from fighting.”

Seventh : Fasting expiates sins, as stated in the hadith of Hudhayfah narrated by Al-Bukhari (525) and Muslim (144) that the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - said: “A man’s temptation against his family, his wealth, and his neighbor is expiated by prayer, fasting, charity, enjoining good, and forbidding evil.” Deny.”

Eighth : Fasting will intercede for its companion on the Day of Resurrection, as Imam Ahmad (6589) narrated on the authority of Abdullah bin Amr, may God be pleased with them both, that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Fasting and the Qur’an intercede for The servant of the Day of Resurrection, fasting will say: That is, my Lord, I prevented him from food and desires during the day. So grant me intercession on it. The Qur’an says: I prevented him from sleeping at night, so grant me intercession on his behalf. He said: They will intercede.

Fasting in the month of Shaban

On the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, she said: “The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to fast so that we would say that he would not break his fast, and he would break his fast so that we would say that he would not fast. I never saw the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, He completed fasting for a month except Ramadan, and I have never seen him fast more. From it in Sha`ban” (Sahih al-Nasa’i: 2176). On the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, she said: “The Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, did not fast a month longer than Sha’ban. Rather, he used to fast the entire month of Sha’ban, and he used to say: Take from the Do what you are able, for God does not tire until you tire, and I love prayer to the Prophet - May God’s prayers and peace be upon him - he always did it, even if it was little, and whenever he prayed a prayer he would always do it.” (Sahih Al-Nasa’i: 2178).

On the authority of Abu Salamah, he said: I asked Aisha - may God be pleased with her - about the fasting of the Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace - and she said: “He used to fast to the point that we say he has fasted, and he would break his fast to the point that we say he has fasted.” He flew, and I have never seen him fast more in a month than he fasted in Sha`ban. He used to fast all of Sha`ban, except for a little while” (Sahih Ibn Majah: 1398).

On the authority of Umm Salamah, may God be pleased with her, she said: “I did not see the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - fasting for two consecutive months except during Sha’ban and Ramadan” (Sahih Al-Targheeb: 1025), and on the authority of Aisha that she said: “ I have not seen the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - in more than one month. He used to fast it during Sha`ban except a little, but rather he used to fast it all of it.” (Sahih al-Targheeb: 1024).

On the authority of Umm Salamah, may God be pleased with her, on the authority of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him: “He did not fast a complete month of the Sunnah except during the month of Sha’ban, which he connected with Ramadan” (Sunan Abi Dawud: 2336).

On the authority of Aisha, may God be pleased with her, she said: “The most beloved of the months to the Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace - was to fast in Sha’ban and then connect it with Ramadan.” On the authority of Anas bin Malik: “The Messenger of God - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him - used to fast and would not break his fast, to the point that we say what was in the soul of the Messenger of God - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him - to break the fast of the year, then he would break his fast and not fast. So much so that we say that he should fast the year, His favorite fast was in Sha`ban.”

There is no contradiction between the previous hadiths and the hadith prohibiting fasting after half of Shaban. On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, he said: The Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace - said: “If half of Sha’ban remains, do not fast.”

Al-Tirmidhi said: The meaning of this hadith according to some people of knowledge is that a man breaks the fast, so if there is anything left of Sha`ban, he begins fasting during the month of Ramadan. It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah, on the authority of the Prophet - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him - something similar to their saying, where he said - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him -: “Do not precede the month of Ramadan with fasting unless that coincides with a fast that one of you was fasting.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari), and this hadith indicates that hatred is only for those who He deliberately fasts during Ramadan.

Al-Hafiz mentioned: There is no contradiction between this and the previously mentioned hadiths forbidding Ramadan by fasting one or two days, as well as what came from the prohibition of fasting. And in the middle of the second Sha`ban, the combination between them is apparent, as the prohibition applies to those who did not enter those days into their usual fasting. There is evidence in the hadith of the virtue of fasting in Sha`ban. Al-Nawawi responded about the fact that he did not fast much during Muharram, while saying that the best fasting occurs during it, because it is possible that this was what he knew. Except at the end of his life, he was not able to fast frequently during Muharram, or he had excuses during that period such as travel and illness, for example, which prevented him from doing so much. Fasting during it.

Based on this, the established Sunnah is to fast the month of Sha’ban or most of it from its beginning to its end. As for those who did not fast from the beginning and then wanted to fast after the middle of it, this is what the prohibition applies to, just as the prohibition includes those who want to fast at the end of Sha’ban to welcome Ramadan, and God Almighty knows best.

The Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, ordered fasting for those who missed fasting in Sha’ban: On the authority of Imran bin Husayn, may God be pleased with them both: “The Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said to him, ‘Should you be silent about the secrets of Sha’ban?’” He said: No, he said: If you break your fast, then fast for two days. The bed of Shaaban: that is, its middle.

The wisdom behind fasting in the month of Shaban

On the authority of Osama bin Zaid - may God be pleased with them both - he said: I said: “O Messenger of God, I have not seen you fast any month of the month as much as you fast from Sha’ban?” He said: “That is a month that people ignore between Rajab and Ramadan, and it is a month in which deeds are submitted to the Lord of the Worlds. I would love for my deeds to be submitted while I am praying.” Imam. There are great benefits in this hadith

• “It is a month that people ignore between Rajab and Ramadan” indicates that when it was surrounded by two great months, the sacred month and the month of fasting, people were distracted by them, so it became neglected. Many people think that fasting in Rajab is better than fasting in it because it is a sacred month and it is not so.
• It indicates that some of the times, places or people whose virtues are famous may be better than others, either absolutely or due to a peculiarity in them that most people do not pay attention to, so they become preoccupied with what is famous about them and miss attaining the virtue of what is not well-known to them.
• It contains evidence of the desirability of filling people’s times of negligence with obedience, and that this is loved by God Almighty. Therefore, standing in the middle of the night was preferred due to the negligence of most people in the remembrance.
• There are benefits to reviving the overlooked time through obedience: among them: that it is hidden, and concealing the voluntary acts and their secrets is better, especially fasting, as it is a secret between the servant and his Lord, and among them: that it is more difficult for souls: and the best deeds are the most difficult for souls.
• Among them is the revival of abandoned Sunnahs, especially in this time. He, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: “Islam began as something strange, and it will return to being strange, just as it began, so blessed are the strangers.” And in Sahih Muslim, from the hadith of Maqil bin Yasar, on the authority of the Prophet - may God bless him and grant him peace - he said: “Worship in times of turmoil is like migration to me.” It was included by Imam Ahmad, and his wording is: “Worship in times of strife is like migration to me.” The reason for that is that people in times of strife follow their desires and do not return to a religion. So their situation will be similar to the situation of pre-Islamic times. If there is one among them who adheres to his religion, worships his Lord, follows what pleases him, and avoids what displeases him, he would be in the position of someone who migrated from among the people of pre-Islamic times to the Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace - believing in him, following his commands and avoiding his prohibitions, including that the one who is isolated in obedience is among the people of sin and heedlessness. He may ward off affliction from all people, as if he were protecting and defending them.
• It is a month in which deeds are lifted up, so the Prophet - may God’s prayers and peace be upon him - loved that deeds be presented to God - the Almighty - and the servant in the best, best and most pleasant condition due to the great virtues of fasting, and for this to be a reason for God - the Almighty - to overlook the servant’s sins if he pleads with the tongue of God. In this regard.

Read also: Why was the month of Shaban given this name?