Why The Month of Sha’baan Is So Special with Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

Introduction & Opening

الحمد لله وحده، والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده، نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم اللهم تسليماً كثيراً.

All praise due to Allah and his praise and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, and all the Prophets and Messengers and their followers until the Day of Judgment. I bear witness that Allah is the only one worthy of worship and Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is his last and final Messenger.

The Blessing of Special Occasions

O Muslims, servants of Allah. إن من أعظم ما يُنعم الله على عباده أن يُحيي لهم أسباب الفوز بمرضاته. One of the great blessings of Allah upon us is that He always gives us opportunities one after another to achieve success in this life and next, and to be able to come closer to Him, and to achieve paradise easily, and to cleanse ourselves from our sins.

And that is one of the ways that He makes these offers — by giving us opportunities and special days, special months, special occasions, which we should take full advantage of. It was reported by al-Tabarani from the hadith of Muhammad ibn Maslamah al-Ansari that the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said:

(Al-Tabarani, Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir — graded Hasan by Shaykh al-Albani)

Your Lord has chosen certain days, certain occasions, certain events, where there is so much blessing, so much forgiveness — breaks, opportunities. So make sure that you take advantage of them. You don't know — you might, in one of these days, one of these occasions, one of these events, be accepted and forgiven completely and be saved and blessed for the rest of your life.

The Month of Sha'ban

And all these opportunities — one of these special days is the month that we just started: the month of Sha'ban. Today is the first Friday in the month of Sha'ban.

This month is a month that prepares us for Ramadan, a month that is special in itself, a month that is known as Shahr al-Qurra — the month of recitation. It is a month where the deeds of human beings are recorded and presented before Allah. And look at the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, when the month of Sha'ban started.

Usamah ibn Zayd said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have been watching you and I have not seen you fasting as many voluntary days as you fast during the month of Sha'ban." And you know, fasting is something personal — الصوم لا يعلمه إلا الله — fasting is between you and Allah. But because the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was so consistent, it became something noticeable to the companion, that he fasted a lot of the days of the month of Sha'ban.

Then Usamah asked: "What is this for?" So the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, replied:

(Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 2357; graded Hasan by Shaykh al-Albani)

"This is a month where a lot of people don't pay attention to it — between Rajab, which many people pay attention to, and Ramadan obviously. It is a month where the deeds of the servants of Allah are presented before the Lord of the Worlds. And I would like my deeds to be presented before Allah while I am fasting."

The Virtue of Worshipping When Others Are Heedless

In this khutbah, I would like to mention several points related to this month to encourage all of us to pay attention to it before Ramadan comes. When the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said it is a month that a lot of people don't pay attention to — because all our concentration is going towards Ramadan — we forget about Sha'ban. Sha'ban even became the month where a lot of people go and buy things and make all their plans for Ramadan, so Sha'ban kind of gets no real attention.

And there is a consistent theme in Islam and the Shari'ah and the Prophet's, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, ahadith and in our religion: that any time people are not paying attention to Allah, distracted from the worship of Allah, that is an excellent opportunity for you to worship Allah — and a very special reward comes with that.

For instance, look at this hadith. Abu Dharr reported that there are three people Allah loves, and three people Allah dislikes and distances Himself from. As for the three that Allah loves the most:

A man approached a group of people and said, "I need your help. I am not related to you. I am not asking you by anything other than Allah — there is no connection, no benefit, no relationship. I am just asking you by Allah to help me." None of them offered help. After he was left disappointed, one person reached out to him, caught up with him and said, "I will help you." No one else saw this man step forward. When everybody neglected the man, this one man from the whole village came and helped him. Such a man is loved the most by Allah.

Then he mentioned the second person:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2568)

People were traveling and they were very exhausted. The moment they had the chance, they fell straight to sleep — so tired. Except one person. He did not sleep, even though he was just as tired as the rest. When everybody slept, he stood up. He prayed in the night. No one saw him, no one noticed him except Allah. He did this while people were not paying attention to prayer at that time. And Allah said: "He stood up reciting My verses and seeking My help."

And the third: people who were in battle, who met the enemy, were defeated and retreated — except one person who stood up with an open chest, fighting to protect his fellow soldiers. He fought until he died. He decided he would fight until he died or until victory came. That is also someone greatly loved by Allah.

If you look at these three examples, the common factor is that they committed themselves when other people did not. They stood up for something when other people were not willing to do it — when others were distracted or did not see the importance of it. That is why the month of Sha'ban became a very special occasion: because a lot of people don't pay attention to it.

That is also why the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in another hadith said that worshipping Allah in a time of fitnah — when people are distracted, consumed by materialism, consumed by this worldly life — while there is still a group of people holding onto the religion, holding onto the Sunnah, the way of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — he said it is as if you are holding burning coal. He said those people have the reward of fifty of you — of the Companions. Can you imagine the reward of the Companions like Abu Bakr and Umar? How much reward they get? He said fifty times that — for those who come at the end of days. Why? Because in those days, you have helpers. You have me. You have a lot of good people around you. But those people at the end of days don't have that support. That's why they deserve it — people are distracted, people don't care about religion — that's why their reward is high.

Those who come at the end of days and sound like strangers — it is strange for someone to still hold onto these values, to uphold morality and decency. Unfortunately the bar is so low today when it comes to what decency is. And those who call to the high bar and high standard are few. Those people's reward is high.

What to Do During Sha'ban

That is why it is so important during this month to remember: this is a month where people don't pay much attention to worship. So take care of that by increasing your acts of worship. Such as:

Make sure that you pray Fajr in congregation. And pray as many prayers as possible. Make sure you pray a little extra — maybe two extra rak'ahs of night prayer. If you usually pray in a regular month, increase it during the month of Sha'ban. Increase your recitation of the Quran. Increase your sadaqah during the month of Sha'ban.

Why is it also important to care for this month? Because the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said the deeds will be presented before Allah during this month. And why fasting in particular? Because fasting takes a long time — it takes most of the day. So while these deeds are being presented before Allah, they are presented while you are actually engaged in worship. If it is salah, it is a short period of time. But with fasting, you are engaged in worship the whole time the deeds are being presented before Allah — in daily basis, weekly basis, and yearly basis. Every year, all the deeds are presented before Allah in the month of Sha'ban.

And fasting — the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said nothing is similar to it in reward. It is the most rewarding act. So you increase your chances of being distanced from the hellfire and rewarded with paradise when you increase your fasting.

Seeking Forgiveness in Sha'ban

Also, this is a month where so much forgiveness is given before Ramadan. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said that in the middle of Sha'ban, Allah forgives so many people — except al-mutashahineen — except those who have animosity towards each other. Animosity over worldly matters. Just because he didn't treat me nicely, he did this, he didn't give me all my money, he wasn't a nice person to me — all these worldly matters that fill you with rage and anger and negativity and hatred.

This is a month to cleanse your heart. Because the more your heart is clean, the more it is receptive to good qualities. The heart — as the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said — is like a container, like a cup. If you fill the cup with sand, there is no place to put gems and rubies and beautiful things. It is filled with sand, with rocks. Empty it. So you have space to beautify your heart. Empty your heart from hatred, from envy, from all these negative feelings towards others — so it will be open and willing to receive the mercy of Allah.

Sha'ban as Preparation for Ramadan

The month of Sha'ban is like the two sunnah prayers before Dhuhr. When you come to Salat al-Dhuhr, you have two sunnah rak'ahs before it — they prepare you for Dhuhr. Same thing: fasting in Sha'ban and doing good in Sha'ban prepares you for Ramadan, so you can take full advantage of it.

They say: Shahr Rajab shahr al-zar' — in Rajab you plant the seed. The next month, Sha'ban, you water the seed. And in Ramadan you collect the harvest. You will be able to enjoy Ramadan more if you start acting today. Don't wait until the announcement that Ramadan has started. Begin from now — prepare yourself. So when Ramadan comes, you are very ready.

Some of the Salaf — when Sha'ban came, one of them would close his hanut, his grocery store, and say: "In Sha'ban I dedicate the whole month to preparing myself for Ramadan — reading and worshipping Allah." Some of them used to complete many khatmul Quran in Sha'ban. That is why it is called the month of recitation.

So one of the most important things to keep in mind is to always remember: this is the month that will prepare you for Ramadan. If you do good now, you will see good tomorrow. Allah rewards good with more goodness. May Allah make us among those who took advantage of Sha'ban and Ramadan, and accept from us all our deeds.

Purifying the Heart

As I said earlier, one of the most important things to do is to purify your heart and make your heart pure before Ramadan. In that there is a reminder for those who have a heart — or who listens and is a witness. A sound heart. A heart that understands faith and the fear of Allah.

One of the most important things to ensure is that your heart is purified — filled with love for Allah, respect, honor, trust, and turning back to Him. Do you want to know if your heart is really connected to Allah or not? You can say as much as you want, "Oh, my heart is connected to God. I love God. I do this." But I will tell you one thing that shows the truth: watch your tongue. Watch your thoughts. What is the thing you most think about? What do you talk about the most? That reflects what is in your heart. Is it really Allah? Is it really the Day of Judgment? Is it really the purpose of your existence and where you are going? That is how you find out.

So make sure you watch — because the heart is the foundation for everything else.

Rulings on Fasting in Sha'ban

Also, increase your fasting as we said. Let me give you a summary of the debate among Muslim jurists on this issue:

If you fast on a regular basis — every Thursday, every Monday — and the last day of Sha'ban happens to fall on a Thursday, you may still fast. But if you are not in the habit of that, you should not fast the day before Ramadan. It is haram to fast the one or two days immediately before Ramadan with the intention of being on the safe side. If you fast the days of doubt — thinking, "Maybe tomorrow is Ramadan, maybe it is the end of Sha'ban" — you have disobeyed the Prophet, because you only fast when you are sure it is Ramadan.

Also, the religious scholars said: if someone is not in the habit of fasting Sha'ban, it is not recommended to fast after the 15th — unless you are starting this habit this year, in which case you may fast, but you stop two days before Ramadan. Why? Because the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said: when half of Sha'ban comes, do not fast — it is not recommended. But it is highly recommended to fast the first 15 days of Sha'ban.

Final Reminders

Also important: increase your voluntary prayer, your night prayers, and your Quran recitation. The Muslims used to focus on increasing their recitation in this month.

One other thing that is also important: if you have a personal problem with someone, forgive that person. Remember the hadith — those who harbor hatred and animosity, just forgive it. I once said: weak people cannot forgive. Strong people forgive. Let go.

By the way, when you let go, you don't set the other person free — you set your own heart free. When you don't let things go, you chain yourself with a chain made of negativity, hatred, and frustration. Just break that chain and set your heart free. Forgive and forget. And I always say: if you can't do both, do one of them — it is enough.

And one more thing: get connected to your family — especially your parents, your relatives, and so forth.

Finally, remember what Allah said: repent to Allah. And repentance means a commitment to change your lifestyle — to live according to what pleases Allah.

Du'a (Closing Supplication)

May Allah make this month a blessed month for us. May Allah give us the opportunity to live until we witness the month of Ramadan and take full advantage of it. May Allah forgive us and our parents. May Allah forgive us and our parents and our children, and protect us and our families. May Allah bless us and bless our wealth, our families, and our health. May Allah choose the best of leaders to lead us here and to lead the world.

May Allah give us the opportunity to witness the month of Ramadan. May Allah give us the opportunity to defeat the transgressors, to stop the abuse, and to help those innocent men and women who have been abused. May Allah, with His might and His strength, give strength to those people who have been displaced, those who have no one to give them victory or help. May Allah have mercy on the elders, the children, and the families. May Allah soften the hearts of the leaders of the world — to stand up for justice and to implement justice there and everywhere. May Allah forgive our sins.

وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد، وأقيموا الصلاة، والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته.