All praises are to Allāh, the Most Kind and the Most Merciful, and may His peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).
Dear Brothers and sisters in Islam,
The month of Sha’bān is one of the most important months for our ‘Ibādah.
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, one of the great scholars, said:
“The month of Sha’bān is a preparation for the month of Ramadān.”
This is why many scholars from the past would call it the month of the Qur’ān and the month of the reciters, because they would recite a lot of Qur’ān during the month of Sha’bān in order to be ready to read more Qur’ān during the month of Ramadan.
Shaban is one of the seasons of worship that should be utilized in filling our record of good deeds and reward. It is a month in which the Prophet would fast more than he fasted in any other month in acknowledgment of its excellence, as stated by authentic hadiths.
Not only fasting is recommendable in Shaban but all the good deeds are also desirable in this month. The faithful Muslim aspires to have a big share of the various acts of worship in search for the pleasure of Allah to him.
Usamah ibn Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I do not see you fasting any month as much as Sh`aban.’ He said: ‘That is a month to which people disregard or do not pay much attention, between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which the deeds are taken up to the Lord of the worlds, and I like that my deeds be taken up when I am fasting.”‘ (An-Nasaa’i)
Subhan Allah! Our deeds are lifted up to Allah in the month of Shaban.
These deeds contain all what one does including the good, the bad, the offensive, the prohibited, the allowable, etc. Our Prophet was keen that the end of his recorded woks before their ascension to Allah to be sealed with an act of worship, namely fasting.
So, my dear respected brothers and sisters, while you are staying at home, try to fast as much as you can in this month. Train your family to fast as much as they can and to read Qur’ān as much as possible.
This is a very good preparation for Ramadān. Take this staying at home as an opportunity to get closer to Allāh and always transform difficulties into opportunities. This is the mentality of the successful people – and we are successful people.
May Allāh remove this calamity before the coming month of Ramadān.
The difference between Sha’bān 1440 and Sha’bān 1441 is that a whole year of your life has passed. A whole year of more than 350 days of actions recorded. The actions of the days are recorded, not neglecting any hour, nor second of each day.
Ibrāhīm al-Nakh’ī used to cry to his wife every Thursday, and she used to cry too and he used to say, “Today our actions will be put forth in front of Allāh”. So how about the actions of the whole year?
Sit down and try to reflect on what you did in the past year and try to remember the actions that will be put forth in front of Allāh.
May Allah give us the utmost love for such a month that meant so much to our beloved Prophet (SAW). May He give us the ability to fast abundantly in this month and committing good deeds and Muslim gain countless blessings from Allah Almighty in addition to receiving pardon and forgiveness. Ameen!