Arsalan Majeed - 2-16-24

We begin by praising Allah. We praise him, we seek his forgiveness for our shortcomings and sins.

We seek his help and assistance in all of our actions and affairs. And we seek refuge and protection in Allah from sinful inclinations within ourselves and the negative consequences of our sins. Whoever Allah guides to the truth, no one can misguide him.

And whoever Allah leads astray, the one who chooses misguidance for himself, no one can guide him back to the truth. I bear witness and testify that nothing is worthy of any act of worship except Allah alone, the one without any partners or equals. And I bear witness and testify that Muhammad is his most perfect worshipper, slave and final prophet and messenger to all humanity and jinn.

Oh Allah, send your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. Allah says in the Quran, dear brothers and sisters, O believers, be mindful of Allah as he deserves and make sure that you do not die except in a state of submission to him. And Allah says, O people, be mindful of your Lord who created all of you from one soul, meaning Adam. And from this soul he created his mate and spouse Hawa. And from the two he spread countless men and women on this earth.

Be mindful of Allah, the one in whose name you demand your rights from one another. Be aware of cutting off your ties of kinship. Surely Allah is always watching your actions.

And Allah says, O believers, be mindful of Allah and when you speak, speak truthfully, justly and with good intentions and purpose. If you do so, he will rectify your actions for you and bless them for you and forgive your sins for you. And whoever obeys Allah and his messenger in this life will have a great achievement, the achievement of paradise in the hereafter.

The Blessed Month of Sha'ban

Dear brothers and sisters, we have entered the month of Sha'ban and this is the month right before the month of Ramadan. And there are about 25 days remaining before Ramadan begins. So in this short and simple khutbah, I will cover some of the virtues and recommended actions that we should be engaging in during the month of Sha'ban for preparation for the month of Ramadan.

Fasting in Sha'ban

The first is fasting in the month of Sha'ban. The Prophet ﷺ, he used to fast most of the month of Sha'ban. He did not fast the entire month of Sha'ban, rather he fasted most of the month of Sha'ban.

Aisha, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, she narrates and she says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

She says, the Prophet ﷺ sometimes he would fast so much continuously every single day till we thought that he's never going to break his fast. In other words, he's going to fast every single day. And sometimes he stopped fasting until we thought he's not going to fast again for a long period of time.

This is in reference to voluntary fasting. And then Aisha says, the Prophet ﷺ fasted the complete month only for the month of Ramadan. In other words, the only month he fasted from the beginning till the end is the month of Ramadan.

The level below that or the second number is the month he used to fast the most in. He didn't fast the entire month but he fasted most of the month and that is the month of Sha'ban. And in another narration:

Out of all of the months of the year, the Prophet ﷺ used to fast, voluntary fast the most in the month of Sha'ban.

The Importance of Consistency

And he used to encourage us to do actions that we can keep up regularly. We can do consistently. He used to say:

The Prophet ﷺ said, do those actions that you can regularly and consistently do.

Because Allah will not stop giving you rewards until you tire of doing the good deeds. And the Prophet ﷺ used to love the type of prayer that he could perform habitually, consistently. And whenever he would perform a prayer, he would be sure to be habitual and consistent in the performance of that prayer.

And this is, as the Prophet ﷺ mentioned in another narration, that:

The most beloved actions to Allah are those that are done consistently, regularly, even if they are little in quantity or small in magnitude. The greatness of the action, that is not what Allah is looking at. He is looking at consistency in our good deeds.

And this is something that we can develop consistency in starting from this month, the month of Sha'ban. That is we can start fasting from this month.

Three Reasons for Fasting in Sha'ban

Why did the Prophet ﷺ used to fast a lot in the month of Sha'ban? Why did he used to fast a lot in the month of Sha'ban, the month right before Ramadan? There are three reasons.

First Reason: Actions Are Presented to Allah

The first one is, it is a month in which deeds are presented to Allah. And the Prophet ﷺ used to like that when his deeds are presented to Allah, they are presented while he is in a state of obedience to Allah. He is in the state of fasting for more rewards.

Usamah ibn Zaid, he asks the Prophet ﷺ and he says:

He says, I don't see you fasting in any month as much as you fast in the month of Sha'ban, meaning voluntary fasting. And so the Prophet ﷺ replied to him saying:

That is a month that is between Rajab and Ramadan.

Sha'ban is between Rajab and Ramadan. Many people they don't pay attention to it. And why don't they pay attention to it? Our scholars mention, well because Ramadan it's obvious that in Ramadan they're going to be engaged in the activities of Ramadan.

But what's special about Rajab? Rajab is one of the four sacred months of the year. And so some people they may fast more in the month of Rajab. And then towards the end of Rajab they think that it's the time to relax during the month of Sha'ban before Ramadan.

But the Prophet ﷺ is saying, No, this is the time to increase your fasting because your actions they are presented to Allah in this particular month. He goes on to say:

(Sunan al-Nasa'i)

This is the month in which actions they are presented to Allah. And I love that my actions are presented while I'm in a state of fasting.

In other words, the actions that are presented are good, and my presentation, how are the state I'm in while they are presented, that is also good for greater rewards from Allah.

Second Reason: Preparation for Ramadan

Another reason our scholars mention that we should fast in this month, or why the Prophet ﷺ used to fast in this month, is preparation for the month of Ramadan. They say:

They say that it's good that a person habituates himself to fasting during this particular month, so that when he enters in the month of Ramadan, he has the strength to fast the days of Ramadan, and he's accustomed to fasting already. Because some of us, we do not fast during the rest of the year, so this is the month to prepare ourselves for the month of Ramadan.

Third Reason: Surrounding Obligatory Deeds with Voluntary Deeds

Finally, the last reason of why the Prophet ﷺ would fast in this month is that they say it's like doing a good deed before you do an obligatory deed. You know before Salatul Dhuhr, we pray Sunnah before Dhuhr and we pray Sunnah after Dhuhr. And so they say fasting in Sha'ban is the voluntary good deed before the obligatory fasting in Ramadan.

And fasting in Shawwal after Ramadan is the voluntary fasting after the obligatory good deed. Just like the Sunnah before Dhuhr and the Sunnah after Dhuhr. In other words, you envelop or you encompass an obligatory good deed with voluntary deeds before it and after it.

How to Fast in Sha'ban

The last point and with this we'll conclude is how should a person fast during this month? Aisha radiallahu ta'ala narrates and she says that, I had to make up fast from the previous Ramadan and I would make them up in the month of Sha'ban. And so this is the first thing the person should do. If he has fast to make up from the previous Ramadan due to travel or sickness or some other reason, then he should make up this fast or she should make up this fast first.

And then if opportunity arises the person should engage in voluntary fasting before the month of Ramadan begins. May Allah accept from us and allow us to do and engage in good deeds before the upcoming month of Ramadan.