Why this Sha aban is so Important
By Omar Suleiman | 2026-01-05T06:29:41.736361+00:00 | Topic: Iman
Why this Sha'ban is so Important
Khutbah by Dr. Omar Suleiman
Opening
We begin by praising Allah and bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for him. And we bear witness that Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is his final messenger. We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, the prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him and those that follow in his blessed path until the day of judgment, and we ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma ameen.
The Month People Become Heedless About
Dear brothers and sisters, we are in a month right now that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) described in a very specific way. He said about this month of Sha'ban that it is a month:
"Yaghfulun-naasu 'anhu"
"That people become heedless in regards to"
And I wanted to spend some time with just the word that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned in describing this month because it is a word that describes a condition that is far greater than this month, but especially speaks to the moment of Sha'ban this year.
The Current State of Hearts
I know that a lot of people are not feeling like Ramadan. I know that the general sentiment is not what it usually is a month before Ramadan where we're usually talking about Ramadan prep. Most of us are prepping for the worst that seems to be coming in Rafah. I know that many people's hearts are not feeling the same way, that our attention span is not the same way. But this is a condition that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned about Sha'ban - a condition of ghafla.
And it's especially true in regards to the condition of people today, this Sha'ban in particular. And I would argue that while this Sha'ban might not feel as important and this Ramadan feels very different, this might actually be the most important Sha'ban that we have ever had. Why? Because if you identify that condition of ghafla, and you're able to fight it, then inshallah ta'ala it opens you up to greater possibilities of worship, a greater connection to Allah, and a greater connection to your ummah.
Understanding Ghafla (Heedlessness)
But what is ghafla in the first place? What is this condition that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is talking about?
Many times we talk about sin as coming out of desire. There are sins that emanate out of shahwa. There are sins that emanate out of desire. And then there are sins that emanate out of pride, and usually when you talk about the sins that emanate out of desire, they are the sins in which we waste ourselves away in that which Allah specifically told us to keep away from. Sins out of pride tend to manifest themselves in dhulm and actually harming others because you tend to violate the sanctity of people that Allah has told you to not violate.
But then there are sins that emanate out of ghafla, and ghafla is a spectrum of heedlessness. The lowest of it and the one that the ulama say that the believer has to identify quickly and remedy is indifference - indifference.
Historical Example: Mecca During the Prophet's Time
What does it mean to be indifferent to the world around you or indifferent to the news around you? Well first and foremost think about the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and the society that he was sent to. How many people do you think heard the message of Islam, heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) preaching and said to themselves: "You know what? This isn't really that important to me right now. This seems to be an affair that belongs to Quraysh, that belongs to some of the elites and the nobles that concerns the pilgrimage and some of the structure of Meccan society. But it really doesn't bother me or concern me as an individual," meaning they simply did not even bother with the inquiry.
While the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was in their midst and you would be surprised to know that this actually was the majority of people in Mecca. It kind of flips the whole seerah lens for you when you think of it that way - the majority of people just didn't care enough to get involved.
And how do we know that? By the sheer amount of numbers that embraced Islam and Fatah Mecca and the conquest of Mecca. The sheer amount of people that were present in Mecca that day - how many persecuted the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? You could name the majority of them and it was usually a familiar few. How many followed the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? A hundred or so in those early days? How many just observed and remained in a state of ghafla, a state of indifference? The majority.
Said you know what? They'll settle this affair amongst themselves and at that point when I have to make a decision, when it is right at my door, then I'll make a decision because that's the condition of most people.
And then maybe that ghafla gets a little bit more disturbed when you see some of the torture that's happening. Right where wait a minute now, they're pulling the slaves into the streets. They're dragging them. They're beating their own brothers, their own cousins, torturing their own sisters. This is disturbing me a little bit more, but you know what at the end of the day even that became commonplace in Mecca. It became normalized. We're in the beginning Abu Jahl tested the limits, the Firaon tested the limits and eventually becomes normalized and most people will say you know what that's not my brother. That's not my sister. That's not my tribe. I can still just be a regular Meccan and go to the store and purchase and attend the festivals and away from all the politics of the Hajj enjoy the pilgrimage season, and I'm okay.
Quranic Usage of Ghafla
That's ghafla and that's why the majority of the times that Allah uses the word ghafla:
"Wa hum fee ghaflatin mu'ridoon"
"And they, in [their] heedlessness, are turning away"
Is actually in Meccan society because it is a more appropriate diagnosis of Meccan society at the time.
Contemporary Parallels
You know what it reminds me of today when you have some prominent people that'll be asked about Palestine - what do you have to say about Palestine? "Oh, I haven't looked into that. I really don't know about all that. I don't care." When they say silence and complicity is complicity, you better believe silence is complicity when over 30,000 people have been killed. Yes silence is absolute complicity. What do you mean? "I really don't know about all those kids, and I don't really I can't diagnose all of that. You know it's it's too much for me to get involved with, too complicated. It's not Palestine's not here at the end of the day."
That's a lot of people around you by the way, a lot of people around you that drive around they see the protests. They see the news they flip and say you know what I'm just getting home from work today. And I just want to watch something that's gonna be entertaining. I'm really not that interested in that and you know who knows that ghafla better than anyone else? The Israeli government.
Why do you think in the most watched sporting event in America, hundreds of millions of people are tuned in to men who are paid thousands and millions of dollars in full pads who have their names on their jerseys while Israel carries out the most brutal assaults on Gaza to date? Matching the time of kickoff knowing that most people are not going to bother inquiring why there is an image that's popping up on their social media feed of a young girl that's dangling without her legs and brutalized over a wall.
The Sin of Indifference
That's ghafla. It is sinful for you to look at that and say "Not my business" or "too bad" or "let me move on because I don't know how to reconcile with this or reason with this." Allah connects that to forgetfulness of him, forgetfulness of them and forgetfulness of yourself. That's ghafla, a state of ghafla. It's indifference.
And the ulama mentioned that ghafla is the predecessor to dalal, to going astray. Because if you're indifferent to everything then essentially the most attractive pull is the one that's going to pull you in the next direction. And so I don't really think too much about things. I don't really ponder too much about things. I don't really ask that many questions about what's happening in the world around me. I'm not really that concerned. I'll get concerned when it's right on my doorstep. I'll get concerned when it is in my community. I'll get concerned when it's in my family. That's ghafla and Allah usually describes ghafla.
Allah's Response to Ghafla
He associates it with the ghafla of the life that is to come. Look at:
"Laqad kunta fee ghaflatin min hadha fakashafna 'anka ghita'aka fabasaruka al-yawma hadeed"
"You were certainly in heedlessness of this, and We have removed from you your cover, so your sight, this Day, is sharp."
You were heedless in regards to this death of yours. You were told someone came to you and said a hereafter awaits you. Someone came to you and told you that there is something you need to be preparing for that demands your attention now in the moment that you are in and you kept putting it off. So Allah pulled the cover and now your ghafla is gone, your indifference to what happens in the hereafter is gone. Why? Because it's right in front of you.
The angels are literally at your doorstep. The kafan is there. They're ready to pull you into the next step of this and now you better inquire about who the angels are and where you're going and who Allah is and who this prophet is and what happens in the grave. You literally are shown a picture of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) - Who is this man?
"Man hadha ar-rajul"
"Who is he?"
May Allah give us firmness in that moment.
You didn't inquire. Most people are indifferent:
"Laqad kunta fee ghaflatin min hadha fakashafna 'anka ghita'aka fabasaruka al-yawma hadeed"
"Iqtaraba lin-naasi hisaabuhum wa hum fee ghaflatin mu'ridoon"
"The time of their account has approached for the people, while they are in heedlessness turning away."
The hour is fast approaching and people remain in ghafla, in heedlessness, indifference, turning away from it. I just don't care enough to inquire. I just don't care enough to look into it.
Allah is Never Ghafil
Now with our Lord, Allah mentions how he is not forgetful nor indifferent, not to the past nor to the presence. And so the scholars mentioned:
"Wa ma kana rabbuka nasiyya"
"Your Lord does not forget"
Meaning your Lord will not forget what preceded on the day of judgment. You better believe it all comes back. Everything that we have done, may Allah protect us, comes back.
"Your Lord has not forgotten." Time doesn't pass on and Allah stops seeing or Allah removes it from the register like we forget after 10, 15, 20 years or something else came that was greater in that place and it got lost.
Yeah, what does Allah say about the oppressors? Allah mentions:
"Wa la tahsabanna Allaha ghafilan 'amma ya'malu adh-dhalimoon"
"And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do."
Don't think Allah is indifferent, heedless about what the oppressors are doing right now. Don't think Allah doesn't see it in the moment and don't think that Allah is not taking interest in it. And don't think that Allah is not in control of it. Allah sees it and He's paying attention to it, but he has a plan that we can't see that unfolds in the future. We don't know it but Allah is never ghafil. Allah is never indifferent to his khalq, to his creation. He's never indifferent to the affairs of the world, never indifferent to the affairs of his slave.
The Difference Between Nisyan and Ghafla
And so ghafla is not like nisyan which is to forget. As the scholars say that nisyan - and we're called an insan because we're naturally forgetful - nisyan is an affair of the mind. Ghafla is an affair of the heart. That is that your heart becomes so attached to other things that aren't as important that you forget what's actually important.
Ghafla is a forgetfulness of the heart and Allah does not accept the dua:
"Min qalbin ghafil"
"From a heart that is indifferent"
That's not present, your heart somewhere else while you're making dua to Allah. So it's a forgetfulness of the heart.
How This Relates to Sha'ban
How does this all tie back to Sha'ban in particular, dear brothers and sisters? Ramadan is coming up. Ramadan is a chance for us to personally develop ourselves, to collectively develop ourselves, to connect ourselves to Allah in a way that naturally not only tunes us into him and to the world around us, but grants us an understanding, a fiqh in the heart, an understanding in the heart that pushes us to another level of our ibadah, to another level of our worship.
And if you don't do dhikr of Allah, if you don't remember Allah, you're not going to generate taqwa. You're not going to generate the shield of God consciousness. If you don't remember God in the first place and if you are indifferent to Allah and the world around you and what's happening to people around you and what's happening to your brothers and sisters, or you're even trying to numb yourself and come to terms with it just unfolding in the background - "You know what? We just got to get back to our day-to-day, enough is enough, right?" - if you are in that state then what does Allah describe the condition of the heart as?
The Condition of Hard Hearts
It's very powerful and I want you to sit with this bi'idhnillahi ta'ala. Allah doesn't describe it as a heart that simply stops beating. Allah describes it as a hardened heart:
"Qaswatul-qalb"
"The heart becomes hard"
You know, we always ask Allah:
"Ya muqalliba al-quloob thabbit qalbee 'ala deenak"
"O turner of hearts, make my heart firm on your path"
We ask Allah for the khashya of the qalb, the awe and the fear and the humility of the heart to Allah in our hearts. We ask Allah to protect us from hard hearts and what softens the heart - the remembrance of Allah and the remembrance of those people.
Practical Steps for Sha'ban
Encountering them, putting your hands through the pages of a mushaf from now in this month of Sha'ban. Not waiting for Ramadan when everybody else is holding a Quran around you. Putting your fingers, your hands through the pages of the mushaf right now and starting to read your Quran right now in a month that people are not paying attention and then the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"An yamsaha ra'sa al-yateem"
"Accompanying the orphan, caressing the hair of an orphan"
Being present with those people as much as possible. Those are the things that soften your heart. Put your hands there so that your heart is there. Let your tongue not be heedless so that your heart does not become heedless. Let your attention be focused so that your intention does not become corrupted.
The Goal of This Sha'ban
This is the month where you generate the focus so that when Ramadan comes around, the moment that we see that hilal, the moment that we recite the first night in taraweeh, the moment that we make our first intention, we have already cleared the distraction and focused ourselves and removed the heedlessness, remove the indifference to say ya Allah:
"This is a Ramadan in which we are coming to you with our hearts broken in more ways than one. Ya Allah, we're coming to you with hearts broken in more ways than one. Ya Allah, here is my heart and I'm asking you to mend it for me."
Closing Duas
May Allah allow us to meet Ramadan with hearts that are in the right condition, hearts that are attentive. May Allah increase us in the deeds in Sha'ban that prepare our hearts properly for Ramadan. May Allah never make us amongst those whose hearts become hardened so that we oppress others without even thinking about what we are doing or that we ignore the oppression of our brothers and sisters without even considering their plight.
May Allah alleviate the plight of our brothers and sisters in Gaza. May Allah protect them in Rafah. May Allah protect them in every single place that they are in. May Allah descend upon them tranquility. May Allah make firm their feet. May Allah make firm their hearts. May Allah allow them to be granted victory over their oppressor.
May Allah in this month where he never ever on any day loses sight of us, may Allah show us a miracle in regards to our brothers and sisters over their enemies and may Allah purify our hearts and put our hearts in focus upon that which is important to our journey towards him. May Allah make us amongst those that seek his pleasure day and night every day of the year and that pay attention to his creation day and night every day of the year seeking that which is pleasing to him. Allahumma ameen.
Dear brothers and sisters, I remind you of course now and always to increase in the actions that soften the heart, especially before Ramadan so that you meet Allah with your heart in the best of states. We ask Allah for protection for our hearts, for protection for our ummah.