Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 3.

127 Fasting most of the month of Sha'ban (the month preceding Ramadan)

The Prophet would fast most of the month of Sha'ban. 'Aishah said: "I never saw the Messenger of Allah
fast a complete month save for Ramadan, and I have never seen him fast more in a month than he did in
Sha'ban." This is related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Usamah ibn Zaid inquired: "O Messenger of Allah, I never find you fasting in any month like you do
during the month of Sha'ban." The Prophet responded: "That is a month the people neglect. It comes
between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which the deeds are raised to the Lord of the Worlds. I love
that my deeds be raised while I am fasting." This is related by Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, and by Ibn
Khuzaimah in his Sahih.

Some people fast on the 15th of Sha'ban in particular, thinking that that day contains more virtues than the
other days. This is an unsubstantiated claim.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 1307 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious looks down on the middle
night of Sha'ban and forgives all His creation except two people, the mushahin and the murderer.

Transmitted by Ahmad.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 1306 Narrated by AbuMusa al-Ash'ari

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious looks down on the middle
night of Sha'ban and forgives all His creation except a polytheist or one who is mushahin (innovator in
religion and out of the main stream of the community.

Transmitted by Ibn Majah.

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 1299 Narrated by Aisha

I missed Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) during the night and found him in al-Baqi'. He said: Were
you afraid that Allah and His Messenger would deal unjustly with you? I said: Allah's Messenger, I thought
that you had gone to some of your other wives. He (the Prophet) said: Verily Allah, the Exalted and
Glorious, comes down to the heaven of the world in the middle night of Sha'ban and forgives sins even
more abundant than the hair of the goats of Kalb.

Reported by Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Razin who added for those who deserve Hell and Tirmidhi said: I
heard it from Muhammad (Bukhari) that he deemed it to be a weak hadith.

Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 3.204 Narrated by Mutarrif from Imran Ibn Husain

That the Prophet asked him (Imran) or asked a man and Imran was listening, "O Abu so-and-so! Have you
fasted the last days of this month?" (The narrator thought that he said, "the month of Ramadan"). The man
replied, "No, O Allah's Apostle!" The Prophet said to him, "When you finish your fasting (of Ramadan)
fast two days (in Shawwal)." Through another series of narrators 'Imran said, "The Prophet said, '(Have you
fasted) the last days of Sha'ban?"

Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 3.191 Narrated by Aisha

The Prophet never fasted in any month more than in the month of Sha'ban. He used to say, "Do those deeds
which you can do easily, as Allah will not get tired (of giving rewards) till you get bored and tired (of
performing religious deeds)." The most beloved prayer to the Prophet was the one that was done regularly
(throughout the life) even if it were little. And whenever the Prophet offered a prayer he used to offer it
regularly .

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 3.142 Making Up Missed Days of Ramadan

Making up missed days of Ramadan is an obligation that need not be fulfilled immediately because the
time for fulfilling is very wide and one may perform it at any time. This is also the case with the fast of
expiation. It has been authentically reported that 'Aishah would make up her missed days during the month
of Sha'ban (the month preceding Ramadan), and that she did not perform them immediately even if she had
the ability to do so.

Observing the fast of Ramadan and making up the days are the same with respect to the fact that if one day
of Ramadan is missed, then only one day needs to be made up. There is no additional penalty. They differ
about the fact that when a person makes up the missed days he need not do so on consecutive days. This is
because Allah says: "For him who is sick or on a journey, [the same] number of other days"--that is,
whoever is sick or traveling and breaks the fast must fast the same number of days that he missed,
consecutively or unconsecutively.

Allah has ordered the fast in a general manner without any restricting clauses.

As for making up the missed days of Ramadan, ad-Daraqutni recorded from Ibn 'Umar that the Prophet
said: "If you wish, make them on nonconsecutive days and if you wish on consecutive days."

If one delays performing the missed days of fasting until the next Ramadan comes, he is to fast the present
Ramadan and then make up the days from the previous Ramadan. There is no ransom payment to be made,
regardless of whether the person delayed the fasting due to some acceptable excuse or not. This is the
opinion of the Hanafiyyah and al-Hassan al-Basri. Malik, ash-Shaf'i, Ahmad, and Ishaq agree that there is
no ransom payment if the fasting was delayed due to some excuse, but they differ when the fasting was
delayed without any acceptable excuse. In such a case, according to them, the person should fast the
present Ramadan and then make up the days he missed from the previous Ramadan along with a ransom
payment of a mudd of food given in charity each day. It should be noted that they have no acceptable
evidence for that opinion. Apparently, the correct opinion is that of the Hanafiyyah, as there is no
lawmaking without an authentic legal text to support it (that is, a Qur'anic verse or hadith).

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 2330 Narrated byAbuHurayrah

AbdulAziz ibn Muhammad said: Abbad ibn Kathir came to Medina and went to the assembly of al-Ala'.
He caught hold of his hand and made him stand and said: O Allah, he narrates a tradition from his father on
the authority of AbuHurayrah who reported the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) as saying: When the
middle of Sha'ban comes, do not fast. Al-Ala' said: O Allah, my father narrated this tradition on the
authority of AbuHurayrah from the Prophet (peace be upon him)

Sahih Muslim Hadith Hadith 2581 Narrated byAisha

AbuSalamah reported: I asked Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) about the fasting of the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him). She said: He used to observe fast (at times so continuously) that we said: He
has fasted (never to break), and he did not observe fast till we said: He has given up perhaps never to fast,
and I never saw him observing (voluntary fasts) more in any other month than that of Sha'ban. (It appeared
as if) he observed fast throughout the whole of Sha'ban except a few (days).