Month Of Sha`baan

The month of Shabaan is the 8th month in the Islamic calendar and precedes the blessed month of Ramadan.

In the Islamic concepts of divine blessings, Allah has bestowed His blessings and Mercy on the cycles of time, days and months, where some are more prestigious than others and others are more sacred.

There is a saying which says 'to be blessed with success one has to be in the right place and at the right time'.

This has been expressed by the Prophet Mohammad, Peace and Mercy be upon him, in a Hadith saying: ‘indeed Allah has (made) in the cycle of the eternity of time (blessed) breezes. So make yourself exposed to them; perhaps some of you get a breeze and then he may never get miserable again (in his life)’. So it is all about getting prepared, looking for blessed moments and watching out for opportunities.

The Holy Quran, stating the twelve monthly cycle of the year, says: ‘indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve, in the (eternal) Book of Allah, the Day He created the heavens and the earth, of which four are sacred; so do not wrong yourselves therein…’

This verse makes a factual statement about the creation of what we call a ‘year’ consisting of twelve months. As part of the blueprint in creating the earth, the cycle of time has been so precisely fixed that we are able to measure it right down to a millionth of a second.

The two major elements which play an important role in the concept of time, day and night, month and a year, is the existence of Sun and moon. The Quran mentions in the Surah 55 verse 5 that ‘the sun and the moon are in accordance to precise calculation’.

Islam is not a religion of rituals and superstitions. It is all about the factual realities of impacting elements that Allah has bestowed within the essence of His creation and guided people to take benefit from them, or to avoid them, so that life does not become miserable for them.

Allah deemed four months in the Islamic calendar as sacred and then commanded the believers not to wrong themselves therein. The context here is about war and battle and not about the ordinary concept of wrongdoing that occurs daily in our lives, and waging a war during these four months is effectively ruled out.

The four months that the Quran has named as sacred are Rajab, the 7th month and then the three consecutive months of Dhul-Qadah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, which are the 11th, 12th and 1st month of Islamic calendar.

The 8th month of Islamic calendar is called Shabaan, which is followed by Ramadan. After which comes the 10th month of Shawaal which is the first month of Hajj.

In essence, Islam seems to be limiting the possibility of any war taking place during those blessed times. Wars inflict huge injustices on people, cause untold pain and incalculable suffering and it was essential in the teachings of Islam to limit such upheavals as much as possible.

So Shabaan is not one of those months the Quran designates as sacred? What then is its importance in Islam? Let me quote to you a hadith of the prophet Mohammad, Peace and Mercy be upon him, who said: ‘that is a month people are heedless about it while they are in it; that month is between Rajab and Ramadan. That is a month in which (human) deeds are presented (annually) to the Lord of the worlds. I would like my deeds to be presented while I was fasting’.

What a guidance to readiness and for how to close one’s records of deeds and actions. Throughout our lives our actions are fully recorded and then our data is annually deposited for future accountability. How embarrassed will we be when the data is opened and we are made answerable, and accountable.

The month of Shabaan gives us the opportunity for reflection and offers the opportunity to close those annual records of our lives in the most beautiful way. Not only does this month give us this, it also gives us the opportunity to be fully prepared to enter the month of Ramadan.

Occasional fasting in Shabaan keeps us in full strength and prepares us for fasting in Ramadan, and ensures that we receive the full benefit of Ramadan right from the day one. It helps us to intensify the spiritual elements of our actions and deeds before Ramadan. The month also helps us in spiritual development before the blessed month arrives and in setting out our priorities better.

What are the spiritual priorities and spiritual development? We may wonder. To be a Muslim, it is not enough to pronounce the testimony of Islam. One must enter Islam fully and completely and leading a just life and keeping away from wrongdoing must become a habit.

The prophet said: ‘whoever ate of pure provision, acted in accordance to the Sunnah and people were in safety from his harms, would enter the Paradise’. This is the basis for Islamic spiritual development. Ordinary ideas and simple concepts are what make one Islamic and a true believer.

A man came to the Prophet and said: Ah my sins! Ah my sins! The Prophet guided him to say instead: ‘O Allah! Your forgiveness is greater than my sins, and your mercy is more expected by me than my deeds (to depend on). The Prophet asked him to repeat it twice and then said: 'Stand up now. Allah has forgiven you'.

This goes to show that it is not only the right time and the right place that matters in achieving a pleasant ending and success but that the right attitude and manner also matter in reaching a successful conclusion to our endeavours.

That is where the importance of the month of Shabaan lies. It is a month of incredible importance in preparation to the month of Ramadan as well as closing the annual accounts of our deeds for the final accountability.