How closely the Companions observed the Prophet (peace be upon him)
Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
عن أُسَامَة بْن زَيْدٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، لَمْ أَرَكَ تَصُومُ شَهْرًا مِنَ الشُّهُورِ مَا تَصُومُ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ! قَالَ :” ذَلِكَ شَهْرٌ يَغْفُلُ النَّاسُ عَنْهُ، بَيْنَ رَجَبٍ وَرَمَضَانَ، وَهُوَ شَهْرٌ تُرْفَعُ فِيهِ الأَعْمَالُ إِلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، فَأُحِبُّ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ عَمَلِي وَأَنَا صَائِمٌ ” . رواه النسائي.
I said ‘O Messenger of Allah, I have never seen you fast a month as much as you fast in Sha’ban!’
He said: ‘That is a month in which people are heedless, between Rajab and Ramadan, and it is a month in which deeds are raised to the Lord of the Worlds. So I love that my deeds are raised while I am fasting.’” (an-Nasa’i)
This is a very famous narration. Usama was one of many companions around the Prophet (peace be upon him) but because he was a servant of the Prophet (peace be upon him) he was in close proximity to him and able to observe him closely – everything he said and did. He would try and emulate him.
Here we see from his question that he wanted to get clarity from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and we see he was keen on learning. We also see that he wanted to learn more – he was thirsty for knowledge. It reflects his character and the character of the knowledge seeker.
Usama was blessed that he was receiving his knowledge directly from the source. It shows us the etiquettes of seeking knowledge. If you are not clear about something, ask about it, with the right etiquettes and intention. Asking a loaded question to humiliate someone is not allowed, unless they deserve it. In general, your intention has to be the right intention for Allah to benefit you from the knowledge and you have to have the right etiquettes when asking for clarity. We see this from Usama, who asked a genuine question, wondering why the Prophet (peace be upon him) fasted so much in Shaban.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was so open with him- happy to share the sacred knowledge which Allah had given him and the special access he had to this through Jibril. He did not keep this knowledge to himself, but spread it and shared it. He told Usama (may Allah be pleased with him), and through him the Ummah, that this was a month in which people are heedless, because Arabs, even before Islam, would give attention to the month of Rajab, which is sacred, but tended to neglect Shaban. These sacred months (Rajab, and the three consecutive months Muharram, Dhul Qadah, Dhul Hijjah) were known to the Arabs in their traditions, but they did not consider Shaban to be important. Therefore the Prophet (peace be upon him) was teaching them something they were not familiar with.
The cure for inattention (ghaflah)
As reported in Abu Dawoud, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said the remedy for ignorance is to ask and here he was teaching the remedy for heedlessness through his extra exertion and special practice.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned that this month is special because this is the month when deeds are presented to Allah. How do we reconcile this with the other narration that deeds are presented to Allah every Monday and Thursday?
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: «تُعرَض الأعمالُ يومَ الاثنينِ والخميسِ؛ فأُحِبُّ أن يُعرَض عملي وأنا صائمٌ» رواه الترمذي.
‘The deeds are presented on Mondays and Thursdays; so I love that my deeds are presented while I am fasting.’ (Tirmidhi)
Ibn Hajar al Asqalani and other scholars mentioned that there is no contradiction between the two narrations, rather they are different two levels of presentation. Shaban is equivalent to a one-page executive summary compared to the detailed report each week on Mondays and Thursdays. This means you have to pay particular attention to every deed you are presenting to Allah – whether it is during the day or night, or day of the week. The reason is that not every deed we do will be accepted. Some will come with mountains of deeds but they will have no weight, they will be like scattered particles of dust, unaccepted by Allah.
Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
عَنْ ثَوْبَانَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَأَعْلَمَنَّ أَقْوَامًا مِنْ أُمَّتِي يَأْتُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِحَسَنَاتٍ أَمْثَالِ جِبَالِ تِهَامَةَ بِيضًا فَيَجْعَلُهَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هَبَاءً مَنْثُورً
I certainly know people from my nation who will come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like the mountains of Tihamah, but Allah will ‘scatter them like dust. (Ibn Majah)
What a waste! You worked hard on your deeds and they counted for nothing. Scholars mentioned the conditions for a deed to be accepted. Firstly it has to be done purely for Allah’s sake. Secondly it has to be in line with prophetic guidance. It might be done purely for Allah, but its execution was not in accordance with the guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is where the concept of bid’ah started, which is another discussion.
The acceptance of deeds
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was highlighting something else important – he wanted fasting to be among his deeds. This is called the diversification of a portfolio. Just as we don’t put all our eggs in one basket, we need to have a range of deeds to present to Allah. No one can give you a better return than Allah. If you invest in salah, or reciting the Quran, or fasting, or helping those in need, Allah gives you the best return; no one can give you a better return than Allah. Therefore we need to add fasting to our deeds, not just salah.
We know that Ramadan is coming, but throughout the year we need to add the practice of fasting. One of the benefits of fasting among many is that it deletes and purifies anger and rancour from the heart. It is one of the cures for the diseases of the heart. It is not just a physical detox, but a cleanser of the spiritual heart.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بما يُذْهِبُ وَحَرَ الصدرِ ؟ صومُ ثلاثةِ أيامٍ مِنْ كلِّ شهرٍ. مسند أحمد.
Shall I tell you about what removes the anger and rancour of the heart, fasting three days every month. (Musnad Ahmad)
Extra acts of worship on 15th Shaban
On 15th Shaban should we do special ibadah during the night? There is no argument about fasting on the 15th, as it is a sunnah to fast on the 13th, 14th and 15th of every month, but there is a long discussion whether we should do special ibadah during that night. It is encouraged to do extra ibadah in your home during the night, not in congregation in the mosque, as there are plenty of authentic narrations on that.
Let’s not be among those who are heedless and preoccupied by the dunya, but roll up sleeves and increase our good deeds – praying, reciting the Quran, fasting, giving charity and helping others.
We ask Allah to make us among those who are close to Him, not only in Shaban and Ramadan but throughout the year and follow in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him). Ameen.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 7th Feb 2025
