Singling out Sha'ban for fasting its white nights
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Fatwa number ( 11507 )
Q: There is a man who has made it a habit every year to fast three days of Sha'ban, the white days, and on the night of the 15th of Sha'ban he slaughters an animal as charity. I ask for information about the ruling on this so that he may be advised or supported in doing it.
A: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged fasting the three white days of every month as a voluntary act, and he did not single out one month over another for this, except for Ramadan as is well known. Therefore, singling out Sha'ban for this contradicts the generality of the Sunnah which indicates that no specific month should be singled out. Likewise, he (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged his Ummah to draw near to Allah the Exalted alone with voluntary sacrifices without singling out a specific day or month. So He, the Exalted, said:[Al-An'am 6:162-163] Thus, your habit of drawing near with a sacrifice on the night of the fifteenth is a religious innovation and a singling out
for which there is no evidence. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sahih Muslim 1718b , and he said: Sahih Muslim 1718a . And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: There is a man who has made it a habit every year to fast three days of Sha'ban, the white days, and on the night of the 15th of Sha'ban he slaughters an animal as charity. I ask for information about the ruling on this so that he may be advised or supported in doing it.
A: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged fasting the three white days of every month as a voluntary act, and he did not single out one month over another for this, except for Ramadan as is well known. Therefore, singling out Sha'ban for this contradicts the generality of the Sunnah which indicates that no specific month should be singled out. Likewise, he (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged his Ummah to draw near to Allah the Exalted alone with voluntary sacrifices without singling out a specific day or month. So He, the Exalted, said:
(162) Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. (163) No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims."
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاَتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (162) لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَfor which there is no evidence. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
He who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who innovates things in our affairs for which there is no valid (reason) (commits sin) and these are to be rejected.
من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو رد
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.