Fasting two consecutive months for discipline and connecting Sha'ban with Ramadan
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The questioner asks: Is it permissible to fast two consecutive months for the sake of discipline and punishing oneself, based on the hadith regarding expiation?
The Shaykh:
The Prophet sometimes connected Sha'ban with Ramadan. It is a recommended practice (sunnah) for a believer, if he is a young person, to fast one day and break the fast the next day; this is the sunnah. If he connects one month other than Ramadan, there is no harm, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, for one month. The Prophet did not connect more than one month with Ramadan. As for increasing beyond that, it is not disliked.
Another questioner:
You have fasting that is part of the sunnah.
The Shaykh:
Yes.
Another questioner:
Fasting the entire month of Sha'ban. Is this...?
The Shaykh:
Yes, yes.
The questioner:
For the sake of discipline and punishing oneself.
The Shaykh:
No, that is not appropriate. (Exalted and Majestic is He) is more merciful to His servants than they are to themselves. One does not punish oneself except with what is prescribed; one does not punish oneself with what is not prescribed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disapproved of a man who fasted continuously, and he said: "Do not fast continuously, and do not break the fast continuously." When 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr was asked, he said: "O Messenger of Allah, I am able to do better than that," meaning better than fasting one day and breaking the fast the next. He said: "There is nothing better than that." Yes.
The questioner asks: Is it permissible to fast two consecutive months for the sake of discipline and punishing oneself, based on the hadith regarding expiation?
The Shaykh:
The Prophet sometimes connected Sha'ban with Ramadan. It is a recommended practice (sunnah) for a believer, if he is a young person, to fast one day and break the fast the next day; this is the sunnah. If he connects one month other than Ramadan, there is no harm, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did, for one month. The Prophet did not connect more than one month with Ramadan. As for increasing beyond that, it is not disliked.
Another questioner:
You have fasting that is part of the sunnah.
The Shaykh:
Yes.
Another questioner:
Fasting the entire month of Sha'ban. Is this...?
The Shaykh:
Yes, yes.
The questioner:
For the sake of discipline and punishing oneself.
The Shaykh:
No, that is not appropriate. (Exalted and Majestic is He) is more merciful to His servants than they are to themselves. One does not punish oneself except with what is prescribed; one does not punish oneself with what is not prescribed. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disapproved of a man who fasted continuously, and he said: "Do not fast continuously, and do not break the fast continuously." When 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr was asked, he said: "O Messenger of Allah, I am able to do better than that," meaning better than fasting one day and breaking the fast the next. He said: "There is nothing better than that." Yes.
Source
شرح كتاب الصيام من بلوغ المرام، من الحديث الأول إلى الحديث الثاني عشر — islamhouse.com (37:52)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.