Hadiths on the Virtue of Rajab and Sha'ban in al-Mizan
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His Eminence the Shaykh: Are there any authentic, established hadiths regarding the virtue of each of the months of Rajab and Sha'ban, and the virtue of fasting in them?
No.
No authentic hadith has been transmitted regarding the virtue of Rajab. The best of what is in it, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said, is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say when Rajab entered: (O Allah, bless us in Rajab and Sha'ban, and bring us to Ramadan) However, this hadith is also disputed. Therefore, the month of Rajab does not stand out from Jumada al-Akhirah, which precedes it, except that it is one of the sacred months. Otherwise, there is no prescribed fasting in it, no prescribed prayer, no prescribed 'Umrah, and nothing else; it is like the other months.
As for Sha'ban, yes, it stands out from the others in that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast frequently in it, indeed he used to fast the entire month except for a little. One should fast frequently in Sha'ban.
No.
No authentic hadith has been transmitted regarding the virtue of Rajab. The best of what is in it, as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said, is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say when Rajab entered: (O Allah, bless us in Rajab and Sha'ban, and bring us to Ramadan) However, this hadith is also disputed. Therefore, the month of Rajab does not stand out from Jumada al-Akhirah, which precedes it, except that it is one of the sacred months. Otherwise, there is no prescribed fasting in it, no prescribed prayer, no prescribed 'Umrah, and nothing else; it is like the other months.
As for Sha'ban, yes, it stands out from the others in that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast frequently in it, indeed he used to fast the entire month except for a little. One should fast frequently in Sha'ban.