A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following paragraph is from Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Jaziri’s ( r.a. ) chapter, “Fasting Rajab, Sha’ban and the rest of the Holy Months”, in his al-Fiqh ‘ala al-Madzahib al-Arba’ah , “Jurisprudence according to the Four Schools”: Fasting the months of Rajab and Sha’ban is mandub, recommended, as agreed upon by three of the a’immah , while the Hanbalis differed in that they said fasting Rajab singly is disliked, except if one breaks the fast during it then it is not disliked.  Regarding the holy months, Dzu al-Qa’idah, Dzu al-Hijjah, Muharram, and Rajab, fasting them is recommended according to three of the a’immah , while the Hanafis differed in that they said what is recommended in the holy months is to fast three days from each of them, which are Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The night of the first Friday of the month of Rajab or its first night are both known as the “Night of Wishes,” Laylat ar-Ragha’ib , during which is performed swalah ar-ragha’ib .   Its observance was disapproved by Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi ( r.a. ) in his Majmu’ Sharh al-Muhadzdzab and Fatawa as based on bathil evidence, and this is also the position of Imam ‘Izz ad-Din ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd as-Salam ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ).   However, the hafizh , Imam Abu ‘Amr ‘Utsman ibn ‘Abd ar-Raḥman ibn Swalah al-Kurdi ( r.a. ) disagreed with Imam al-‘Izz ad-Din ( r.a. ), and considered the performance of swalah ar-ragha’ib praiseworthy, while Mulla Nur ad-Din Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Sulthan Muhammad al-Hirawi al-Qari ( r.a. ) said in his Asrar al-Marfu’ah regarding this, “The hadits , swalat an-nahar ‘ajma' , even if bathil , nevertheless, its meaning is true.   The same holds about the hadits of the prayers they hav...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The Wahhabis try to prevent the people from treating the night of  Isra’ and Mi’raj  on the 27 th of Rajab and the night of mid-Sha’ban, Laylat al-Bara ’ ah as special.  They claim that honouring these nights are innovations that must not be allowed.  Yet practically all Muslims hold these two nights in high reverence and consider it good, not blameworthy, to celebrate or commemorate them through gathering, feeding the people, reciting Qur'an and sirah , reading ahadits and performing supererogatory prayers.   Wahhabis literature also abounds with condemnations of those who fast in Rajab.  Since the pious fast the three blessed months of Rajab, Sha’ban, and Ramadhan in a row as far back as we can remember, and like to offer extra worship and invocation on the nights of 27 th Rajab and 15 th Sha’ban, we need to confirm that these are recommended in the fiqh of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah , not blameworthy, a...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The ritual prayer for one’s adversaries in litigation, swalah al-khuswama’ , consists of four raka’at , with only one taslimah .   It is taken from al-Ghunya ath-Thalibi fii Thariq al-Haqq by Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ).   It is performed as follows:   1 st rak'ah : Surah al-Fatihah x1, Surah al-Ikhlasw x 11 2 nd rak'ah : Surah al-Fatihah x 1, Surah al-Ikhlasw x 10, Surah al-Kafirun x 3 3 rd rak'ah : Surah al-Fatihah x 1, Surah al-Ikhlasw x 10, Surah al-Takatsur x 1 4 th rak'ah : Surah al-Fatihah x 1, Surah al-Ikhlasw x 15, Ayat al-Kursi x 1.   The seeker must then donate the spiritual reward, earned by his performance of this swalah , to al-khuswama’ , his adversaries in litigation, so that Allah ( s.w.t. ) may Satisfy their claim on the Day of Resurrection, Yawm al-Qiyamah , if Allah ( s.w.t. ) so Wills.   This swalah may be performed on seven specifi...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The night of mid-Sha’ban is known as Laylat al-Bara’ah or Laylat an-Niswfu Sha’ban .   Laylat al-Bara’ah is “The Night of Freedom from the Fire.”   This is the night occurring between 14 th and 15 th of Sha’ban.   It is a meritorious night in which the people of the earth are attended by special Divine Mercy.   It is the night where the records are written.   It is the night of assignment and the night of deliverance, and the observance involves a nightlong vigil with prayers.   It is this night where the deeds are Reckoned, sins Forgiven and sustenance Assigned.   It is also the night where the rolls of the dead are Revealed and those whose souls are to be taken are known to the Angel of Death.   Although the majority of commentators of the Qur’an consider the Blessed Night on the verses of Surah al-Qadr to refer to Laylat al-Qadr , The Night of Decree, in the month of Ramadhan, it is acknowledged th...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sha’ban is one of the meritorious months for which we find particular instructions in the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ( s.a.w. ).  It is reported in a hadits that Prophet Muhammad ( s.a.w. ) used to fast most of the month in Sha’ban.  These fasts are nafl , supererogatory, and well deserving of reward, for Sha’ban is the month immediately preceding the month of Ramadhan.  The Prophet ( s.a.w. ) mentioned in a hadits , “Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha`ban is my month and Ramadhan is the month of my ummah .” Sayyidina Anas ibn Malik ( r.a. ) reported that Prophet Muhammad ( s.a.w. ) was asked, “Which fast is the most meritorious after the fasts of Ramadhan?”   He replied, “Fasts of Sha’ban in honour of Ramadhan.”   Sayyidina Usamah ibn Zayd ( r.a. ) reported that he asked Prophet Muhammad ( s.a.w. ), “ Ya Rasulullah , I have seen you fasting in the month of Sha’ban so frequently that I have never seen you fasting i...