The Prohibition of Fasting in the Second Half of Sya’ban

The Prohibition of Fasting in the Second Half of Sya’ban

Is it permissible to fast after halfway through Sya’ban? Because I heard that the Prophet (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) forbade fasting after halfway through Sya’ban

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālamīn. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger.

It is not permissible to fast after halfway through Sya’ban, starting from the sixteenth day of the month.

Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu`anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said:

“When Sya’ban is half over, do not fast.”   

[Abu Dawud (3237), al-Tirmidzi (738) and Ibn Majah (1651); classified as sahih by al-Albani in Sahih al-Tirmidzi, 590]

This hadith indicates that it is not allowed to fast after halfway through Sya’ban, i.e., starting from the sixteenth day of the month.

But there are reports that indicate that it is permissible to fast at that time.

Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu`anhu) said: The Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said:

“Do not anticipate Ramadhan by fasting one or two days before it begins, but if a man habitually fasts, then let him fast.”

[Al-Bukhari (1914) and Muslim (1082)]

This indicates that fasting after halfway through Sya’ban is permissible for someone who has the habit of fasting, such as a man who regularly fasts on Mondays and Thursdays, or who fasts alternate days, and the like.

 ‘Aishah (radiyallāhu`anha) said:

“The Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) used to fast all of Sya’ban, he used to fast Sya’ban except a few days.”

[Al-Bukhari (1970) and Muslim (1156)]

Al-Nawawi (rahimahullāh) said: In the words, “He used to fast all of Sya’ban, he used to fast Sya’ban except a few days” the second phrase explains the first, and indicates that the word “all” means “most of”.

This hadith indicates that it is permissible to fast after halfway through Sya’ban, but only for those who are continuing after fasting before halfway through the month. The Shafi’es followed all of these ahadith and said:

It is not permissible to fast after halfway through Sya’ban except for those who have a habitual pattern of fasting, or who are continuing after fasting before halfway through the month.

According to most of the scholars, the prohibition here means that it is haram.

[See al-Majmu’, 6/399-400; Fathul-Bāri, 4/129]

Imam Al-Nawawi (rahimahullāh) said:  “Chapter on the prohibition on anticipating Ramadhan by fasting after halfway through Sya’ban, except for one who is continuing after fasting before halfway through the month or who has a regular pattern of fasting such as fasting on Mondays and Thursdays”.

[Riyadus-Saliheen (p. 412)]

The majority of scholars are of the view that the hadith which forbids fasting after halfway through Sya’ban is da’ief (weak), and based on that they said that it is not makruh to fast after halfway through Sya’ban.

Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani (rahimahullāh) said: The majority of scholars said that it is permissible to observe voluntary fasts after halfway through Sya’ban and they regarded the hadīth concerning that as da’ief. Ahmad and Ibn Ma’een said that it is munkar.

 [Fathul-Bāri]

Among those who classified it as da’ief were al-Bayhaqi and al-Tahawi.

Ibn Qudamah (rahimahullāh) said that Imam Ahmad (rahimahullāh) said concerning this hadith:  It is not sound. We asked ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi about it and he did not class it as sahih, and he did not narrate it to me. He used to avoid talking about this hadith. Ahmad said: al-‘Ala’ is thiqah and none of his ahadith is regarded as munkar apart from this one.

The al-‘Ala’ referred to here is al-‘Ala’ ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman who narrated this hadith from his father from Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu`anhu).

Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullāh) responded in “Tahdhib al-Sunan” to those who classed this hadith as da’ief and said that this hadīth is sahih according to the conditions of Muslim. Even though al-‘Ala’ is the only one who narrated this hadith, that is not regarded as detrimental to the hadīth, because al-‘Ala’ is thiqah; in his Sahih, Muslim narrated a number of ahadith from him, from his father from Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu`anhu). Many Sunnahs are narrated from the Prophet (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) only through one person who is thiqah, but they have been accepted and followed by the ummah.

Then he said:  With regard to those who think that there is a contradiction between this hadeeth and the ahadith which speak of fasting in Sya’ban, there is no contradiction. Those ahadith speak of fasting half of it along with the previous half, and of habitual fasting during the second half of the month, whereas the hadīth of al-‘Ala’ speaks of the prohibition on fasting deliberately only after the month is halfway over, not about fasts that a person observes regularly or that are a continuation after fasting during the first part of the month.

[Al-Mughni]

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (rahimahullāh) said in his commentary on Riyadus-Saliheen (3/394):

Even if the hadith is sahih, the prohibition in it does not mean that this is haram; rather it is simply makruh, as some of the scholars have understood it to mean. But whoever has the habit of fasting regularly should fast, even if it is after halfway through Sya’ban.

Conclusion:

It is not allowed to fast during the second half of Sya’ban, and that is either makruh or haram, except for the one who has the habit of fasting regularly or who is continuing after fasting during the first half of Sya’ban. And Allāh knows best.

The reason for this prohibition is that continually fasting may make a person too weak to fast in Ramadhan.

If it is said that if he fasts from the beginning of the month he will become even weaker, the response is that whoever fasts from the beginning of Sya’ban will have gotten used to fasting so it will be less difficult for him to fast.

Al-Qari (rahimahullāh) said: The prohibition here means that it is disliked, as a mercy to this ummah lest they become too weak to fulfill their duty of fasting during Ramadhan in an energetic fashion. But those who fast all of Sya’ban will become used to fasting so it will not be difficult for them.

And Allah Almighty knows best.

[Via Islam Q&A (13726)]