Shaʽban ( ) is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is called the month of 'separation', as the word means 'to disperse' or 'to separate' because the pre-Islamic Arabs used to disperse in search of water.
The fifteenth night of this month is Mid-Sha'ban,G.E. von Grunebaum, Muhammadan Festivals (London: Curzon Press, 1976), pp. 53-54. which coincides with the celebration of Shab-e-Barat in Muslim communities all over Asia.
Sha'ban is the last lunar month before Ramadan, and so Muslims determine in it when the first day of Ramadan fasting will be. In the second Hijri year (624CE), fasting during Ramadan was made obligatory during this month.
In the post-Tanzimat Ottoman Empire context, the word was, in French, the main language of diplomacy and a common language among educated and among non-Muslim subjects, (info page on book at Martin Luther University) Cited: p. 26 (PDF p. 28 - Quote: "[...]the French translations were in the eyes of some Ottoman statesmen the most important ones[...]") spelled Chaban. The current Turkish spelling today is Şâban.
Virtues
The virtues of Sha'ban is mentioned in various traditions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Aisha, the wife of Muhammad, narrated that "(she) did not see him fasting in any month more than in the month of Sha'ban," except Ramadan.
In another narration Muhammad said, "Do those deeds which you can do easily, as Allah will not get tired (of giving rewards) till you get bored and tired (of performing religious deeds)."
Timing
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Sha'ban migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Sha'ban, based on the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia, are:
+Sha'ban dates between 2024 and 2028AHFirst day (CE/AD)Last day (CE/AD)144511 February 202410 March 2024144631 January 202528 February 2025144720 January 202617 February 2026144810 January 20277 February 2027144929 December 202727 January 2028145017 December 202815 January 2029
Islamic events 01 Sha'ban, birth of Zaynab bint Ali 02 Sha'ban, death of (Imam Azam) Abu Hanifa 03 Sha'ban, birth of Husayn ibn Ali 04 Sha'ban, birth of Abbas ibn Ali 05 Sha'ban, birth of Ali ibn Husayn 05 Sha'ban, death of Fizza, the hand-maiden (Qaneez) of Fatimah 07 Sha'ban, birth of Qasim ibn Hasan 11 Sha'ban, birth of Ali al-Akbar ibn Husayn 15 Sha'ban, holiday known as Laylat al-Bara'at or Nisfu Sha'ban; birth of Muhammad al-Mahdi 21 Sha'ban, death of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar 22 Sha'ban, death of Muhammad Usman Damani 27 Sha'ban, death of Sayyad Laal Shah Hamdani
See also
Maahefun
References
External links Islamic-Western Calendar Converter (Based on the Arithmetical or Tabular Calendar)