Worship in the Month of Sha‘ban by Hajja Rukiye Sultan

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Madad Ya Sayyidi Ya Rasul Allah ﷺ, wa Mashayikhina Sheikh Nazim Adil Al-Haqqaniق, Sheikh Muhammad Ar-Rabbaniق

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatuLlahi wa barakatuhu

Tariqatuna as-sohbah, wa-l khayru fi-l jam‘iyyah.
Our Way is through sohbah, and all goodness is in gathering.

Mubarak the month of Sha‘ban. InshaAllah tomorrow, according to our calendar, is the first of Sha‘ban. Mubarak.

It is the month of the Prophet ﷺ.
“Rajab shahruLlah wa Shaban shahri wa Ramadan shahru ummati.”

AlhamduliLlah, the month of Rajab is finishing today, and we hope Allah ﷻ is pleased with us in this month. We tried our best to do extra acts of worship in this holy month. Shahru Rajab is shahru l-haram, one of the four months in which war is prohibited. We pray that Allah ﷻ forgives us and grants us what we ask, inshaAllah.

The second month begins tomorrow, the month of Sha‘ban, the month of the Prophet ﷺ.

There are twelve rakat to pray, with the intention of the Prayer of Sha‘ban on this night. In each rakah, after Surat al-Fatiha, read five times Ikhlas, Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad. After completing the twelve rakat, read Salawat Sharifah one hundred times:

Allahumma salli ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa ala ali Sayyidina Muhammadin wa sallim.

Then make dua and ask Allah ﷻ for whatever you like, especially for the intercession of the Prophet ﷺ and to be a good Ummah for the Prophet ﷺ in this life and in the Akhirah.

It is related in hadith sharif and by the holy people among the Sahabah that whoever prays this prayer on this night will be rewarded by Allah Azza wa Jalla with the reward of twelve thousand martyrs. It is as though that person worshipped for twelve years. The sins of this person are erased, as if he or she is a newborn with no sins at all.

So try to pray the twelve rakat tonight, inshaAllah.

Also try to fast in this month. Continue fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, the holy days, and also the fifteenth of Sha‘ban. This is because the Prophet ﷺ used to fast.

Hadrat Aishahر said:
“We saw the Prophet ﷺ fasting so much that we thought he would never break his fast, and sometimes we saw him not fasting such that we thought he would not fast at all. Other than Ramadan, he ﷺ fasted the most days in the month of Sha‘ban.”

When asked about this, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“My Ummah are very excited in the month of Rajab and do much worship. Then they slow down in Sha‘ban because they are preparing for Ramadan. That is why I also like to fast in this month.”

There is also a very holy night in the middle of Sha‘ban, the fifteenth of Sha‘ban, Laylat al-Baraah. On this night, the books in which deeds are written are closed and new books are opened. The Prophet ﷺ said:

“On this night, what will happen in the coming year is written. So if it is written that I will pass away this year, I would like to meet my Lord while I am fasting. Let it be written that I was fasting on this day and worshipping on this holy night.”

On the fifteenth of Sha‘ban, between Maghrib and Isha, we read Surat Yasin three times. Most of you know this. After each Yasin there is a dua, the dua of Laylat al-Baraah.

After the first Yasin, the dua is read with the intention of asking for a long life with Islam and iman.

After the second Yasin, it is read with the intention of asking for protection from calamities, tests, and all harmful things, for ourselves and for the ummah of Muhammad ﷺ.

After the third Yasin, it is read with the intention of asking for provision and not being in need of other people.

After this, there are one hundred rakat to be prayed during the night. These may be prayed in jamaah or alone. Both are permitted.

They are prayed in pairs, giving salam after every two rakat. Each rakah may be prayed with one Fatiha and ten Ikhlas.

Or, as Mawlana Sheikh Nazimق and Mawlana Sheikh Mehmetق do, the prayer may be performed as follows:
In the first rakah, one Fatiha and two Ikhlas.
In the second rakah, one Fatiha and one Ikhlas.

This method is easier and lighter. If one prays each rakah with ten Ikhlas, then completing one hundred rakat equals one thousand Ikhlas. If praying in the easier way, one completes three hundred Ikhlas during the prayer and may complete the remaining seven hundred after the prayer, reaching one thousand Ikhlas.

This is for the night of the middle of Sha‘ban, Nisf Sha‘ban, Laylat al-Baraah.

This night is the Eid of the angels, the Eid of the heavens, and the New Year night in the heavens. The angels have two Eids: Laylat al-Baraah and Laylat al-Qadr. Laylat al-Qadr is hidden by Allah Azza wa Jalla. Humans have two Eids: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Allah Azza wa Jalla forgives and accepts everyone on Laylat al-Baraah who does not associate partners with Him. On this night, three hundred doors of mercy are opened. He does not forgive fortune-tellers and those who practice magic. On this night, good and bad for every human being are written.

Laylat al-Baraah is known, while Laylat al-Qadr is hidden and must be sought in Ramadan. Laylat al-Qadr is a complete forgiveness night.

In Sha‘ban, try to fast at least three days. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Man arada an yalqani fal-yasumhu wa law thalatha ayyam.”
Whoever wants to meet me and be with me in the Akhirah should fast at least three days in Sha‘ban.

So fast at least three days, including the middle of Sha‘ban, inshaAllah. After the fifteenth of Sha‘ban, those who are not accustomed to fasting may rest and prepare for Ramadan.

There is a hadith that states that the jinn, the animals, and the birds fast on the middle day of Sha‘ban. Even the fish and the whales fast on this holy day.

So do not miss it. Keep the prayers and fasting on this holy day, inshaAllah.

Al-Fatiha.

• Hjh Rukiye Sultan

---