Rulings for the Month of Shabaan
Fasting
It is reported from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Do not fast after the middle of Sha’baan until Ramadhan” [Sunan Abu Dawood and ibn Majah].
Also he narrated that the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Do not pre-empt Ramadhan by one or two days, except for those who have the habit of fasting regularly, in which case they may fast” [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim].
Therefore:
1) It is disliked (makrooh) to make a voluntary fast after the 15th of Sha’baan, except in the following cases:
(i) A person who has the habit of fasting regularly, eg, he habitually observes fasting on Mondays and Thursdays
(ii) A person needs to make up the days he/she did not fast from the previous Ramadhan. Whoever is able to make up the missed fasts before the next Ramadhan and does not do so, must make them up after the second Ramadhan; in addition, the person has to repent and feed one person for each missed day. It is not permissible to delay the missed fasts until the second Ramadhan except in cases of necessity (valid excuses).
2) It is more disliked (makrooh) to make a voluntary fast in the last two days of Sha’baan, especially on the day of doubt, i.e. the day before Ramadhan. Note that the previous exemptions mentioned above still apply.
3) Fasting the whole of the month of Sha’baan is even more disliked (makrooh) as this was not practiced by the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam). This applies even to those who habitually fast on alternate days.
The Night of mid-Sha’baan
It was reported by ibn Hibban from many companions that the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said :
“Verily Allah descends on the night of mid-Sha’baan to the heaven of the world and then forgives all His created beings apart from a person who has malice in his heart or the one who associates partners to Allah”.
Also, he reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“On the 15th night of Sha’baan, Allah, the Exalted, looks upon His slaves (with Mercy) and forgives everyone except the disbelievers and he who holds malice for anybody”.
Therefore:
1) Allah (the Exalted and Glorious) has placed a special occasion on the 15th of Sha’baan when He will forgive everyone except the polytheist and those people who maliciously dispute amongst themselves.
2) It is important to note that the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) has not specified special worship with regards to the night of mid-Sha’baan. Therefore, it would be considered a bidah (innovation in religion) to embark on such worship, e.g. to perform qiyam (standing for prayers) on the night of mid-Sha’baan or to fast on the 15th of Sha’baan (except for the one who habitually performs these acts of worship and it falls on this day by coincidence).
And Allah knows best