Khutba on Sha’ban, the Month of the Prophet

الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي يكتب لعباده الآجالَ والأَرزاقَ في شهر شعبان، ويقضي فيها لذلك العام، قدر كل إنسان وجانّ، نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير،  ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدٌى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر.

This month of Sha‘ban is often completely disregarded and forgotten in the anticipation and excitement of the approach of Ramadan. People tend to think of these days in terms of how many days left until Ramadan instead of how many days left of Sha‘ban. But Sha‘ban is a mighty month in its own right and possesses tremendous qualities for those who are prepared to look for them. The first of these is a quality it shares with the greatest night in the entire year, the Laylat al-Qadar, namely it is the month of qadar, the month in which our destinies for the coming year are determined, when what has been decreed for us in the time before time is brought into the zone of created forms. The Prophet said, in a hadith transmitted by as-Suyuti, describing the nights during which Allah opens the gates of goodness,

وليلة النصف من شعبان ينسخ فيها الآجال والأرزاق ويكتب فيها الحاج

“And the night of the middle of Sha‘ban during which people’s lifespan and provision is written down as well as those who will make Hajj that year.” And he said, describing the month of Sha‘ban,

إن الله يكتب فيه على كل نفس ميتةٍ تلك السنةَ

“During it, Allah writes down the death of everyone who will die during the coming year.” There are two things these hadiths show us. Firstly, the immense station of this month and in particular its middle night, and secondly that everything that happens to us, everything that befalls us is written down before it comes to pass. Everything that befalls each and every one of us in the course of each and every year, in the course of our lifetime, is preordained and decreed, and nothing happens by chance or accident. This is a central tenet of our belief. Indeed, when the Prophet was asked what belief was by Jibril, he said among other things that it was believing in the qadar, the good of it and the bad of it. And in another transmission, what is sweet in it and what is bitter, thereby encompassing the full gamut of human experience.
For some, even among the Muslims, such as the qadariyya sect, this has proved problematic. It is not uncommon to hear people saying, “How could God allow such and such to happen?” or “How could God allow such a thing to exist?” This form of rant is typical of self-righteous atheists. A well-known recent example is that of the British comedian, Stephen Fry, who asked how could there be bone cancer in children or insects that seem to have no purpose other than to eat eyes and make people blind if there was a god. Such people are extraordinarily arrogant and presumptious, even though they may not know it. They limit the world according to their understanding of it. They assume that the world runs according to their understanding of what is good and bad, right and wrong, just and unjust. They think that for Allah to be just and good, He must correspond exactly to what they perceive to be just and good, forgetting or ignoring the truth that those perceptions themselves are created and are limited by the form in which they are created and have no capacity to comprehend the full scale or wisdom of the plan of the Creator. Allah says,

لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ

the translation of which is, “He is not asked about what He does but they are asked.” He is not asked about what He does – He is the absolute king of all the He surveys and free to do as He so wishes. It is His Domain. A child is not asked by his toy soldiers why he caused this one to be victorious and that one to be defeated. And the child did not even create them. Allah is our Creator, and unlike the child, Allah is not capricious – everything He does is just. Allah says in a hadith qudsi, 

يا عبادي إني حرمت الظلم على نفسي  

“I have made injustice forbidden for Myself.” And He says in the Quran,

إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَظْلِمُ النَّاسَ شَيْئاً 

the translation of which is, "Allah does not wrong people one bit." Just because we cannot see the benefit or wisdom in what happens to us does not mean that it is not there. For example, viruses used to be considered universally bad, but now there is research showing how vital some of them are to our good health. And the same is true of many other things we used to consider to be pointless and without benefit such as wasps. Recent studies have shown that they have an absolutely vital role in helping maintain the delicate balance of the ecosystem. What is good and what is bad is not always apparent to us. There is a wonderfully illustrative example of that in surat al-Kahf in the story of Musa and al-Khidr. Musa was a man of great knowledge, and according to what he knew and had been taught, the three acts that al-Khidr did were blameworthy and reprehensible, sinking the boat of a poor fisherman, killing a child and fixing the wall of a rude and inhospitable people for free. But in reality, all these actions were just and good, as al-Khidr explains when they part company, it was Musa’s knowledge that was lacking. The sinking of the boat stopped it being confiscated by the king for his war effort, the boy was headed for a dark and destructive path that would bring great grief to his parents, and the wall protected the treasure of a couple of poor orphans and ensured that it would remain intact until they came of age. When we as human beings, even the very best among us cannot comprehend the wisdom or justice behind the acts of another human being, then how can we doubt the wisdom of our Lord. Allah says,

عَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تُحِبُّواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ 

the translation of which is, “You might very well hate something that is good for you, and you might very well love something that is bad for you.” Allah often shrouds what is good for us in what seems to us to be hateful and vice versa – that is part of the test of existence. The Prophet said,

حفت الجنة بالمكاره

“The Janna is surrounded by hateful things/ by difficulties.” We must remain aware of this and aware that whatever befalls us in life is by the Will of Allah, and Allah only wants good, only wants the best for His slaves. In a hadith from Umar ibn al-Khattab, he narrated that a number of prisoners were brought before the Messenger of Allah, amongst whom was a mother anxiously searching among the other prisoners for her child. When she found him, she lovingly clasped him to her breast and started to breastfeed him. When he saw this, the Messenger turned to his Companions and said,

أَتَرَوْنَ هَذِهِ الْمَرْأَةَ طَارِحَةً وَلَدَهَا فِي النَّارِ

“Could you see this woman tossing her child into the fire?" They replied, “No.” So he said, 

اللهُ أَرْحَمُ بِعِبَادِهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ بِوَلَدِهَا

“Allah has more compassion for His slaves than this woman has for her child.” And Allah possesses all power and all strength, and is capable of doing whatever He wants. And He wants the best for us, regardless of how it may sometimes appear to us. We have no control over His decree, but we also have no cause to worry about it either, because we know that whatever happens will be for the best. Acceptance of this, acceptance that the qadar is in Allah hands, is the secret to a contented and happy existence and the key to success in this world and the Next. For it is only then that we can truly be content with our lot in life and stop measuring our worth according to our material possessions or physical attributes. For they are no more indicative of Allah’s pleasure or displeasure with us than is the presence of the sun or moon. Plenty of wealthy, healthy and intelligent people who live long and comfortable lives will end up in the Fire, while plenty of poor, sickly and simple people who live short lives filled with hardship will end up in the Garden. It is our belief in and contentment with the Decree that protects us against the ingratitude of the kuffar whom Allah describes in surat al-Fajr, when He says

فَأَمَّا الإِنسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ كَلاَّ

“As for man, when his Lord tests him by honouring him and favouring him, he says, ‘My Lord has honoured me!’ But then when He tests him by restricting his provision, he says, ‘My Lord has humiliated me!’” They think that the favour of Allah lies in the baubles and privileges of this world. It does not. It is the Next world that truly counts. It is our knowledge of this that protects us against the most common ailments that afflict them – despair when seemingly bad things happen to them, and depression when they get what they value and think is good, but find it ultimately meaningless, empty and unfulfilling. For this dunya is like the white froth that is sometimes found on top of water – no matter how much of it is drunk, it will never satisfy anyone’s thirst.
We must remain steadfast in the face of adversity and thankful in the face of plenty, and ensure that we never lose our trust in Allah and our sense of perspective. For it is only when we have complete trust in Him that life becomes livable and satisfying and we truly taste the sweetness of belief. The Prophet said,

ذاق طعم الإيمان من رضي بالله ربّا

“The only one who tastes the sweetness of belief is the one who is satisfied with Allah as a Lord.” We ask Allah to increase in reliance and trust in Him, and give us certainty and an unwavering belief in the Decree. We ask Him to make us content with what He has decreed for us, but at the same time give us the aspiration and good opinion of Him to want to see His deen fully established in our time. And we ask Him to reward and have mercy on all those Muslims whom He has chosen to take back to Him in this past year, and give them their places in the Garden, and make their passing a means of strengthening and increasing all those whom they have left behind. We ask Him to shower this umma with His Mercy and Compassion, and restore it to its former glory and strength.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم

الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته.

The month of Shaban was a month so deeply loved by our Messenger that he referred to it as his month. And that is because it is a month of tremendous quality, a month that is often not given its full due, seeing as it is neither a sacred month, nor the month in which the Prophet was born nor the month of Ramadan. When the Prophet was asked by Sayyidatina Aisha why he fasted so much during Sha‘ban, he said,

شعبان شهر يغفل الناس عنه بين رجب ورمضان

“Sha‘ban is a month about which people forget, lying as it does between Rajab and Ramadan.” The Messenger of Allah gave it his attention because it was disregarded, because it was forgotten, and there is a tremendous lesson in this for us. Things that are hidden or overlooked, whether they be times, places or people, are often far more valuable and important than things which are apparent and well-known. Often to not be seen and appreciated is better than to be seen and lauded. An intense desire to be famous is one of the characteristics of the modern age, the proliferation of reality shows, the celebration of people purely based upon how well-known they are, even if they are totally devoid of talent, beauty or intelligence. We even have this among our own community with many of the most respected ulama being those who spend the most time on the lecture circuits giving feel-good talks as opposed to those who have actually accomplished the most or addressed the issues that are truly most pressing.
But that fame has no intrinsic benefit – it is not the appreciation of other people that brings you ultimate success, it is the appreciation of Allah. And chasing the appreciation of people, even if you tell yourself that is not your aim, can be extremely detrimental and damaging, as it can destroy the purity of your tawhid. The Muslim should only act ibtigha’a wajhi-llah, seeking the face of Allah, not ibtigha’a wujuhi-n-naas, seeking the faces of people.
And that is why this example of the Prophet is so important. It shows us that it does not matter how other people view an action, it only matters how Allah views it. Nobody attached any importance to the month of Sha‘ban, but Allah does and therefore the Prophet did. This is a secret many of the great men of Allah throughout the ages have taken advantage of this, doing their dhikr in the marketplace, or filling the time between Maghrib and Isha with prayer. 
The hidden and forgotten nature of this month is one of its greatest qualities, for it helps us to keep our own good actions during it hidden, and as we all know, the action that is hidden is worth more than the action which is done openly. Allah says:

إِنْ تُبْدُوا الصَّدَقَاتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِيَ وَإِنْ تُخْفُوهَا وَتُؤْتُوهَا الْفُقَرَاءَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ

the translation of which is, “If you make your sadaqa public, that is good. But if you conceal it and give it to the poor, that is better for you,” And that is especially true of fasting – the more secret you keep your voluntary fasts the more reward for them you get. Indeed, some of the men of Allah used to fast without even their families knowing, taking the food that was set before them and giving it to the poor on the way to the market, so their families would assume they had eaten it and everyone else would assume they had eaten at home.
We must always take care that our intentions are pure and our actions for Allah alone. It is only then that we can have success. And if the path that we have chosen prevents us from doing that, by making it difficult to separate our desire to please people from our desire to please Allah, then we must take a different one. That is often the only way we can protect ourselves from ourselves. We ask Allah to keep our intentions pure and protect us from shirk, hidden or manifest. And give us the best of this great month.

إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً. 

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ  أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وعن أم المومنين عائشة التي أمرنا الله في سورة النور أن ندافع عنها، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ، وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى. 

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ. 

إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.