A note on the Islamic Calendar
Sufis can think of the calendar as a way to observe Allah. Often when we are caught up in daily tasks and routines we consume time blindly. Special months and holy days help us to stop living automatically and pay more attention to what Allah is sharing with us all the time.
“My servants annoy Me when they complain about time, for I am time (ana ad-‐dahr); in My hand is the day and the night”. — hadith qudsi
Special days can help us contemplate the meaning of this hadith qudsi. The calendar is one means of noticing His qualities and actions in time and how they permeate everything.
The Month of Sha’ban
The month of Sha’ban (the eighth month of the Islamic Calendar) has its own special qualities. For the pre-‐Islamic Arabs, it was called the month of separation, when the tribes and clans would disperse in search of water or grasslands for their flocks.
According to our pir Abdul Qadir al-‐Geylani (may Allah sanctify his secret), the month is particularly associated with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and so is an occasion to remember him more and do more salawat.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to observe a lot of optional fast days in the first half of Sha’ban, more than any other month. In the last half of Sha’ban, he did not fast, as Ramadan is approaching.
A narrative holds that in a sermon, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “O people! Lighten and cleanse your bodies by way of fasting in Sha’ban, so that it shall be easy and helpful to you for the fast during Ramadan. Whoso fasts for three days during Sha’ban, all his past sins are wiped away.”
Holy Day & Night: Sha’ban 14-15, 1436 / June 1-2, 2015 — Nisfu Sha’ban (mid-Sha’ban)
The night when all sins are forgiven if prayed with sincerity. A blessed day to fast. Starts on Sha’ban 14 after sundown and ends at dusk on Sha-ban 15.
For this Holy Day do the following zikr:
1001 Estaughfirallah (trans: I ask for Your forgiveness)
501 Ya Gafur Ya Awf (Gafur: Forgiver, Hider of Faults or Shame; Awf: Forgiver)