Month Preceding the Ramadan

Sha’ban is the month preceding the holy month of Ramadan in which Muslims should prepare for a more rigorous schedule of prayer and fasting so that they can avail the best advantage of the holy month. The fifteenth of Sha’ban has a special place in hadith literature because it is on this date that Allah makes decisions regarding people’s subsistence (rizq) for the coming year. All aspects of a person’s subsistence and livelihood fall under the definition of rizq, including but not restricted to wealth; status; business, and children.

Muslims should pray to Allah and beg from Him on this special night and they should prepare throughout this month for the special month of Ramadan that is to come and the special blessings that it brings. College students, business people and doctors always plan their schedules ahead of time, and hence the Muslim needs to do the same for Ramadan because this month demands more time than usual for prayer and other worship. All sacrifice that man makes for the sake of religion, whether it be time, money, or deeds comes under the definition of mujahida. However small the sacrifice may seem, Allah has promised in the Holy Quran that He will not let any sacrifice go to waste