Faḍāʾil al-Ashhar al-Thalātha

أخبرنا الشيخ الفقيه أبو جعفر محمد بن علي بن الحسين بن بابويه رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا أبي رحمه الله عن أحمد بن إدريس، قال: حدثنا محمد بن عيسى بن عبيد، عن يونس بن عبد الرحمن، عن عبد الله بن فضل الهاشمي، عن الصادق جعفر بن محمد (عليهما السلام)، قال: صيام شهر رمضان ذخر للعبد يوم القيامة، وما من عبد يكثر الصيام في شعبان إلا أصلح الله أمر معيشته، وكفاه شر عدوه وإن أدنى ما يكون لمن يصوم يوماً من شعبان أن تجب له الجنة.

The elder and jurist, Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn b. Bābuwayh (ra) informed us, saying that his father (rh) narrated to him among others, from Aḥmad b. Idrīs, who said that Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā b. ʿUbayd narrated to him among others, from Yūnus b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, from ʿAbd Allāh b. Faḍl al-Hāshimī, from al-Ṣādiq, Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad (as-d), who has stated: “Fasting in the month of Ramaḍān is a treasure for a servant (of Allāh) on the Day of Reckoning. But there is no such servant who fasts aplenty in Shaʿbān except that Allāh does right by his affairs of living and suffices for him against his enemies. The least of that which is given to him for his fasting for a day of Shaʿbān is that his admission into Paradise is mandatory.”

حدثنا أبي رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي القاسم، عن محمد بن علي الكوفي، عن نصر بن مزاحم، عن أبي عبد الرحمن المسعودي، عن العلاء بن يزيد العرني، قال: قال الصادق جعفر بن محمد (عليه السلام): حدثني أبي، عن أبيه، عن جده (عليهم السلام)، قال: قال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله): شعبان شهري وشهر رمضان شهر الله فمن صام يوماً من شهري كنت شفيعه يوم القيامة، ومن صام يومين من شهري غفر الله له ما تقدم من ذنبه وما تأخر، ومن صام ثلاثة أيام من شهري قيل له استأنف العمل، ومن صام شهر رمضان يحفظ فرجه ولسانه وكف أذاه عن الناس غفر الله له ذنوبه ما تقدم منها وما تأخر وأعتقه من النار وأحله دار القرار، وقبل شفاعته في عدد رمل عالج من مذنبي أهل التوحيد.

My father (ra) narrated to us, saying that Muḥammad b. Abī’l-Qāsim narrated to him among others, from Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-Kūfī, from Naṣr b. Muzāḥim, from Abī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Masʿūdī, from al-ʿAlāʾ b. Yazīd al-ʿUranī, who said that al-Ṣādiq, Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad (as), has said that his father narrated to him, from his father, from his grandfather (as-p), who transmitted that which the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) has stated: “Shaʿbān is my month, and the month of Ramaḍān is the month of Allāh. Whoever fasts a day of my month will earn the right of intercession on the Day of Reckoning. Whoever fasts two days of my month will be forgiven by Allāh of his sins, whatever he brought forward and whatever he kept back. Whoever fasts three days of my month will be told, “Begin anew with your actions.” Whoever fasts in the month of Ramaḍān, keeping his private parts and his speech from sin and refraining from harming others, will be forgiven by Allāh of his sins, whatever he brought forward and whatever he kept back, and Allāh will also free him from the Fire, make his residence in the Abode of Eternity possible, and accept his intercession for as many sinful monotheists as there are grains of sand in the desert of ʿĀlij.” [1]

حدثنا محمد بن إبراهيم بن إسحاق الطالقاني، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمد الهمداني، قال: أخبرنا علي بن الحسن بن علي بن فضّال، عن أبيه، قال: سمعت علي بن موسى الرضا (عليهما السلام) يقول: من استغفر الله تبارك وتعالى في شعبان سبعين مرة غفر الله ذنوبه ولو كانت مثل عدد النجوم.

Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Isḥāq al-Ṭāliqānī narrated to us, saying that Aḥmad b. Muḥammad al-Hamadānī narrated to him among others, saying that ʿAlī b. al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī b. Faḍḍāl informed him among others, from his father, who said that he heard ʿAlī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā (as-d) saying: “Whoever seeks the forgiveness of Allāh (twt) seventy times in Shaʿbān, Allāh will forgive him for his sins even if they number the count of the stars.”

وبهذا الإسناد، قال: سألت علي بن موسى الرضا (عليه السلام) عن ليلة النصف من شعبان قال: هي ليلة يعتق الله فيها الرقاب من النار ويغفر الذنوب فيها، قلت: هل جعل فيها صلاة زيادة على سائر الليالي؟ فقال: ليس فيها شئ موظف ولكن إن أحببت أن تطوع فيها بشئ فعليك بصلاة جعفر بن أبي طالب، وأكثر فيها من ذكر الله عز وجل، ومن الاستغفار والدعاء فإن أبي (عليه السلام) كان يقول: الدعاء فيها مستجاب، قلت له: إن الناس يقولون إنها ليلة الصكاك. فقال (عليه السلام): تلك ليلة القدر في شهر رمضان.

And with the same chain of transmission, al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī b. Faḍḍāl said: “I asked ʿAlī b. Mūsā al-Riḍā (as) about the fifteenth night of Shaʿbān, so he stated: “It is the night in which Allāh frees the necks from the Fire and forgives the sins (of the people who commit good deeds in it).” I asked him: “Is there any prayer to be performed on this night as opposed to the others?” The Imam replied: “There is nothing obligatory to perform in it, but if you want to perform something, then upon you is the prayer of Jaʿfar b. Abī Ṭālib, [1] and increase in it mention of Allāh (azwj) and the supplication of forgiveness, for my father used to say: “It is the supplication that is answered inevitably.” I asked him: “Indeed, people say that this is the Night of Decree,” to which Imam al-Riḍā responded: “That is the Night of Power in the month of Ramaḍān.”

حدثنا محمد بن إبراهيم بن أحمد المعادي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسين، قال: حدثنا أبو الحسن علي بن محمد بن علي، قال: حدثنا الحسن بن محمد المروي، عن أبيه، عن يحيى بن عبّاس، قال: حدثنا علي بن عاصم الواسطي، قال: أخبرني عطاء بن السائب، عن سعيد بن جبير، عن ابن عبّاس، قال: قال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) وقد تذاكروا عنده فضائل شعبان، فقال: شهر شريف وهو شهري وحملة العرش تعظمه وتعرف حقه وهو شهر يزاد فيه أرزاق المؤمنين وهو شهر العمل فيه يضاعف الحسنة بسبعين والسيئة محطوطة والذنب مغفور والحسنة مقبولة والجبار جل جلاله يباهي فيه بعباده وينظر إلى صيامه وصوامه وقوامه وقيامه فيباهي به حملة العرش. فقام علي بن أبي طالب (عليه السلام)، فقال: بأبي أنت وأمي يا رسول الله صف لنا شيئاً من فضائله لتزداد رغبة في صيامه وقيامه ولنجتهد للجليل عز وجل فيه، فقال النبي (صلى الله عليه وآله): من صام أول يوم من شعبان كتب الله له سبعين حسنة تعدل عبادة سنة، ومن صام يومين من شعبان حطت عنه السيئة الموبقة، ومن صام ثلاثة أيام من شعبان رفع له سبعين درجة في الجنان من در وياقوت، ومن صام أربعة من شعبان وسع عليه في الرزق، ومن صام خمسة أيام من شعبان حبب إلى العباد، ومن صام ستة أيام من شعبان صرف عنه سبعون لونا من البلاء، ومن صام سبعة أيام من شعبان عصم من إبليس وجنوده دهر وعمره، ومن صام ثمانية أيام من شعبان لم يخرج من الدنيا حتى يسقى من حياض القدس، ومن صام تسعة أيام من شعبان عطف عليه منكر ونكير عندما يسألانه، ومن صام عشرة أيام من شعبان وسع الله عليه قبره سبعين ذراعاً، ومن صام أحد عشر يوماً من شعبان ضرب على قبره إحدى عشرة منارة من نور، ومن صام اثنى عشر يوماً من شعبان زاره في قبره كل يوم سبعون الف ملك إلى النفخ في الصور، ومن صام ثلاثة عشر يوماً من شعبان استغفرت له ملائكة سبع سماوات، ومن صام أربعة عشر يوماً من شعبان ألهمت الدواب والسباع حتى الحيتان في البحور أن يستغفروا له، ومن صام خمسة عشر يوماً من شعبان ناداه رب العزة لا أحرقك بالنار، ومن صام ستة عشر يوماً من شعبان أطفئ عنه سبعون بحراً من النيران، ومن صام سبعة عشر يوماً من شعبان أغلقت عنه أبواب النيران كلها، ومن صام ثمانية عشر يوماً من شعبان فتحت له أبواب الجنان كلها، ومن صام تسعة عشر يوماً من شعبان أعطى سبعين الف قصر من الجنان من در وياقوت، ومن صام عشرين يوماً من شعبان زوج سبعين الف زوجة من الحور العين، ومن صام أحد وعشرين يوماً من شعبان رحبت له الملائكة ومسحته بأجنحتها، ومن صام اثنين وعشرين يوماً من شعبان كسي سبعين حلة من سندس وإستبرق، ومن صام ثلاثة وعشرين يوماً من شعبان أتي بدابة من نور حين [عند خ ل] خروجه من قبره فيركبها طياراً إلى الجنة، ومن صام أربعة وعشرين يوماً من شعبان أعطي براءة من النفاق، ومن صام خمسة وعشرين يوماً من شعبان شفع في سبعين الف من أهل توحيد، ومن صام ستة وعشرين يوماً من شعبان كتب الله له جوازاً على الصراط، ومن صام سبعة وعشرين يوماً من شعبان كتب له براءة من النار، ومن صام ثمانية وعشرين يوماً من شعبان يهلل وجهه يوم القيامة، ومن صام تسعة وعشرين يوماً من شعبان نال رضوان الله الأكبر، ومن صام ثلاثين يوماً من شعبان ناداه جبرئيل من قدام العرش: يا هذا استأنف العمل عملاً جديداً فقد غفر لك ما مضى وتقدم من ذنوبك، والجليل عز وجل يقول: لو كان ذنوبك عدد نجوم السماء وقطر الأمطار وورق الأشجار وعدد الرمل والثرى وأيام الدنيا لغفرتها لك وما ذلك على الله بعزيز بعد صيامك شهر شعبان .قال ابن عبّاس: هذا لشهر شعبان.

Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Aḥmad al-Maʿādī narrated to us, saying that Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn narrated to him among others, saying that Abū’l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. Muḥammad b. ʿAlī narrated to him among others, saying that al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad al-Marwī narrated to him among others, from his father, from Yaḥyā b. ʿAbbās, saying that ʿAlī b. ʿĀṣim al-Wāsiṭī narrated to him among others, saying that ʿAṭāʾ b. al-Sāʾib informed him, from Saʿīd b. Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: “The Messenger of Allāh (sawa) stated, while the merits of Shaʿbān were being mentioned in his presence: “It is an honourable month, and it is my month. The angels who carry the Throne exalt it and recognise its right, and it is the month in which the sustenance of the believers is increased, and it is the month of action in which the value of good deeds is doubled seventy times over and that of misdeeds is demolished, sins are forgiven, and good deeds are accepted. The Compeller—Allāh (jj)—acclaims His servants for their fasting and their fast-keeping, their prayers and their standing in worship as He looks on at them, acclaiming them before the carriers of the Throne.” ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (as) stood up and exclaimed: “May my father and my mother be sacrificed for your sake, o’ Messenger of Allāh! I bid that you describe something of the merits of this month so that our desire to fast and stand in worship would be increased therein and our exertion of effort for the sake of the Glorious (azwj)!” The Prophet (sawa) obliged his request: “Whoever fasts the first day of Shaʿbān will have seventy good deeds recorded for him by Allāh, equivalent to the worship of a year. Whoever fasts two days of Shaʿbān will have his cardinal sins nullified. Whoever fasts three days of Shaʿbān will have seventy levels of the Paradisiacal realms raised for him, made of rubies and pearls. Whoever fasts four days of Shaʿbān will have his means of sustenance expanded. Whoever fasts five days of Shaʿbān will be beloved to the servants (of Allāh). Whoever fasts six days of Shaʿbān will have seventy kinds of affliction lifted from him. Whoever fasts seven days of Shaʿbān will be protected from Iblīs and his thralls for the rest of his worldly life. Whoever fasts eight days of Shaʿbān will not be excised from the world until his thirst is quenched with (a drink from) the Sanctified Basins. Whoever fasts nine days of Shaʿbān will be treated with kindness by Munkar and Nakīr when they interrogate him. Whoever fasts ten days of Shaʿbān will have the space of his grave widened by Allāh, by seventy cubits. Whoever fasts eleven days of Shaʿbān will have eleven rays of light shine upon his grave. Whoever fasts twelve days of Shaʿbān will have his grave be visited every day by seventy thousand angels until the Horn is blown (signifying the impending Resurrection). Whoever fasts thirteen days of Shaʿbān will have the angels of the Heavens and the Earth supplicating for his forgiveness. Whoever fasts fourteen days of Shaʿbān will have all the animals and beasts, even the fish in the seas, praying for his forgiveness. Whoever fasts fifteen days of Shaʿbān will receive a call from the Lord of Honour as thus: “I will not burn you in the Fire!” Whoever fasts sixteen days of Shaʿbān will be saved from (being thrown into) seventy lakes of fire. Whoever fasts seventeen days of Shaʿbān will have the gates of Perdition shut to him, all of them. Whoever fasts eighteen days of Shaʿbān will have the gates of Paradise opened for him, all of them. Whoever fasts nineteen days of Shaʿbān will be given seventy thousand palaces made of pearls and sapphires in Heaven. Whoever fasts twenty days of Shaʿbān will be given seventy thousand wives from among the celestial maidens (ḥūr al-ʿayn). Whoever fasts twenty-one days of Shaʿbān will be welcomed by the angels, who shall caress him with their wings. Whoever fasts twenty-two days of Shaʿbān will be dressed in seventy bolts of silk and brocade. Whoever fasts twenty-three days of Shaʿbān will be given a saddled beast made of light when (or at the time) he emerges from his grave, then he will fly upon it to Heaven. Whoever fasts twenty-four days of Shaʿbān will be exonerated from the mere association with hypocrisy. Whoever fasts twenty-five days of Shaʿbān will be allowed to intercede for seventy thousand monotheists. Whoever fasts twenty-six days of Shaʿbān will have Allāh write for him a means of easy passage over the Bridge. Whoever fasts twenty-seven days of Shaʿbān will have a warrant of exoneration from Perdition written for him. Whoever fasts twenty-eight days of Shaʿbān will arrive on the Day of Reckoning with a face radiating like the moon. Whoever fasts twenty-nine days of Shaʿbān will attain the greatest satisfaction of Allāh. Whoever fasts thirty days of Shaʿbān will be the recipient of an exclamation from Jibraʾīl at the foot of the Throne as thus: “O’ person, begin anew your deeds, for you have been wholly forgiven for whatever has passed and had been brought forth of your sins!” The Most Glorious—Allāh (azwj)—will then say: “Had your sins been as numerous, even, as the stars in the sky, the raindrops in downpours, the leaves of trees, and the grains of sand, and riches, and the days of the world, you have been forgiven for all of them, and that is not in the least difficult for Allāh after what you have fasted in the month of Shaʿbān!” Ibn ʿAbbās made one last comment: “And this is all for the month of Shaʿbān.”

حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن يحيى العطّار، قال: حدثنا أبي، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن نوح بن شعيب النيشابوري، عن عبد الله بن عبد الله الدهقان، عن عروة ابن أخي شعيب العقرقوفي، عن شعيب، عن أبي بصير، قال: سمعت الصادق (عليه السلام) يحدث، عن أبيه، عن آبائه (عليهم السلام)، قال: قال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) يوماً لأصحابه: أيكم يصوم الدهر؟ فقال سلمان: أنا يا رسول الله، فقال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله): فأيكم يحيي الليل؟ فقال سلمان: أنا يا رسول الله، قال: فأيكم يختم القرآن في كل يوم؟ فقال سلمان: أنا يا رسول الله، فغضب بعض أصحابه فقال: يا رسول الله، إن سلمان رجل من الفرس يريد أن يفتخر علينا معاشر قريش، قلت: أيكم يصوم الدهر؟ فقال: أنا، وهو أكثر أيامه يأكل، وقلت: أيكم يحيى الليل؟ فقال: أنا، وهو أكثر ليله ينام، وقلت: أيكم يختم القرآن في كل يوم؟ فقال: أنا، وهو أكثر نهاره صامت، فقال النبي (صلى الله عليه وآله): مه يا فلان! أنى لك بمثل لقمان الحكيم سله فإنه ينبئك، فقال الرجل لسلمان: يا أبا عبد الله، أليس زعمت أنك تصوم الدهر؟ قال: نعم، فقال: رأيتك في أكثر نهارك تأكل، فقال: ليس حيث تذهب إني أصوم الثلاثة في الشهر وقال الله: ﴿مَن جَآءَ بِٱلْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُۥ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا﴾ وأصل شعبان بشهر رمضان فذلك صوم الدهر، فقال: أليس زعمت أنك تحيي الليل؟ فقال: نعم، فقال: أنت أكثر ليلك نائم فقال: ليس حيث تذهب، ولكني سمعت رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) يقول: من نام على طهر فكأنما أحيى الليل كله وأنا أبيت على طهر، فقال: أليس زعمت أنك تختم القرآن في كل يوم؟ قال: نعم، قال: فإنك أيامك صامت، فقال: ليس حيث تذهب، ولكني سمعت حبيبي رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) يقول لعلي بن أبي طالب: يا أبا الحسن مثلك في أمتي مثل ﴿قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾، فمن قرأها مرة فقد قرأ ثلث القرآن، ومن قرأها مرتين فقد قرأ ثلثي القرآن، ومن قرأها ثلاثاً فقد ختم القرآن، ومن أحبك بلسانه فقد كمل له ثلث الايمان، ومن أحبك بلسانه وقلبه فقد كمل له ثلثاً الايمان، ومن أحبك بلسانه وقلبه ونصرك بيده فقد استكمل الايمان، والذي بعثني بالحق يا علي، لو أحبك أهل الأرض كمحبة أهل السماء لك، لما عذب أحد بالنار، وأنا اقرأ ﴿قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾ في كل يوم ثلاث مرات، فقام وكأنه ألقم حجراً.

Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Yaḥya al-ʿAṭṭār narrated to us, saying that his father narrated to him, among others, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā, from Nūḥ b. Shuʿayb al-Nīshābūrī, from ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Dahqān, from ʿUrwa b. Abī Shuʿayb al-ʿAqarqūfī, from Shuʿayb, from Abī Baṣīr, who said that he heard al-Ṣādiq (as) narrating from his father, from his forefathers (as-p), who transmitted the following report: “One day, the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) said to his companions: “Which one of you is constantly fasting?” Salmān replied: “I am, o’ Messenger of Allāh.” So the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) then said: “Which one of you stays up all night (in worship)?” Salmān responded: “I do, o’ Messenger of Allāh.” He continued: “Which one of you reads the whole Qurʾān every day?” Again, Salmān was the one to respond: “I do, o’ Messenger of Allāh.” Some of the companions were incensed at that, spurring them to say: “O’ Messenger of Allāh, Salmān is a man from Fars who wants to exult over us, the generality of the Quraysh. You asked us: “Which one of you is constantly fasting?” and he said: “Yes,” even though he often spends his days eating. You asked us: “Which one of you stays up all night (in worship)?” and he said: “Yes,” even though he often spends his nights sleeping. You asked us: “Which one of you reads the whole Qurʾān every day?” and he said: “Yes,” even though he often spends his days silent.” The Holy Prophet (sawa) responded: “Enough, o’ obscure person! And how can you compare to someone like Luqmān the Wise? Ask Salmān, and he will inform you.” The man asked Salmān: “O’ Abā ʿAbd Allāh, do you not claim that you are constantly fasting?” Salmān said: “Aye.” The man continued: “Yet I see you spending many of your days eating.” Salmān defended himself: “It is not as you suppose. I fast three days every month, and Allāh says: ﴾Whoever comes with a good deed will have ten times the like thereof﴿ [6:160], and I join fasting in Shaʿbān to the month of Ramaḍān, so that counts as constantly fasting.” The man continued: “And do you not claim that you stay awake at night (to worship)?” Salmān responded: “Aye.” The man retorted: “And yet you spend many of your nights asleep.” Salmān again defended himself: “It is not as you think. I have heard the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) say: “Whoever sleeps in a state of ritual purity, he will have done so as if he had spent the whole night in worship,” and I rest in a state of ritual purity.” The man continued: “Do you not claim that you read the whole Qurʾān every day?” Salmān answered: “Aye.” The man continued: “And yet you spend your days in silence.” Salmān defended himself yet again: “It is not as you think. I have heard my beloved Messenger of Allāh (sawa) say to ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib: “O’ Abāʿl-Ḥasan, the likeness of you in this community is ﴾Say, “He is Allāh, [Who is] One”﴿ [112:1]. Whoever reads that chapter once has read a third of the Qurʾān. Whoever reads that chapter twice has read two thirds of the Qurʾān. Whoever reads that chapter thrice has completed the Qurʾān. Whoever proclaims his love for you with his tongue has completed one third of true belief. Whoever proclaims his love for you with his tongue and his heart has completed two thirds of true belief. Whoever proclaims his love for you with his tongue and his heart and supports you with physical exertion has completed his true belief. O’ ʿAlī, by He Who sent me forth with the Truth, had all the people of the earth loved you as the people of the heavens have done so, no one would be subjected to Hellfire!” And I read (the chapter that begins with) ﴾Say, “He is Allāh, [Who is] One”﴿ thrice every day.” The man stood still as if he had been compelled to swallow a rock.”

حدثنا أحمد بن الحسن القطّان، قال: حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن الحسين، قال: حدثنا يزيد بن سنان البصري نزيل مصر، قال: حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن مهدي، قال: حدثنا ثابت بن قيس العمري، قال: حدثني أبو سعيد المقري، قال: حدثني أسامة بن زيد، قال: كان رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) يصوم الأيام حتى يقال: لا يفطر ويفطر حتى يقال: لا يصوم قلت رأيته يصوم من شهر ما لا يصوم في شئ من الشهور؟ قال: نعم، قلت: أي الشهور؟ قال: شهر شعبان كان يقول: هو شهر يغفل الناس عنه بين رجب وشهر رمضان وهو شهر يرفع فيه الأعمال إلى رب العالمين جل جلاله فأحب أن يرفع لي عملي وأنا صائم.

Aḥmad b. al-Ḥasan al-Qaṭṭān narrated to us, saying that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn narrated to him, among others, saying that Yazīd b. Sinān al-Baṣrī—who came from Egypt—narrated to him, among others, saying that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Mahdī narrated to him, among others, saying that Thābit b. Qays al-ʿUmarī narrated to him, among others, saying that Abū Saʿīd al-Muqarrī narrated to him, saying that Usāma b. Zayd narrated to him, saying: “The Messenger of Allāh (sawa) would fast for some days such that people would say: “He never breaks his fast,” while he would be breaking his fast, and people would say: “He never fasts.” Abū Saʿīd asked him: “Did you see him fasting in one month and not any of the others?” to which Usāma replied: “Aye.” So Abū Saʿīd continued: “Which months?” Usāma replied: “The month of Shaʿbān. He used to say: “It is the month neglected by the people, that sits between the months of Rajab and Ramaḍān, and the month in which deeds are elevated to the Lord of the Worlds (jj), and I love that my deeds are elevated while I am fasting.”

حدثنا محمد بن الحسن رحمة الله عليه، قال: حدثنا الحسين بن الحسن بن أبان، عن الحسين بن سعيد، عن الحسين بن علوان، عن عمرو بن خالد، عن أبي جعفر (عليه السلام)، قال: كان رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) يصوم شعبان وشهر رمضان يصلهما وينهي الناس أن يصلوهما وكان يقول: هما شهر الله وهما كفارة لما قبلهما وما بعدهما من الذنوب.

Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan (rmt) narrated to us, saying that al-Ḥusayn b. al-Ḥasan b. Abān narrated to him, among others, from al-Ḥusayn b. Saʿīd, from al-Ḥusayn b. ʿUlwān, from ʿAmrū b. Khālid, from Abī Jaʿfar al-Bāqir (as), who said: “The Messenger of Allāh (sawa) used to fast in the months of Shaʿbān and Ramaḍān together while forbidding the people from doing the same, and he would say: “These two are the month of Allāh and an expiation for sins that have occurred before and after them.” [1]

حدثنا أبي رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن الحسين بن سعيد، عن عبد الرحمن بن أبي نجران، عن يونس بن يعقوب، قال: سألت أبا عبد الله (عليه السلام) عن صوم شعبان كان أحد من آبائك يصومه؟ فقال: كان خير آبائي رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) كان أكثر صيامه في شعبان.

My (i.e., the author’s) father (rh) narrated to us, saying that Saʿd b. ʿAbd Allāh narrated to him, among others, saying that Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā narrated to him, among others, from al-Ḥusayn b. Saʿīd, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Abī Najrān, from Yūnus b. Yaʿqūb, who narrated: “I asked Abā ʿAbd Allāh—Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq (as)—about fasting in Shaʿbān: “Had any of your forefathers fasted as such?,” so he replied: “The best of my forefathers, the Messenger of Allāh (sawa), had often fasted in Shaʿbān.”

حدثنا محمد بن أبي علي بن إسحاق، قال: حدثنا حامد بن شعيب، قال: حدثنا شريح بن يوسف، قال: حدثنا وكيع عن سفيان، عن زيد بن أسلم قال: سئل رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) عن صوم رجب ،قال: وأين أنتم عن شعبان؟

Muḥammad b. Abī ʿAlī b. Isḥāq narrated to us, saying that Ḥāmid b. Shuʿayb narrated to him, among others, saying that Shurayḥ b. Yūsuf narrated to him, among others, saying that Wakīʿ narrated to him, among others, from Sufyān, from Zayd b. Aslam, who said: “I asked the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) about fasting in Rajab, so he replied: “And where are you with fasting in Shaʿbān?”

حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن يحيى العطّار، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن أحمد بن محمد بن أبي نصر البزنطي، عن سعد بن إبراهيم، عن معاوية بن عمار، عن أبي عبد الله (عليه السلام)، قال: إن صوم الثلاثين وصوم اتباعه صوم شعبان شهرين متتابعين توبة من الله والله.

Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-ʿAṭṭār narrated to us, saying that Saʿd b. ʿAbd Allāh narrated to him, among others, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, from Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Abī Naṣr al-Bizanṭī, from Saʿd b. Ibrāhīm, from Muʿāwiya b. ʿAmmār, from Abī ʿAbd Allāh (as), who stated: “By Allāh, fasting for thirty days and following it up with another fast—the fast of Shaʿbān—forming two consecutive months, is (worthy of acceptance of) repentance from Allāh.”

حدثنا محمد بن إبراهيم بن إسحاق، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمد الكوفي، عن علي بن الحسن بن علي بن فضّال، عن أبيه، عن أبي الحسن الرضا (عليه السلام)، قال: من صام أول يوم من شعبان وجبت له الرحمة، ومن صام يومين من شعبان وجبت له الرحمة والمغفرة والكرامة من الله عز وجل يوم القيامة، ومن صام شهر رمضان وجبت له الرحمة، ومن صام ثلاثة أيام من آخر شعبان ووصلها بصيام شهر رمضان كتب الله له صوم شهرين متتابعين، ومن صام شهر رمضان إيماناً وإحتساباً خرج من الذنوب كيوم ولدته أمه، ثم قال (عليه السلام): حدثني أبي، عن أبيه، عن جده (عليهم السلام) أن رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) قال: من أدرك شهر رمضان فلم يغفر له فأبعده الله، ومن أدرك ليلة القدر فلم يغفر له فأبعده الله، ومن حضر الجمعة مع المسلمين فلم يغفر له فأبعده الله، ومن أدرك والديه أو أحدهما فلم يغفر له فأبعده الله، ومن ذكرت عنده فصلى علي فلم يغفر له فأبعده الله، قيل: يا رسول الله كيف يصلي عليك ولا يغفر له؟ فقال: إن العبد إذا صلى علي ولم يصل على آلي تلك الصلاة فضرب بها وجهه وإذا صلى علي وعلى آلي غفر له.

Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Isḥāq narrated to us, saying that Aḥmad b. Muḥammad al-Kūfī narrated to him among others, from ʿAlī b. al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī b. Faḍḍal, from his father, from Abī’l-Ḥasan al-Riḍā (as), who stated: “Whoever fasts the first day of Shaʿbān will have Divine mercy mandated upon him, and whoever fasts two days of Shaʿbān will have Divine mercy, forgiveness and honour mandated upon him from Allāh (azwj) on the Day of Reckoning, and whoever fasts in the month of Ramaḍān will have Divine mercy mandated upon him. Whoever fasts three days at the end of Shaʿbān and connects it with fasting in the month of Ramaḍān, Allāh will write for him that he fasted for two consecutive months. Whoever fasts in the month of Ramaḍān faithfully and having reckoned the reward therein, will be exonerated from his sins as if it were the day his mother gave birth to him.” Imam al-Riḍā continued: “My father narrated to me, from his father, from his grandfather (as-p), that the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) has stated: “Whoever comes to know the month of Ramaḍān and yet is not forgiven, then may Allāh distance him! And whoever comes to know the Night of Power and yet is not forgiven, then may Allāh distance him! Whoever attends the Friday prayer with the Muslims and yet is not forgiven, then may Allāh distance him! Whoever knows both or either of his parents and yet is not forgiven, may Allāh distance him! And whoever has heard mention of me and sends upon me salutations and yet is not forgiven, then may Allāh distance him!” Someone said to him: “How can somebody send salutations upon you, o’ Messenger of Allāh, and yet not be forgiven?,” so he replied: “The salutations of a servant (of Allāh) who sends them upon me, but neglects to do the same upon the members of my House, are thrown back in his face. Whoever sends salutations upon both me and my House, then he is forgiven.”

حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن عبد الله بن أحمد بن أبي عبد الله البرقي، عن أبيه، عن جده، عن ابن فضّال، عن مروان بن مسلم [سلم]، عن الصادق جعفر بن محمد، عن أبيه، عن آبائه (عليهم السلام)، قال: قال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله): شعبان شهري ورمضان شهر الله، فمن صام من شهري يوما وجبت له الجنة، ومن صام منه يومين كان من رفقاء النبيين والصديقين يوم القيامة، ومن صام الشهر كله ووصله بشهر رمضان كان ذلك توبة له من كل ذنب صغير أو كبير ولو من دم حرام.

ʿAlī b. Aḥmad b. ʿAbd Allāh b. Aḥmad b. Abi ʿAbd Allāh al-Barqī narrated to us, from his father, from his grandfather, from Ibn Faḍḍāl, from Marwān b. Muslim [or Salam], from al-Ṣādiq, Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad, from his father, from his forefathers (as-p), who reported that the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) stated: “Shaʿbān is my month, and the month of Ramaḍān is that of Allāh, so whoever fasts a day from my month will have Heaven mandated upon him, and whoever fasts two days of it will be on the Day of Judgement counted from among the close friends of the Prophets and the truth-speakers, and whoever fasts the whole month and joins it to (the fasts of) the month of Ramaḍān, then that is repentance from every sin, cardinal or venial, even if it involved (the shedding of) forbidden blood.”

حدثنا محمد بن إبراهيم، قال: حدثنا عبد العزيز بن يحيى، قال: حدثني أحمد بن عبد الله الكوفي، عن سليمان المروزي، عن الرضا علي بن موسى (صلوات الله عليه) أنه قال: كان رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) يكثر الصيام في شعبان ولقد كانت نسائه إذا كان عليهن صوم أخرنه إلى شعبان مخافة أن يمنعن رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) حاجته وكان (عليه السلام) يقول: شعبان شهري وهو أفضل الشهور بعد شهر رمضان، فمن صام فيه يوماً كنت شفيعه يوم القيامة، ومن صام شهر رمضان إيماناً واحتساباً غفرت له ذنوبه ما تقدم منها وما تأخر، وإن الصائم لا يجري عليه القلم حتى يفطر ما لم يأت بشئ ينقض، وإن الحاج لا يجري عليه القلم حتى ينتبه ما لم يكن يأت على حرام، وإن الصبي لا يجري عليه القلم حتى يبلغ، وإن المجاهد في سبيل الله لا يجري عليه القلم حتى يعود إلى منزله ما لم يأت بشئ يبطل جهاده، وإن المجنون لا يجري عليه القلم حتى يفيق، وإن المريض لا يجري عليه القلم حتى يصح، ثم قال (عليه السلام): إن مبايعة الله رخيصة فاشتروها قبل أن تغلو.

Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm narrated to us, saying that ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Yaḥyā narrated to him among others, saying that Aḥmad b. Abī ʿAbd Allāh al-Kūfī narrated to him, from Sulaymān al-Marwazī, from al-Riḍā, ʿAlī b. Mūsā (saa), that he said: “The Messenger of Allāh (sawa) would fast often in Shaʿbān, while his wives would delay their fasting to Shaʿbān whenever it was upon them to do so, fearing to keep the Messenger of Allāh (as) from fulfilling his needs. He was wont to say: “Sha’ban is my month, and it is the most virtuous of all the months after the month of Ramaḍān. So, whoever fasts for one of its days will have earned intercession for himself on the Day of Judgement. And whoever fasts during the month of Ramaḍān, having established faith in and having accounted for its reward, will have forgiven whatever preceded of his sins and whatever comes after of them. The pen will not run upon the fasting person until he breaks his fast, as long as he does not do anything to invalidate his fast. The pen will not run upon the pilgrim until he returns to his home, as long as he does not do anything to invalidate his pilgrimage. The pen will not run upon the sleeping person until he wakes up, as long as he does not do anything prohibited in his sleep. The pen will not run upon the youth until he reaches biological maturity. The pen will not run upon he who struggles in the way of Allāh until he turns back to his home, as long as he does not do anything to invalidate his struggling. Nor will the pen run upon the maniac until he regains sanity, nor will the pen run upon the convalescent individual until he recovers his health.” Then, the Imam (as) said: “Verily, the merchandise of Allāh is affordable, so purchase it before it becomes expensive!”

حدثنا أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم، قال: حدثنا جعفر بن سلمة الأهوازي، قال: حدثنا إبراهيم بن محمد الثقفي، قال: أخبرنا إبراهيم بن ميمون، قال: حدثنا عنه (عليه السلام): صوم شعبان كفارة الذنوب العظام حتى لو أن رجلاً بلي بدم حرام فصام من هذا الشهر أياماً ومات رجوت له المغفرة، قال: قلت: فما أفضل الدعاء في هذا الشهر؟ فقال: الاستغفار، إن من استغفر في شعبان كل يوم سبعين مرة كان كمن استغفر في غيره من الشهور سبعين الف مرة، قلت: فكيف أقول؟ قال: قل: استغفر الله واسأله التوبة.

Aḥmad b. Ziyād b. Jaʿfar al-Hamadānī (rh) narrated to us, saying that ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim narrated to him, among others, saying that Jaʿfar b. Salama al-Ahwāzī narrated to him, among others, saying that Ibrāhīm b. Muḥammad al-Thaqafī narrated to him, among others, saying that Ibrāhīm b. Maymūn informed him, among others, saying that the Imām (as) narrated to him, among others, saying: “Fasting in Shaʿbān is expiation for cardinal sins, such that even if a man were to shed blood that was forbidden to shed and then fast in this month a few days, he would die with the hope of attaining forgiveness.” Ibrāhīm b. Maymūn narrated that he asked the Imam: “What is the best supplication in this month?,” so he replied: “(That of) forgiveness, for whoever seeks forgiveness during Shaʿbān seventy times every day, it will be as if he had sought forgiveness seventy thousand times had it been a different month.” Ibn Maymūn asked one last question: “How do I do that?,” so the Imam said: “(Say:) “I seek forgiveness from Allāh and I ask Him for repentance (to be accepted).”

حدثني محمد بن الحسن، قال: حدثني أحمد بن إدريس، عن محمد بن أحمد، عن موسى بن جعفر البغدادي، عن محمد بن جمهور، عن عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن، عن محمد بن أبي حمزة، عن أبي عبد الله (عليه السلام) قال: من قال في كل يوم من شعبان سبعين مرة: « أستغفر الله الذي لا إله إلا هو الرحمن الرحيم الحي القيوم وأتوب إليه » كتب في الأفق المبين، قال: قلت: وما الأفق المبين؟ قال: قاع بين يدي العرش، فيها أنهار تطرد فيه من القدحان عدد النجوم.

Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan narrated to me, saying that Aḥmad b. Idrīs narrated to him, from Muḥammad b. Aḥmad, from Mūsā b. Jaʿfar al-Baghdādī, from Muḥammad b. Jumhūr, from ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, from Muḥammad b. Abī Ḥamza, from Abī ʿAbd Allāh, Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (as), who stated: “Whoever says the following seventy times every day in Shaʿbān—I seek forgiveness from Allāh, He besides Whom there is no other god, and He is the Beneficent, the Merciful, the Eternally Living, the Sustainer of all Existences, and I repent to Him—it will be written for him in the manifest Ufuq.” Muḥammad b. Abī Ḥamza narrates: “I asked the Imam: “And what is the manifest Ufuq?” The Imam replied thus: “A plain before the Throne wherein rivers flow and there are as many cups (to drink from) as there are stars (in the sky).”

حدثني أبي رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن علي بن أبي سليمان بن الزربي [الفروي]، قال: حدثنا الحسن بن محبوب، عن عبد الله بن مرحوم الأزدي، قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله (عليه السلام) يقول: من صام أول يوم من شعبان وجبت له الجنة البتة، ومن صام يومين نظر الله إليه في كل يوم وليلة في دار الدنيا ودام نظره إليه في الجنة، ومن صام ثلاثة أيام زار الله في عرشه من جنته في كل يوم. قال: أبو جعفر محمد بن علي مصنف هذا الكتاب رضي الله عنه وأرضاه: يعني زيارة الله عز وجل زيارة حجج الله تعالى، من زارهم فقد زار الله ومن يكون له في الجنة من المحل ما يقدر على الارتفاع إلى درجة النبي والأئمة (صلوات الله عليهم) حتى يزورهم فيها فمحله عظيم وزيارتهم زيارة الله كما أن طاعتهم طاعة الله ومعصيتهم معصية الله ومتابعتهم متابعة الله وليس ذلك على ما يذكره أهل التشبيه تعالى الله عما يقولون علواً كبيراً.

My father (rh) narrated to me, saying that Saʿd b. ʿAbd Allāh narrated to him, among others, from ʿAlī b. Abī Sulaymān b. al-Zarabī [or al-Farawī], who said that al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb narrated to him, among others, from ʿAbd Allāh b. Marḥūm al-Azdī, who said: “I heard Abā ʿAbd Allāh (as) saying: “Whoever fasts the first day of Shaʿbān will have Paradise mandated for him, absolutely. Whoever fasts two days will enjoy the benefit of Allāh’s vigilance over him every day and night in the worldly realm. His vigilance over the faster will be extended to when the fasting person comes to reside in Heaven. Whoever fasts three days will be able to visit Allāh on His Throne every day in Paradise.” Abū Jaʿfar, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī [i.e. Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Ibn Bābuwayh al-Qummī], the compiler of this book, may Allāh be pleased with him and may he be pleased with Him, has said: “What is meant by the visitation of Allāh (azwj) is the visitation of the embodied arguments of Allāh (taa)—i.e., the Holy Prophet (sawa) and the immaculate, infallible Imams (saa-p)—for whoever visits them has visited Allāh. Whoever has a means in Paradise by which he may be raised to the degree of the Holy Prophet and the Imams (saa-p) such that he can visit them, then indeed his means is exalted, for visitation of them is visitation of Allāh, just as obedience to them is obedience to Allāh, disobedience to them is disobedience to Allāh, and following them is following Allāh. That does not mean, however, that what the anthropomorphists claim is correct, for exalted is Allāh over what they say by immeasurable greatness.”

حدثنا جعفر بن علي بن الحسين بن علي بن عبد الله بن المغيرة الكوفي رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا جدي الحسين بن علي، عن جده عبد الله بن المغيرة، عن إسماعيل بن أبي زياد، عن الصادق جعفر بن محمد، عن أبيه، عن آبائه (عليهم السلام)، قال: قال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله): شعبان شهري ورمضان شهر الله وهو ربيع الفقراء، وإنما جعل الأضحى ليشبع مساكينكم من اللحم فأطعموهم.

Jaʿfar b. ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh b. al-Mughīra al-Kūfī (ra) narrated to us, saying that his grandfather, al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī, narrated to him among others, from his grandfather, ʿAbd Allāh b. al-Mughīra, from Ismāʿīl b. Abī Ziyād, from al-Ṣādiq, Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad, from his father, from his forefathers (as-p), who said that the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) has said: “Shaʿbān is my month, and the month of Ramaḍān is that of Allāh, and it is a springtime for the poor. ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā was only instituted so that you may feed your paupers with the choicest meats, so feed them thus.”

حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسن الصفّار، قال: حدثنا العبّاس بن معروف، قال: حدثنا علي بن مهزيار، عن الحسن بن سعيد، عن زرعة، عن المفضّل بن عمر، عن أبي عبد الله (عليه السلام)، قال: كان أبي (عليه السلام) يصل ما بينهما ويقول: صوم شهرين متتابعين توبة من الله.

Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan b. Aḥmad b. al-Walīd narrated to us, saying that Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Ṣaffār narrated to him among others, saying that al-ʿAbbās b. Maʿrūf narrated to him among others, saying that ʿAlī b. Mahziyār, from al-Ḥasan b. Saʿīd, from Zarʿa, from al-Mufaḍḍal b. ʿUmar, from Abī ʿAbd Allāh, Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq (as), who said: “My father—Abū Jaʿfar al-Bāqir (as)—used to join them (i.e., Shaʿbān and the month of Ramaḍān) together, and he used to say: “Fasting for two consecutive months constitutes (the acceptance of) repentance from Allāh.”

حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن محمد بن أبي عمير، عن حفص البختري، عن أبي عبد الله (عليه السلام)، قال: كن نساء النبي (صلى الله عليه وآله) إذا كان عليهن صيام أخرن ذلك إلى شعبان كراهية أن يمنعن رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) حاجته وإذا كان شعبان صمن وصام معهن، قال: وكان رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) يقول: شعبان شهري.

ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm narrated to us, from his father, from Muḥammad b. Abī ʿUmayr, from Ḥafṣ al-Bakhtarī, from Abī ʿAbd Allāh (as) who said: “When it was imperative for the wives of the Holy Prophet (sawa) to fast, they would postpone their doing so to the month of Shaʿbān out of aversion to preventing the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) from his needs. When it was Shaʿbān, they would fast, and he would fast with them.” The Imam concluded: “The Messenger of Allāh (sawa) used to say: “Shaʿbān is my month.”

حدثنا أبي رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، ومحمد بن الحسين بن أبي الخطّاب جميعاً، عن عمر بن عيسى، عن سماعة بن مهران، قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله (عليه السلام): هل صام أحد من آبائك شعبان؟ قال: خير آبائي رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) وكان يصومه.

My father (ra) narrated to us, saying that Saʿd b. ʿAbd Allāh narrated to him among others, saying that Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. ʿĪsā and Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī’l-Khaṭṭāb together narrated to him among others, from ʿUmar b. ʿĪsā, from Samāʿa b. Mihrān, who narrated: “I said to Abī ʿAbd Allāh (as): “Did any of your forefathers fast in the month of Shaʿbān?” So he replied: “The best of my forefathers was the Messenger of Allāh (sawa), and he used to fast therein.”

حدثنا محمد بن الحسن، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسن، قال: حدثنا الحسين بن الحسن بن أبان، عن الحسين بن سعيد، عن محمد بن أبي عمير، عن سلمة صاحب السابري، عن أبي الصباح، قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله (عليه السلام) يقول: صوم شعبان وشهر رمضان والله توبة من الله.

Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan narrated to us, saying that Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan (al-Ṣaffār or Ibn Aḥmad b. al-Walīd) narrated to him, among others, saying that al-Ḥusayn b. al-Ḥasan b. Abān narrated to him, among others, from al-Ḥusayn b. Saʿīd, from Muḥammad b. Abī ʿUmayr, from Salama, Ṣāḥib al-Sābirī, from Abī’l-Ṣabāḥ, who said: “I heard Abā ʿAbd Allāh (as) saying: “By Allāh, fasting in Shaʿbān and the month of Ramaḍān (together) is (the acceptance of) repentance from Allāh.”

حدثنا أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني، قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن أبيه، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن أبان، عن أبي عبد الله (عليه السلام)، قال: من صام ثلاثة أيام من شعبان وجبت له الجنة، وكان رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) شفيعه يوم القيامة.

Aḥmad b. Ziyād b. Jaʿfar al-Hamadānī narrated to us, saying that ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim narrated to him, among others, from his father, from Ibn Abī ʿUmayr, from Abān, from Abī ʿAbd Allāh (as), who said: “Whoever fasts three days of Shaʿbān will have Paradise mandated upon him, and the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) will intercede for him on the Day of Judgement.”

وبهذا الإسناد، قال: قال أبو عبد الله (عليه السلام): سمعت أبي قال: كان أبي زين العابدين (عليه السلام) إذا هل شعبان جمع أصحابه، فقال: معاشر أصحاب أتدرون أي شهر هذا؟ هذا شهر شعبان، وكان رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) يقول: شعبان شهري ألا فصوموا فيه محبة لنبيكم، وتقربا إلى ربكم فو الذي نفس علي بن الحسين بيده لسمعت أبى الحسين بن علي يقول: سمعت أمير المؤمنين (عليه السلام) يقول: من صام شعبان محبة نبي الله (عليه السلام) وتقربا إلى الله عز وجل أحبه الله عز وجل، وقربه من كرامته يوم القيامة وأوجب له الجنة.

And with the same chain of transmission, it is reported that Abū ʿAbd Allāh, Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (as) has said that he heard his father, Abū Jaʿfar, Muḥammad al-Bāqir, saying: “My father, Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (as), would gather his companions when the month of Shaʿbān came and he would say: “O’ masses of companions, do you know what month this is? This is the month of Shaʿbān, and the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) would say: “Shaʿbān is my month. Doubtlessly, fast therein out of love for your Prophet and as a means of nearness to your Lord.” By He in Whose hand is the soul of ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn, I have heard my father, al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī, saying: “I have heard Amīr al-Muʾminīn (as) saying: “Whoever fasts in Shaʿbān out of love for the Prophet of Allāh (as) and as a means of nearness to Allāh (azwj), then Allāh (azwj) will love him, bring him near to His generosity on the Day of Judgement, and mandate Paradise for him.”

حدثنا أبي رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن جعفر الحميري، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسين بن أبي الخطّاب، عن محمد بن سنان، عن حمزة بن حمران، عن أبي عبد الله (عليه السلام)، قال: لما أن كانت ليلة النصف من شعبان ظنت الحميراء أن رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) قام إلى بعض نسائه فدخلها من الغيرة ما لم تصبر حتى قامت وتلففت بشملة لها وأيم الله ما كان خزاً ولا ديباجاً ولا كتاناً ولا قطناً، ولكن كان في سداه الشعر ولحمته أو بار الإبل، فقامت طلبت رسول الله في حجر نسائه حجرة حجرة فبينما هي كذلك إذا نظرت إلى رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) ساجداً كالثوب الباسط على وجه الأرض فدنت منه قريباً فسمعته وهو يقول: « سجد لك سوادي وجناني، وآمن بك فؤادي، وهذه يداي، وما جنيت بهما على نفسي يا عظيم يرجى لكل عظيم، اغفر لي الذنب العظيم، فإنه لا يغفر الذنب العظيم الا العظيم »، ثم رفع رأسه ثم عاد ساجداً فسمعته وهو يقول: « أعوذ بنور وجهك الذي أضائت له السماوات والأرضون وتكشفت له الظلمات وصلح عليه أمر الأولين والآخرين من فجأة نقمتك، ومن تحويل عافيتك، ومن زوال نعمتك. اللهم أرزقني قلباً تقياً نقياً من الشرك بريئاً لا كافراً ولا شقياً » ثم وضع خده على التراب ويقول: « أغفر وجهي في التراب، وحق لي أن أسجد لك »، فلما همم الإنصراف هرولت المرأة إلى فراشها فأتى رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) فراشها وإذا لها نفس عال، فقال لها رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله): ما هذا النفس العالي أما تعلمين أي ليلة هذه، الليلة النصف من شعبان فيها يكتب آجال، وفيها تقسم أرزاق، وان الله عز وجل ليغفر في هذه الليلة من خلقه أكثر من عدد شعر معزى بني كلب، وينزل الله عز وجل ملائكته إلى السماء الدنيا وإلى الأرض بمكّة. الصحيح عند أهل بيت (عليهم السلام) أن كتب الآجال وقسمة الأرزاق يكون في ليلة القدر ليلة ثلاث وعشرين من شهر رمضان.

My father (ra) narrated to us, saying that ʿAbd Allāh b. Jaʿfar al-Ḥimyarī narrated to him among others, saying that Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Abī’l-Khaṭṭāb narrated to him among others, from Muḥammad b. Sinān, from Ḥamza b. Ḥumrān, from Abī ʿAbd Allāh (as), who said: “When it was the fifteenth night of Shaʿbān, al-Ḥumayrāʾ —that is, ʿĀʾisha—supposed that the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) had stood up to visit some of his other wives. She followed him into their homes due to a jealousy she could not bear. By Allāh, she wrapped herself in a shawl that was neither silk, nor brocade, nor linen, nor cotton, but its warp was of camel hair and its weft of palm fiber. She stood up and went searching for the Messenger of Allāh in the rooms of his other wives, one by one. As she was doing so, she saw the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) prostrating, as if he were a garment spread flat on the face of the earth. She drew closer to him and heard him saying: “To You I prostrate, as do my body and my soul. My heart believes in You. These are my hands, by which I have wronged myself. O’ Exalted One, Who is the hope of all exalted ones, forgive me my cardinal sin, for none forgive cardinal sins but the Exalted One.” Then the Prophet raised his head and returned to prostration, and she heard him saying: “I seek refuge in the light of Your Face, Which illuminates the heavens and the earths, removes the darknesses, and sets aright the affairs of the first and the last, from Your sudden punishment, the transformation of Your well-being, and the removal of Your blessing. O’ Allāh, grant me a heart that is righteous, pure, free from polytheism, neither disbelieving nor wretched.” Then the Prophet placed his cheek on the dirt and said: “Forgive me while my face is in the dirt, for it is only right that I prostrate to You.” Just as the Prophet intended to leave, ʿĀʾisha ran to her bed. The Messenger of Allāh (sawa) came to her bed and noticed that she was breathing heavily, so he said to her: “What is this heavy breathing? Do you not know what night this is? This is the middle night of Shaʿbān, in which lifespans are recorded and sustenance is apportioned. Allāh (azwj) forgives more of His creation on this night than the number of woolly hairs on the sheep of Banī Kalb. Allāh (azwj) sends down His angels to the lowest heaven and to the earth, at Mecca.” It is correct with the Ahl al-Bayt (as-p) that lifespans are recorded and sustenance apportioned on the Night of Power, which is the twenty-third night of the month of Ramaḍān.

حدثنا علي بن أحمد (ره)، قال: حدثنا محمد بن هارون الصوفي، عن أبي تراب عبيد الله بن موسى الروياني، عن عبد العظيم بن عبد الله الحسني، عن سهل بن سعد، قال: سمعت الرضا (عليه السلام) يقول: الصوم للرؤية والفطر للرؤية، وليس منا من صام قبل الرؤية للرؤية، وأفطر قبل الرؤية للرؤية، قال: فقلت له: يا ابن رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) فما ترى في صوم يوم الشك؟ فقال: حدثني أبي، عن جدي، عن آبائه (عليهم السلام)، قال: قال أمير المؤمنين (عليه السلام): لأن أصوم يوماً من شعبان أحب إلي من أن أفطر يوماً من شهر رمضان. قال مصنف هذا الكتاب: هذا حديث غريب لا أعرفه إلا بهذا الإسناد ولم أسمعه إلا من علي بن أحمد.

ʿAlī b. Aḥmad—may Allāh have mercy on him—narrated to us, saying that Muḥammad b. Hārūn al-Ṣūfī narrated to him among others, from Abī Turāb ʿUbayd Allāh b. Mūsā al-Rūyānī, from ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīm b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥasanī, from Sahl b. Saʿd, who said: “I heard al-Riḍā (as) saying: “Fasting is based on sighting (of the moon), and breaking the fast is also based on sighting. Whoever fasts before the sighting (of the moon), for the sake of the sighting, and breaks his fast before the sighting, for the sake of the sighting, is not from us (i.e., our sect).” Sahl said: “I asked him: “O’ son of the Messenger of Allāh (sawa), what do you say about fasting on a doubtful day?” He replied: “My father narrated to me, from my grandfather, from his forefathers (as-p), who reported that Amīr al-Muʾminīn (as) has stated: “Fasting a day in Shaʿbān is more beloved to me than breaking a fast in any day of the month of Ramaḍān.” The compiler of this book—Shaykh al-Ṣadūq—has said: “This is a strange narration, and I have not seen it with any other chain of transmission, nor have I heard it from anyone other than ʿAlī b. Aḥmad.”

قال: حدثنا الحسن بن محمد بن سعيد الهاشمي، قال: حدثنا فرات بن إبراهيم بن فرات الكوفي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أحمد بن علي الهمداني، قال: حدثنا الحسن بن علي المعروف بأبي علي الشامي، قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن سعيد الرمدقاني، قال: حدثنا عبد الواحد بن عتاب، قال: حدثنا عاصم بن سليمان، قال: حدثنا خزيمي، عن الضحاك، عن أمير المؤمنين علي بن أبي طالب (عليه السلام)، قال: قال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله): شعبان شهري ورمضان شهر الله عز وجل، فمن صام شهري كنت له شفيعاً يوم القيامة، ومن صام شهر الله عز وجل أنس الله وحشته في قبره ووصل وحدثه وخرج من قبره مبيضاً وجهه، أخذ الكتاب بيمينه والخلد بيساره حتى يقف بين يدي ربه عز وجل فيقول: عبدي، فيقول: لبيك سيدي، فيقول عز وجل: صمت لي قال: فيقول: نعم يا سيدي، فيقول تبارك وتعالى خذوا بيد عبدي حتى تأتوا به نبيي فأوتي به فأقول: صمت شهري؟ فيقول: نعم، فأقول له: أنا أشفع لك اليوم، قال: فيقول الله تعالى: أما حقوقي فقد تركتها لعبدي وأما حقوق خلقي فمن عفا عنه فعلي عوضه حتى يرضى، قال النبي (صلى الله عليه وآله): فأخذ بيده حتى أنتهي به إلى الصراط فأجده زحفاً زلقاً لا يثبت عليه أقدام الخاطئين فأخذ بيده فيقول لي صاحب الصراط: من هذا يا رسول الله؟ فأقول: هذا فلان باسمه من أمتي كان قد صام في الدنيا شهري ابتغاء شفاعتي وصام شهر ربه ابتغاء وعده فيجوز الصراط بعفو الله عز وجل حتى ينتهي إلى باب الجنة فاستفتح له فيقول رضوان: ذلك اليوم أمرنا أن نفتح اليوم لأمتك. قال: ثم قال أمير المؤمنين (عليه السلام): صوموا شهر رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) يكن لكم شفيعاً وصوموا شهر الله تشربوا من الرحيق المختوم ومن وصلها بشهر رمضان كتب له صوم شهرين متتابعين.

The narrator has said that al-Ḥasan b. Muḥammad b. Saʿīd al-Hāshimī narrated to him among others, saying that Furāt b. Ibrāhīm b. Furāt al-Kūfī narrated to him among others, saying that Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. ʿAlī al-Hamadānī narrated to him among others, saying that al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī—known as Abī ʿAlī al-Shāmī—narrated to him among others, saying that ʿAbd Allāh b. Saʿīd al-Ramdaqānī narrated to him among others, saying that ʿAbd al-Wāḥid b. ʿItāb narrated to him among others, saying that ʿĀṣim b. Sulaymān narrated to him among others, saying that Khuzaymī narrated to him among others, from al-Ḍaḥḥāk, from Amīr al-Muʾminīn, ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (as), who said: “The Messenger of Allāh (sawa) has said: “Shaʿbān is my month, and the month of Ramaḍān is that of Allāh (azwj), so whoever fasts in my month will earn my intercession on the Day of Judgement. Whoever fasts in the month of Allāh (azwj), then Allāh will relieve his loneliness in his grave, join him and converse with him, and resurrect him from his grave, with his face shining with white light, having taken his record of deeds in his right hand and immortality in his left, until his Lord (azwj) appears before him and says to him: “My servant!,” to which the servant replies to Him: “I am at Your service, o’ Master!,” so He (azwj) will continue: “You fasted for Me?,” and the servant will say: “Aye, o’ Master.” He (twt) will then say: “Take My servant by the hand and bring him to My Prophet.” He will be brought to Me by the Prophet and I will say to him: “You fasted in My month?,” so he will reply: “Yes,” and I will then say to him: “Today, I will intercede for you.” Allāh (taa) will then say: “As for My rights, I have withdrawn My claim upon My servant thereby. As for the rights of My creation, then whoever forgives this servant of Mine, then upon Me is his compensation, until he is satisfied.” The Holy Prophet (sawa) has continued: “So I will take this servant of Allāh by the hand and walk until I stop with him at the Bridge. I found it slippery, almost requiring one to crawl, a place whereupon the sinners cannot firmly place their feet. So, as I take him by the hand, the guardian of the Bridge will call to me: “Who is this, o’ Messenger of Allāh?,” so I will answer: “This is so-and-so with such a name, from my community. In the worldly life he had fasted during my month, seeking my intercession, and he had also fasted in the month of his Lord, seeking (the fulfilment of) His promise.” The guardian of the Bridge will allow us entry through the grace of Allāh (azwj) and we will pass over it until we reach the gate of Paradise. It will be opened for him, and Riḍwān will say: “That is our matter for today that we will open these gates for your community on this day.” Amīr al-Muʾminīn (as) concluded: “Fast in the month of the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) for he may then become an intercessor for you, and fast in the month of Allāh so that you may drink from the Sealed Nectar. And whoever connects his fasting (in Shaʿbān) to the month of Ramaḍān will have it written for him that he fasted for two consecutive months.”

حدثنا أبو محمد عبدوس بن علي بن العبّاس الجرجاني، في منزله بسمرقند، قال: أخبرنا أبو العبّاس جعفر بن محمد بن مرزوق السعراني، قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن سعيد الطائي، قال: حدثنا عبّاد بن صهيب، عن هشام بن حيّان، عن الحسن بن علي بن أبي طالب (عليه السلام)، قال: قالت عائشة في آخر حديث طويل في ليلة النصف: أن رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) قال: في هذه الليلة هبط علي حبيبي جبرئيل (عليه السلام) فقال لي: يا محمد مر أمتك إذا كان ليلة النصف من شعبان أن يصلي أحدهم عشر ركعات، في كل ركعة يتلو فاتحة الكتاب و﴿قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾ عشر مرات، ثم يسجد ويقول في سجوده: « اللهم لك سجد سوادي وجناني وبياضي يا عظيم كل عظيم اغفر ذنبي العظيم وإنه لا يغفر غيرك يا عظيم » فإذا فعل ذلك محي الله عز وجل اثنين وسبعين الف سيئة وكتب له من الحسنات مثلها ومحي الله عز وجل عن والديه سبعين الف سيئة.

Abū Muḥammad ʿAbdūs b. ʿAlī b. al-ʿAbbās al-Jurjānī narrated to us at his house in Samarkand, saying that Abū’l-ʿAbbās Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad b. Marzūq al-Saʿrānī informed him among others, saying that ʿAbd Allāh b. Saʿīd al-Ṭaʿī narrated to him among others, saying that ʿAbbād b. Ṣuhayb narrated to him among others, from Hishām b. Ḥayyān, from al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (as), who has stated: “ʿĀʾisha has narrated, at the end of a long narration about the middle night (of Shaʿbān), that the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) said: “It was in this night that my beloved Jibraʿīl (as) came to me, saying to me: “O’ Muḥammad, inform your community that on the fifteenth night of Shaʿbān, any given one of them should perform a prayer of ten units, and in each unit recite the Opening Chapter of the Book (i.e., Sūrat al-Fātiḥa), and then (the chapter that begins with) ﴾Say, "He is Allāh, [Who is] One"﴿ [112:1] ten times. And then he should prostrate himself (to Allāh) and say: “O’ Allāh, to You I prostrate with my body, soul, and manifest being, o’ Exalted One more exalted than any other exalted thing, forgive me my cardinal sin, for there is none other than You to forgive, o’ Exalted One.” If he does that, Allāh (azwj) will erase seventy-two thousand sins from his record, and write seventy-two thousand good deeds in their place like them, and Allāh (azwj) will also erase seventy-two thousand sins from the record of his parents.”

حدثنا أبو أحمد محمد بن جعفر بن بندار الشافعي، قال: حدثنا أبو العبّاس الحماري جعفر بن بندار الشافعي، قال: حدثنا أبو عبد الله محمد بن إبراهيم بن زياد الرازي بمكّة، قال: حدثنا علي بن الأزهر الأهوازي، قال: حدثنا فضل بن عيّاض، عن ليث، عن نافع، عن عمر بن حمر، أن النبي (صلى الله عليه وآله) كان يصل شعبان بشهر رمضان.

Abū Aḥmad Muḥammad b. Jaʿfar b. Bandar al-Shāfiʿī narrated to us, saying that Abū’l-ʿAbbās al-Ḥimārī—whose real name was Jaʿfar b. Bandar al-Shāfiʿī—narrated to him among others, saying that Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Ziyād al-Rāzī narrated to him among others in Mecca, saying that ʿAlī b. al-Azhar al-Ahwāzī narrated to him among others, saying that Faḍl b. ʿAyyāḍ narrated to him among others, from Layth, from Nāfiʿ, from ʿUmar b. Ḥamar, that the Holy Prophet (sawa) used to connect his fasting in Shaʿbān to that in the month of Ramaḍān.

حدثنا أبو أحمد محمد بن جعفر بن بندار الشافعي، قال: حدثنا أبو حامد أحمد بن إسحاق الهروي، قال: حدثنا أبو جعفر أحمد بن يحيى بن زهر الشهري، قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن محمد بن يحيى، بن أبي بكر، قال: حدثنا عمرو بن عبد الغفّار، قال: حدثنا سفيان الثوري، عن صفوان بن سليمان، عن عائشة، قالت: ما رأيت رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) يصوم في شهر أكثر ما كان يصوم من شعبان.

Abū Aḥmad Muḥammad b. Jaʿfar b. Bandar al-Shāfiʿī narrated to us, saying that Abū Ḥāmid Aḥmad b. Isḥāq al-Harawī narrated to him among others, saying that Abū Jaʿfar Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā b. Zahr al-Shahrī narrated to him among others, saying that ʿAbd Allāh b. Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā b. Abī Bakr narrated to him among others, saying that ʿAmrū b. ʿAbd al-Ghaffār narrated to him among others, saying that Sufyān al-Thawrī narrated to him among others, from Ṣafwān b. Sulaymān, from ʿĀʾisha, who said: “I did not see the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) fasting more often in any month than he would in the month of Shaʿbān.”

حدثنا أبو أحمد الحسين بن أحمد بن حمويه بن عبيد النيشابوري الوراق، قال: حدثنا محمد بن حمدون بن خالد، قال: حدثنا الربيع بن سليمان، قال: حدثنا ابن وهب، قال: أخبرني ابن أبي لهيعة، ومالك بن أنس وعمرو بن الحرث، أخبرنا النصر حدثني عن أبي سلمة بن عبد الرحمن، عن عائشة زوجة النبي (صلى الله عليه وآله) قالت: ما رأيت رسول الله (صلى الله عليه وآله) في شهر أكثر صياماً منه في شعبان.

Abū Aḥmad al-Ḥusayn b. Aḥmad b. Ḥamūwayh b. ʿUbayd al-Nīshābūrī al-Warrāq narrated to us, saying that Muḥammad b. Ḥamdūn b. Khālid narrated to him among others, saying that al-Rabīʿ b. Sulaymān narrated to him among others, saying that Ibn Wahb narrated to him among others, saying that Ibn Abī Lahīʿa, Mālik b. Anas, and ʿAmrū b. al-Ḥārth informed him, and so did al-Naṣr inform him among others, saying that Abū Salama b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrated to him, from ʿĀʾisha, the wife of the Holy Prophet (sawa), who said: “I did not see the Messenger of Allāh (sawa) fasting more often in any month than he did in Shaʿbān.”