*The Ruling on Fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban* *Question:* Is fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban recommended (*mustahab*)? If so, what is the evidence for this? *Answer:* Fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban is indeed recommended (*mustahab*), and this is established through a *ḥadīth*. Although the *ḥadīth* is weak (*ḍa‘īf*), there is allowance to act upon weak *ḥadīths* in matters of virtues (*faḍā’il*) without strict adherence to their authenticity, provided they meet certain conditions. These conditions are detailed in the treatise *"Al-Juz’ al-Laṭīf fī al-Istidlāl bi al-Ḥadīth al-Ḍa‘īf”.* *Relevant Ḥadīth:* Narrated by ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: *“When it is the night of mid-Sha‘ban, stand in prayer during its night and fast during its day. For Allah descends to the lowest heaven at sunset and says: ‘Is there anyone seeking forgiveness that I may forgive him? Is there anyone seeking provision that I may provide for him? Is there anyone afflicted that I may grant him relief?’ This continues until dawn.”* *(Reported by Ibn Mājah, p. 99, Chapter on the Night of Mid-Sha‘ban; and Al-Bayhaqī in Shu‘ab al-Īmān, 3:378, Ḥadīth 3822).* Among the entire corpus of *ḥadīth*, only this narration explicitly mentions fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban. However, scholars of *ḥadīth* (*muḥaddithīn*) have extensively critiqued it and authored independent treatises on the topic. Despite its weakness, it cannot be dismissed as fabricated (*mawḍū‘*). *Statement of the Esteemed Scholar, Maulānā Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān al-A‘ẓamī:* “The *ḥadīth* regarding fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban in *Sunan Ibn Mājah* is not fabricated. No expert in *ḥadīth* has classified it as such. To claim its fabrication based on the wording in *Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī* reflects ignorance. While the chain includes Abū Bakr ibn Abī Sabrah—who is accused of fabricating *ḥadīths*—this does not prove the specific *ḥadīth* in question is fabricated. Weakness in the chain only renders the *ḥadīth* weak (*ḍa‘īf*), not fabricated.” *(Majallah al-Ma’āthir, 1995, pp. 29–70).* He further refuted those who claim fabrication in detail (*Majallah al-Ma’āthir, 1995, pp. 68–74*). In *Al-Fatāwā al-Hindiyyah*: “Recommended fasts include the fast of Muḥarram, the fast of Rajab, and the fast of Sha‘ban...” *(Al-Fatāwā al-Hindiyyah, 1:202).* *In Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh):* “Fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban and the six fasts of Shawwāl are also Sunnah. The *ḥadīth* mentions fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban, worshipping during its night, and visiting graves to pray for the deceased.” *(Islamic Jurisprudence, 1:417).* *Statement of Mufti Taqī Uthmānī:* “Scholarly confirmations regarding the recommendation of fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban.” *Hanafī Scholars:* - *Ḥakīm al-Ummat Mujaddid al-Millat, Maulānā Ashraf ‘Alī Thānvī* (may Allah sanctify his soul): *“Fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban is recommended.”* *(Zawāl al-Sunnah, p. 10).* - *Muftī Muḥammad Shafī‘* (former Grand Mufti of Pakistan) included it among recommended acts for the 15th of Sha‘ban. - *‘Allāmah Quṭb al-Dīn al-Muḥaddith al-Dihlawī* listed it in his commentary *Maẕāhir al-Ḥaqq* (2:364). *Mālikī Scholars:* - *Al-Dardīr al-Mālikī* states in *Sharḥ al-Ṣaghīr ‘alā Aqrab al-Masālik*: *“Fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban is recommended.”* *(1:692, Chapter on Fasting).* *Ḥanbalī Scholars:* - *Ibn al-Jawzī* (as cited by Al-Mardāwī in *Al-Inṣāf*): *“Fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban is highly emphasized.”* - *Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī*: *“The ruling on fasting the 15th of Sha‘ban is specifically established.”* *(Excerpt from Muftī Taqī Uthmānī’s treatise: Ḥaqīqat-e Shab-e Barā’at, pp. 74–77).* *Additional Evidence:* The general recommendation to fast the “White Days” (*ayyām al-bīḍ*: 13th, 14th, and 15th of each lunar month) further supports fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban. ‘Allāmah Sharnūbālī in *Marāqī al-Falāḥ*: *“Any fast established by the Sharī‘ah with a promise of reward is recommended. Since there is a narration about fasting on the 15th of Sha‘ban, it is deemed recommended.”* *(Marāqī al-Falāḥ, p. 230, Beirut).* *وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ* *And Allah knows best.*