Ma Wadaha wastabana fi Fadail Shahr Shaban
- Author died
- 633 AH
- Editions
- مكتبة أضواء السلف
Ma Wadaha wastabana fi Fadail Shahr Shaban (What Has Been Made Clear and Evident Regarding the Virtues of the Month of Sha'ban) is a treatise by the Andalusian scholar Ibn Dihya (d. 633 AH / 1235 CE) dedicated to evaluating the traditions and practices associated with the month of Sha'ban .
Subject Matter and Arguments
In the work, Ibn Dihya critically examines the narrations transmitted regarding the virtues of the month of Sha'ban and particularly the night of mid-Sha'ban (Laylat al-Nisf min Sha'ban) . Citing the authorities of hadith criticism (ahl al-ta'dil wa-l-tajrih), he maintains that none of the specific hadiths regarding mid-Sha'ban are authentic . He cautions Muslims against fabricated narrations circulated under the guise of piety, arguing that religious devotion must be grounded in what has been legislated by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
Ibn Dihya strongly censures several ritual innovations that became attached to the mid-Sha'ban observance . In particular, he condemns the practice of lighting bonfires and lanterns (al-waqid) during that night, attributing its historical origin to the era of the Barmakids and comparing it to Zoroastrian fire rituals . He also notes the prohibition of unlawful mixing between men and women that accompanied such gatherings and called upon rulers and scholars to suppress these practices . Instead, he explains that the established merit of Sha'ban in authentic Sunnah consists in fasting during its days, following the practice of the Prophet ﷺ who fasted for most of the month .
Reception and Publication
Passages and conclusions from the treatise were transmitted and cited by later scholars, including Abu Shamah al-Maqdisi in his work on ritual innovations . The text was edited by Jamal Azzun and published by Maktabat Adwa' al-Salaf in Riyadh in 1424 AH / 2003 CE .
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