Fasting in the month of Rajab

Is there any special virtue in fasting during the month of Rajab?.

Praise be to Allaah.




Firstly:

The month of Rajab is
one of the sacred months of which Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“Verily, the number of
months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by
Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four
are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the
Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves
therein”


[al-Tawbah 9:36]


The sacred months are: Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and
Muharram.


Al-Bukhaari (4662) and Muslim (1679) narrated from Abu Bakrah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “The year is twelve months, of which four are
sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram,
and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaada and Sha’baan.


These months are called sacred for two reasons:


1-
Because fighting therein is
forbidden unless initiated by the enemy


2-
Because transgression of the
sacred limits therein is worse than at other times.


Hence Allaah has forbidden us to commit sins during these
months, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“wrong not yourselves
therein”

[al-Tawbah 9:36]


Although committing sins is haraam and forbidden during these
months and at other times, in these months it is more forbidden.


Al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said (p. 373):


In the phrase “wrong not
yourselves therein”,
the pronoun may be understood as referring to twelve months. Allaah states
that He has made them a measure of time for His slaves, which they may use
for worshipping Him, and thank Allaah for His blessings, and they serve the
interests of His slaves, so beware of wronging yourselves therein.


The pronoun may also be understood as referring to the four
sacred months, and this forbids them to wrong themselves in those months in
particular, as well as it being forbidden to do wrong at all times, because
it is more forbidden at this time, but it is worse at this time than at
others. End quote.


Secondly:


With regard to fasting the month of Rajab, there is no saheeh
hadeeth to indicate that there is any special virtue in fasting all or part
of this month.


What some people do, singling out some days of Rajab for
fasting, believing that they are better than others, has no basis in
sharee’ah.


But there is a report from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) which indicates that it is mustahabb to
fast during the sacred months (and Rajab is one of the sacred months). The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fast some
days of the sacred months and not others.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2428;
classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in Da’eef Abi
Dawood.


Even if this hadeeth were saheeh, it indicates that it is
mustahabb to fast during the sacred months. So if a person fasts during
Rajab because of this, and he also fasts in the other sacred months, there
is nothing wrong with that. But singling out Rajab for fasting is not
right.


Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa
(25/290):


As for fasting in Rajab in particular, the ahaadeeth
concerning that are all da’eef (weak), and in fact mawdoo’ (fabricated). The
scholars do not rely on any of them. They are not among the da’eef ahaadeeth
which have been narrated concerning virtues, rather most of them are
fabricated and false. In al-Musnad
and elsewhere there is a hadeeth which says that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined fasting the sacred months, namely
Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, but this has to do with
fasting during all of them, not just Rajab. End quote.


Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:


Every hadeeth which mentions fasting in Rajab and praying
during some of its nights is false and fabricated.” End quote from
al-Manaar al-Muneef,
p. 96


Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in
Tabyeen al-‘Ajab (p.
11)


There is no saheeh hadeeth that would count as evidence which
speaks of the virtue of the month of Rajab, or that speaks of fasting this
month or part of it, or of spending any particular night of it in prayer.


Shaykh Sayyid Saabiq (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
Fiqh al-Sunnah
(1/282):


Fasting in Rajab is no better than fasting in any other
month, except that it is one of the sacred months. There is no report in
the saheeh Sunnah to suggest that there is anything special about fasting in
this month. Whatever has been narrated concerning that is not fit to be
quoted as evidence. End quote.


Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked about fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that night
in prayer. He replied:


Fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that
night in prayer is a bid’ah (innovation), and every bid’ah is a going
astray. End quote.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn
‘Uthaymeen, 20/440.