A Sunnah We Forgot, While Hunger Became Normal - Light Upon Light by IslamiCity - Episode 42

In a world overwhelmed by noise, urgency, and crisis, there is a quiet month in the Islamic calendar that teaches us how to slow down and feel again.

A month many people pass without notice. A month the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not. That month is Sha'ban.

Before Ramadan arrived with its routines and expectations, the Prophet ﷺ was already fasting. Already worshipping. Already preparing his heart for Allah.

Aisha (رضي الله عنها) said:

"I never saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ fast more in any month than he fasted in Sha'ban." (Bukhari and Muslim)

This was not accidental. Sha'ban was intentional.

A Neglected Month for a Neglected World

When Usama ibn Zayd asked the Prophet ﷺ why he fasted so much in Sha'ban, the answer was profound:

"That is a month people neglect, between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which deeds are raised to the Lord of the Worlds, and I love that my deeds be raised while I am fasting." (An-Nasa'i)

Sha'ban is the space between anticipation and action. Between preparation and fulfillment. And in that space, the Prophet ﷺ chose fasting.

But fasting in Islam was never meant to be empty hunger.

It was meant to awaken the heart.

Today, we live in a time where neglect is not only spiritual, it is humanitarian. Entire nations are overlooked, reduced to numbers and headlines.

In Gaza, families break fasts with whatever they can find. In Sudan, hunger is not seasonal, it is constant. Children learn the meaning of patience before they learn the meaning of choice.

Allah warns us clearly:

"Have you seen the one who denies the religion? That is the one who repulses the orphan and does not encourage the feeding of the poor." (Surah Al-Ma'un 107:1-3)

Faith is not denied by disbelief alone. It is denied by indifference.

Fasting That Softens, Not Hardens

The Prophet ﷺ taught us that true belief is inseparable from concern for others. He said:

"He is not a believer whose stomach is filled while the neighbor to his side goes hungry."

Sha'ban teaches us that voluntary fasting is a rehearsal, not a performance. It prepares us to recognize hunger beyond our own bodies.

For many of us, fasting ends at sunset. For others, hunger does not.

This is where feeding the fasting becomes more than charity. It becomes worship.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Whoever feeds a fasting person will have a reward like his, without that person's reward being reduced in the slightest." (Tirmidhi)

Imagine the mercy in that promise.

A person in Gaza breaks their fast because you gave. A family in Sudan eats because you remembered. And Allah grants you the reward as if you stood in that hunger beside them.

The Qur'an and the Table of Mercy

Allah praises those who give even when they themselves feel need:

"They give food, despite their love for it, to the poor, the orphan, and the captive, saying: 'We feed you only for the sake of Allah. We desire from you neither reward nor thanks.'" (Surah Al-Insan 76:8-9)

This verse captures the spirit of Sha'ban.

Quiet giving. Sincere intention. No applause required.

The Prophet ﷺ was known to be the most generous of people, and his generosity increased as Ramadan approached. His fasting in Sha'ban was paired with mercy, service, and concern for others.

From Hunger to Hope

As we fast in Sha'ban today, we are invited to ask ourselves an uncomfortable question:

Can our hunger move us to action?

Can our preparation for Ramadan include preparing relief for those who may not survive to see it?

This is why campaigns like Feeding the Fasting by HADI Relief matter. They transform worship into lifelines. They allow our voluntary hunger to meet someone else's forced hunger with dignity.

When we give, we are not only feeding bodies. We are reviving a Sunnah. We are refusing neglect. We are standing where the Prophet ﷺ stood.

When Deeds Are Raised

Sha'ban is the month when deeds are raised to Allah.

What a beautiful moment it would be if, among our fasting, Allah finds that we also fed His servants. That our worship extended beyond ourselves. That our faith was visible at the table, not just on the prayer mat.

As we prepare for Ramadan, let Sha'ban change us first.

Let it soften our hearts. Let it open our hands. Let it remind us that some people fast by choice, and others have no choice at all.

May Allah accept our fasting, multiply our charity, and allow us to be among those who feed others for His sake alone.