Sha'baan
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Sha'baan is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, which follows the lunar year. It falls between Rajab, which precedes it, and Ramadan, which follows it. Like the other months of the Islamic calendar, its length is either 29 or 30 days, depending on sighting of the new moon or astronomical calculation.
Because the lunar year is roughly ten days shorter than the solar year, Sha'baan gradually shifts through the seasons of the solar year over time. This means the month sometimes falls in summer and sometimes in winter, according to the Gregorian calendar.
Name and origin
The name 'Sha'baan' comes from an Arabic root meaning dispersal or scattering. Classical Arabic lexicographers connect it to an old practice in which people would disperse to seek water or engage in warfare after Rajab, a month in which fighting was traditionally forbidden.
Religious significance
Many Muslims view Sha'baan as a preparatory month for Ramadan. It is common to perform voluntary fasting during this month, and those who were unable to fast during Ramadan often make up those days before Sha'baan ends. Some schools of Islamic law recommend refraining from fasting on the final days of Sha'baan to distinguish the month from Ramadan.
The night of the middle of Sha'baan—known as the 'Night of Records' in Sha'baan—is observed by some Muslim communities with special prayers and supplications. Scholars and different schools of Islamic jurisprudence hold varying positions on the basis of hadith evidence for these practices, and as a result customs differ from region to region.
Determining the start of the month
The beginning of Sha'baan is determined by the same methods used for other Islamic calendar months: sighting of the new moon, astronomical calculation, or a combination of both. Because different countries and institutions use different methods, the date of the month's beginning can vary by a day between distant locations. The determination of Sha'baan directly affects the date on which Ramadan begins, since it is counted as 29 or 30 days of Sha'baan.