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Fifth: It is recommended to offer a two unit prayer each Thursday in Sha’ban. In each unit, it is recommended to recite Surah al-Faatehah once and repeat Surah al-Tawheed one hundred times. After accomplishment, one should invoke God’s blessings upon the Holy Prophet and his Household one hundred times. This rite achieves the granting of all worldly and religious needs. It is also recommended to observe fasting on Thursdays in Sha’ban. In this respect, a Hadith reads that the skies decorate themselves each Thursday in Sha’ban and the angels pray Almighty Allah, saying, “O our God, (please do) forgive those who observe fasting on this day and respond to their prayers.”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) is also reported as saying, “If one observes fasting each Monday and Thursday in Sha’ban, Almighty Allah will grant forty of his needs - twenty appertained to the worldly life and twenty to the Hereafter.”
Sixth: It is recommended to repeat very much the invocation of blessings upon the Holy Prophet and his Household.
Seventh: It is recommended to say the following form of invocation of blessings upon the Holy Prophet and his Household that is reported from Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sajjad (i.e. Imam Zayn al-’Abidin) each midday in Sha’ban and at the fifteenth night of it:
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
O Allah, (please do) send blessings to Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad;
شَجَرَةِ النُّبُوَّةِ
the tree of Prophethood,
وَ مَوْضِعِ الرِّسَالَةِ
the trustees of the (Divine) Mission,
وَ مُخْتَلَفِ الْمَلَاۤئِكَةِ
the frequently visited by the angels,
وَ مَعْدِنِ الْعِلْمِ
the core of knowledge,
وَ اَهْلِ بَيْتِ الْوَحْيِ
and the Household of the Divine Revelation.
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
O Allah, (please do) send blessings to Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
۟اِلْفُلْكِ الْجَارِيَةِ فِي اللُّجَجِ الْغَامِرَةِ
the sailing ships through the abysmal waves.
يَأْمَنُ مَنْ رَكِبَهَا
He who embarks on will be saved
وَ يَغْرَقُ مَنْ تَرَكَهَا
but he who abandons will be drowned.
اَلْمُتَقَدِّمُ لَهُمْ مَارِقٌ
He who precedes them will miss the Right Path
وَ الْمُتَاَخِّرُ عَنْهُمْ زَاهِقٌ
and he who misses them will lose,
وَ اللَّازِمُ لَهُمْ لَاحِقٌ
but he who adheres to them will win.
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
O Allah, (please do) send blessings to Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
۟اِلْكَهْفِ الْحَصِيْنِ
the impregnable shelter,
وَ غِيَاثِ الْمُضْطَرِّ الْمُسْتَكِيْنِ
the succorers of the helpless, distressed ones,'
وَ مَلْجَاِ الْهَارِبِيْنَ
the haven of the fugitives,
وَ عِصْمَةِ الْمُعْتَصِمِيْنَ
and the asylum of those who seek refuge.
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
O Allah, (please do) send blessings to Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad
صَلَاةً كَثِيْرَةً تَكُوْنُ لَهُمْ رِضًى
so many blessings that please them
وَ لِحَقِّ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ اَدَاۤءً وَ قَضَاۤءً
and settle all (our) duties towards Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
بِحَوْلٍ مِنْكَ وَ قُوَّةٍ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ
by Your might and power, O Lo'rd of the worlds!
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
O Allah, (please do) send blessings to Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
۟اِلطَّيِّبِيْنَ الْاَبْرَارِ الْاَخْيَارِ
the pure, pious, and righteous
الَّذِيْنَ اَوْجَبْتَ حُقُوْقَهُمْ
whose rights have been made incumbent upon us by You
وَ فَرَضْتَ طَاعَتَهُمْ وَ وِلَايَتَهُمْ
and the obedience to whom and whose (divinely ordained) leadership have been (also) deemed obligatory upon us by You.
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
O Allah, (please do) send blessings to Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
وَ اعْمُرْ قَلْبِيْ بِطَاعَتِكَ
fill my heart with obedience to You,
وَ لَا تُخْزِنِيْ بِمَعْصِيَتِكَ
do not disgrace me due to my acts of disobedience to You,
وَ ارْزُقْنِيْ مُوَاسَاةَ مَنْ قَتَّرْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ رِزْقِكَ،
and grant me the feeling of sympathy towards those whom You have decided to straiten their sustenance
بِمَا وَسَّعْتَ عَلَيَّ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ
by means of Your favors that You have decided to make expansive for me
وَ نَشَرْتَ عَلَيَّ مِنْ عَدْلِكَ
and by means of that with which You have covered me out of Your fairness.
وَ اَحْيَيْتَنِيْ تَحْتَ ظِلِّكَ
Make me live under Your shade.
وَ هٰذَا شَهْرُ نَبِيِّكَ سَيِّدِ رُسُلِكَ
This is the month of Your Prophet and the Master of Your Messengers.
شَعْبَانُ الَّذِيْ حَفَفْتَهُ مِنْكَ بِالرَّحْمَةِ وَ الرِّضْوَانِ
It is Sha'ban, which You have encompassed with Your mercy and pleasure
الَّذِيْ كَانَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلِهِ وَ سَلَّمَ
and on which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his Household,
يَدْاَبُ فِيْ صِيَامِهِ وَ قِيَامِهِ
used to observe fasting painstakingly and used to spend it with acts of worship
فِيْ لَيَالِيْهِ وَ اَيَّامِهِ
on all of its days and nights
بُخُوْعًا لَكَ فِيْۤ اِكْرَامِهِ وَ اِعْظَامِهِ
on account of Your honoring and dignifying this month,
اِلٰى مَحَلِّ حِمَامِهِ
up to his death.
اَللّٰهُمَّ فَاَعِنَّا عَلَى الْاِسْتِنَانِ بِسُنَّتِهِ فِيْهِ
O Allah, (please do) help us follow the example of him (i.e. the Holy Prophet as regards the honoring of this month)
وَ نَيْلِ الشَّفَاعَةِ لَدَيْهِ
and help us attain his intercession for us.
اَللّٰهُمَّ وَ اجْعَلْهُ لِيْ شَفِيْعًا مُشَفَّعًا
O Allah, (please do) decide him as my interceder (before You) whose intercession for me is acceptable
وَ طَرِيْقًا اِلَيْكَ مَهْيَعًا
and as my clear path toward You,
وَ اجْعَلْنِيْ لَهُ مُتَّبِعًا
and make me follow him
حَتّٰى اَلْقَاكَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَنِّيْ رَاضِيًا
until I meet You on the Resurrection Day enjoying Your pleasure with me
وَ عَنْ ذُنُوْبِيْ غَاضِيًا
and Your overlooking my sins
قَدْ اَوْجَبْتَ لِيْ مِنْكَ الرَّحْمَةَ وَ الرِّضْوَانَ
and thus You will confer upon me with Your mercy and pleasure
وَ اَنْزَلْتَنِيْ دَارَ الْقَرَارِ وَ مَحَلَّ الْاَخْيَارِ۔
and allow me to reside in the Eternal Abode and the Place of the Righteous.