Sha'ban


Sha'ban is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the month of "separation", so called because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water.
The fifteenth night of this month is known as the "Night of Records". However, observance of this day is disputed.
Sha'ban is the last lunar month before Ramadan, and so Muslims determine in it when the first day of Ramadan fasting will be.
In the post-Tanzimat Ottoman Empire context, the word was, in French, the main language of diplomacy and a common language among educated and among non-Muslim subjects, spelled as Cha'ban. The current Turkish spelling today is Şaban.

Timing

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, Sha'ban migrates throughout the seasons. The estimated start and end dates for Sha'ban, based on the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia, are:
AHFirst day Last day
143917 April 201815 May 2018
14406 April 20195 May 2019
144125 March 202023 April 2020
144214 March 202112 April 2021
14434 March 20221 April 2022
144421 February 202322 March 2023

Islamic events