Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
This duaa “O Allah, bless us in Rajab and Shaban, and let us reach Ramadan” has a weak chain of narration and it was classified as weak by some scholars.
In his response to the question, Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Al-Munajjid, the prominent Saudi Islamic lecturer and author, stated:
Firstly:
There is no sahih (authentic) hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that speaks of the virtues of the month of Rajab.
Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “There is no authentic (sahih) hadith on the virtues of Rajab. The month of Rajab is not different from the month of Jumada al-Akhirah that comes before it, except that it is one of the sacred months only. Otherwise, there is no fasting that is prescribed in this month, and no prayer or Umrah or anything else that is prescribed. It is like all other months. (Liqa al-Bab al-Maftuh, 174/26)
Secondly:
Anas ibn Malik said, “When Rajab began, Allah’s Messenger Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “O Allah, bless us in Rajab and Shaban, and let us reach Ramadan.” (Ibn Hanbal, at-Tabarani and al-Bayhaqi)
But its isnad (narration chain) is weak and it was classed as weak by Imam An-Nawawi in al-Adhkar, Ibn Rajab in Lata’if al-Ma`arif and al-Albani in Da`if al-Jami`.
Moreover, the hadith – in addition to being weak – contains nothing to indicate that this should be said on the first night of the month of Rajab. Rather, it is a duaa that asks for blessing during that month in general terms, which is something that is valid to do in Rajab and also before Rajab.
Thirdly
With regard to the Muslim asking his Lord to let him reach Ramadan, there is nothing wrong with that. Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “Mu`alla ibn al-Fadl said, ‘They used to pray to Allah Almighty for six months asking Him to cause them to reach Ramadan, and they used to call upon Him for six months asking Him to accept it from them. Also, Yahya ibn Abi Kathir said, “One of their duaa’s was: ‘O Allah, keep me safe until Ramadan, keep Ramadan safe for me, and accept it from me.” (Lata’if al-Ma`arif)”
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.
Source: www.islamqa.info