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Glite Dictionary
Sha'ban

Sha'ban

9.3
A month in the Islamic calendar that comes before Ramadan
  • noun
  • /ʃɑːˈbɑːn/
translation icon : Sha'ban
  • The month of Sha'ban is a time for Muslims to prepare for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.

Examples

  • Many people start their fasts in Sha'ban to increase spiritual awareness before Ramadan begins.

  • In his letter to Snouck Hurgronje of 12 Sha'ban 1326, al-Zawawi writes:

    Academic text (2018)

  • Yet this does not mean that the authorities will put up with "a foreign conspiracy" masquerading as public protests and "aimed at destabilizing Syria and the rest of the region," to use the words of Buthaina Sha'ban, Assad's advisor for political and media affairs.

    Academic text (2011)

  • During Sha'ban, it is common to see families gathering to discuss their plans for the Ramadan celebrations.

Synonyms

Shaaban
vsSha'ban
1 9.5

The eighth month of the Islamic calendar that comes before Ramadan

is the same month but spelled with double a to show vowel length
Shaban
vsSha'ban
8.2

The eighth month of the Islamic calendar before Ramadan

is the same month but spelled with an apostrophe and different transliteration

Surface Forms

Sha'ban singular
Sha'bans plural

Etymology

The word Sha'ban comes from the Arabic root sha'b, which means 'people' or 'branch'. A common story says people used to 'scatter' or travel in this month to find water, and that is why the name is used for the month before Ramadan.