٦ـ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الأَشْعَرِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ جَمِيعاً عَنْ صَفْوَانَ عَنِ ابْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) هَلْ صَامَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ آبَائِكَ شَعْبَانَ قَطُّ قَالَ صَامَهُ خَيْرُ آبَائِي رَسُولُ الله (صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه). عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنِ ابْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) مِثْلَهُ فَأَمَّا الَّذِي جَاءَ فِي صَوْمِ شَعْبَانَ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) عَنْهُ فَقَالَ مَا صَامَهُ رَسُولُ الله (صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَلا أَحَدٌ مِنْ آبَائِي قَالَ ذَلِكَ لأَنَّ قَوْماً قَالُوا إِنَّ صِيَامَهُ فَرْضٌ مِثْلُ صِيَامِ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَوُجُوبَهُ مِثْلُ وُجُوبِ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَإِنَّ مَنْ أَفْطَرَ يَوْماً مِنْهُ فَعَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْكَفَّارَةِ مِثْلُ مَا عَلَى مَنْ أَفْطَرَ يَوْماً مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَإِنَّمَا قَوْلُ الْعَالِمِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) مَا صَامَهُ رَسُولُ الله (صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) وَلا أَحَدٌ مِنْ آبَائِي (عَلَيْهِم السَّلاَم) أَيْ مَا صَامُوهُ فَرْضاً وَاجِباً تَكْذِيباً لِقَوْلِ مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ فَرْضٌ وَإِنَّمَا كَانُوا يَصُومُونَهُ سُنَّةً فِيهَا فَضْلٌ وَلَيْسَ عَلَى مَنْ لَمْ يَصُمْهُ شَيْ‏ءٌ.
6. Abu Ali al-Ash’ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar and Muhammad ibn Isma‘il from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan all from Safwan from ibn Muskan from al-Halabiy who has said the following: “Once, I asked abu ‘Abd Allah , ‘Had any of your ancestors ever fasted during the month of Sha‘ban?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘The best of my ancestors, the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, fasted in it.’” Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa ibn ‘Ubayd from Yunus from ibn Muskan from al-Halabiy from abu ‘Abd Allah , a similar Hadith. There are narrations about fasting in the month of al-Sha‘ban. He (the Imam) , was asked about it and he (the Imam) said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, did not fast (during the month of Sha‘ban) neither did any of my ancestors.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is because certain people said that fasting in the month of al-Sha‘ban is obligatory like fasting in the month of Ramadan. If one destroys one day of fasting of month of al-Sha‘ban, the expiation for it is like the expiation for destroying one day of fasting of the month of Ramadan. The words of the scholar , ‘The Messenger of Allah did not fast neither did any of my ancestors’ means they did not fast it as an obligatory fast. It was to refute what certain people thought it to be. Their fast was only as Sunnah in which there is virtue but it is not harmful to one who does not fast. 