Chapter: The prohibition of starting to fast before Ramadan after the middle of Shaʿbān—except for someone who links those days to what came before, or whose regular practice coincides with that date, such as a person who habitually fasts on Mondays and Thursdays and the day in question happens to fall on one of them.

1224 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “None of you should precede Ramadan by fasting one or two days, unless it is a man who ordinarily keeps a particular fast; in that case let him fast that day.” Agreed upon.

1225 - Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Do not fast before Ramadan; rather, begin the fast when you sight the new moon and end it when you sight it. If a cloud obscures it, then complete thirty days.” Reported by al-Tirmidhī, who classified it as ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ (sound and authentic).
(The word al-ghiyāyah—spelled with ghayn and a twice-occurring dot-below yāʾ—means “a cloud.”)

1226 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When half of Shaʿbān remains, do not fast.” Reported by al-Tirmidhī, who deemed it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.

1227 - Abu al-Yaqẓān ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Whoever fasts …”