Loading...
06-Jun-2026 
Table of Contents
The 3rd of Sha’ban is the birth anniversary of Imam Hussain ibn Ali (as) — the third Imam, the grandson of the Prophet (s), the Master of Martyrs. His biography and the full account of his life are in our dedicated Wiladat post. What this guide addresses is the question of how to spend the day of his birthday in worship — because the tradition has transmitted specific acts for this day that carry their own character and their own reward.
What distinguishes the amaal of the 3rd of Sha’ban from ordinary Sha’ban worship is their tone. Imam Hussain’s (as) birth and martyrdom are inseparable in the tradition’s consciousness. Even on the day of his birth, the classical dua for this day uses language that looks toward what his birth was leading to: “the promised with martyrdom before the beginning of his lifetime and before his birth.” Joy and grief live together in the 3rd of Sha’ban, which is perhaps the most accurate reflection of who he was. (Misbah al-Mutahajjid, Shaykh al-Tusi)
Shaykh al-Tusi records in Misbah al-Mutahajjid that the representative of Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (as) received a written document stating that Imam Hussain (as) was born on the 3rd of Sha’ban, and that on this day one should observe a fast and recite a specific supplication. (Misbah al-Mutahajjid, Shaykh al-Tusi) Fasting on the Imam’s birthday is therefore not merely a general act of Sha’ban worship — it is a specifically narrated practice for this particular day, connected to the name of the Imam who was born on it.
Intend the fast before Fajr, for the sake of Allah and in honour of the third Imam, on the day of his birth.
The supplication recommended for this day is recorded in Misbah al-Mutahajjid (Shaykh al-Tusi) and is addressed to Imam Hussain (as) as part of a broader act of Ziyarat performed on his birthday. It contains the distinctive phrase:
نَشْهَدُ تُرْبَتَهُ وَنَنْتَظِرُ أَوْبَتَهُ
Transliteration: “Nashhadu turbatahu wa nantaziru awbatahu” — “We bear witness to his sacred soil and we await his return.”
This single line captures the devotion of the 3rd of Sha’ban precisely: standing at the Imam’s birth anniversary, holding the awareness of Karbala, and looking toward the promised return of what he stood for. The full text of this supplication is in Mafatih al-Jinan (Shaykh Abbas Qumi) under the amaal of the 3rd of Sha’ban.
Ibn Ayyash recorded that Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (as) was heard reciting the following supplication on the 3rd of Sha’ban — the birthday of Imam Hussain (as). This is the same prayer the Imam Hussain (as) is reported to have recited when the enemy forces surrounded him on the Day of Ashura, and its recitation on his birthday is therefore a form of spiritual companionship across time. (Bihar al-Anwar, Allama Majlisi)
It opens:
اَللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ مُتَعَالِي الْمَكَانِ عَظِيمُ الْجَبَرُوتِ
Transliteration: “Allahumma anta muta’ali al-makani, ‘azimu al-jabaruti” — “O Allah, You are verily the Exalted in position, the Magnificent in omnipotence.”
The full text of Dua al-Hussain is in Mafatih al-Jinan.
Performing Ziyarat of Imam Hussain (as) on his birthday — in Karbala for those who are there, or from a distance for those who are not — is among the acts most strongly associated with this day. The method for Ziyarat from a distance: go to an elevated place, face the direction of Karbala, raise your hands, and address the Imam with the Ziyarat text from Mafatih al-Jinan. The narrated reward for Ziyarat of Imam Hussain (as) is among the highest in the Shia tradition — honoring his birthday with this act is the most direct way to mark it.
Beyond the acts specific to the 3rd Sha’ban, the general Sha’ban worship continues throughout the day:
The Prophet (s) described Sha’ban as the month of seeking forgiveness for his community. Recite the following 70 times morning and evening:
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ
Transliteration: “Astaghfirullaha wa atubu ilayh” — “I seek Allah’s forgiveness and I turn repentantly to Him.”
Sha’ban’s central devotional act is salawat upon the Prophet (s) and his household — sending blessings abundantly and continuously throughout the month. The Imam born today, and every Imam, is among those the salawat honours. And Munajat Sha’baniyah — the whispered prayer transmitted from Imam Zayn al-Abidin (as) — is recommended for each night of this month, read with presence of heart rather than speed.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
Imam al-Sadiq (as) said that the best act in Sha’ban is charity — and that Allah nurtures what is given in this month until it becomes, on the Day of Resurrection, as great as Mount Uhud. Give what you can on this day, with the awareness that the Imam born today is the one who gave everything.
A four-unit prayer recommended throughout Sha’ban: in each rak’at, recite Surah al-Fatiha once followed by Surah al-Ikhlas fifty times. The Prophet (s) is reported to have said that whoever recites this prayer in Sha’ban will find their spirit taken with ease at death, their grave made spacious, and on the Day of Resurrection their face will be illuminated. (Misbah al-Mutahajjid, Shaykh al-Tusi)
The 3rd of Sha’ban asks something of the believer that few anniversaries ask: to hold celebration and grief simultaneously, to fast in honor of a birth that led to a martyrdom, and to recite the prayer of someone surrounded on the day he died as an act of love on the day he was born. This is not ordinary commemoration. It is the kind of remembrance that makes the remembered real.
For those whose love for Imam Hussain (as) calls them to Karbala — to the shrine on the same earth where he is buried — our 2026–2027 Iraq Ziyarat Packages are open throughout Sha’ban. There is no better place to observe his birthday than at the threshold where he rests.
Visit: www.ziaratplanner.com
06-Jun-2026 
06-Jun-2026 
06-Jun-2026 
06-Jun-2026