From al-Sadiq Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father (AS), who said: Ali (AS) liked to keep himself free on four nights of the year: the first night of Rajab, the night of the Sacrifice, the night of the Fast-Breaking, and the night of the middle of Sha'ban. (Fada'il al-Ashhur, vol. 1, p. 46)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) liked to keep four nights of the year free for the worship of his Lord: the first night of Rajab, the night of the Feast of Sacrifice, the night of the Feast of Fast-Breaking, and the night of the middle of Sha'ban.
From Ali ibn al-Husayn, who said: By Him in whose hand is the soul of Ali ibn al-Husayn, I heard my father al-Husayn ibn Ali say: I heard the Commander of the Faithful (AS) say: Whoever fasts Sha'ban out of love for God's Prophet (PBUH) and to draw near to God, the Mighty and Exalted, God, the Mighty and Exalted, will love him, will bring him near to His honour on the Day of Resurrection, and will make Paradise binding for him. (Fada'il al-Ashhur, vol. 1, p. 61)
Imam al-Sajjad (AS) said: By Him in whose hand is my soul, I heard from my father al-Husayn (AS) that he used to say that the Commander of the Faithful (AS) had said: Whoever fasts the month of Sha'ban out of love for the Messenger of God (PBUH) and to draw near to God, God takes him as His beloved and brings him near to Himself, and makes Paradise binding for him.
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Fast the month of the Messenger of God (PBUH), and he will be an intercessor for you; and fast the month of God, and you will drink of the sealed nectar. He said: The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: Sha'ban is my month, and Ramadan is the month of God, the Mighty and Exalted. Whoever fasts my month, I shall be his intercessor on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever fasts the month of God, the Mighty and Exalted, God will console his desolation in the grave, keep company with his solitude, and he will come forth from his grave with his face shining white. (Fada'il al-Ashhur, vol. 1, p. 63)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: Fast the month of Sha'ban, which is the month of the Messenger of God, so that the Messenger of God may intercede for you; and fast Ramadan, which is the month of God, so that you may drink of the sealed nectar, that is, that you may become people of Paradise. I heard the Messenger of God (PBUH) say: Whoever fasts my month, I shall be his intercessor on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever fasts the month of God, God will be his companion and intimate friend in the grave, and he will be raised on the Day of Resurrection with his head held high.
From al-Sadiq Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his forefathers (peace be upon them), who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In the month of Ramadan take to abundant seeking of forgiveness and supplication. As for supplication, by it affliction is warded off from you; and as for seeking forgiveness, by it your sins are erased. (Fada'il al-Ashhur, vol. 1, p. 76)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: In the month of Ramadan supplicate and seek forgiveness abundantly. Supplication wards off calamities from you, and seeking forgiveness erases your sins.
Amr ibn Thabit ibn Hurmuz al-Haddad, from Sa'd ibn Zarif, from al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, who said: The Commander of the Faithful Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) said: A time will come upon people when the crescent moons will at times swell, so that the crescent appears as though it were two nights old, and at times be hidden, so that the first day of the month of Ramadan is not fasted and the day of the Feast is fasted at its end. So beware, beware at that time of God seizing you in a state of heedlessness, for behind that lies a swift death that snatches people away, so that a man rises in the morning safe and by evening is buried, and passes the evening alive and by morning is dead. When that time comes, it becomes necessary to make one's will in advance, before the affliction descends, and to perform the prayer at the beginning of its time for fear of missing it at the end of its time. Whoever of you reaches that time, let him not pass a single night except in a state of purity; and if he is able to be in no condition at all except in purity, let him do so, for he lives in dread, not knowing when the messenger of God will come to take his soul. I have warned you and made it known to you. (Fada'il al-Ashhur, vol. 1, p. 91)
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said: A time will come when the beginning of the month is lost, so that people do not fast the first day of Ramadan and unknowingly fast on the day of the Feast. In that age a sudden death will spread that snatches people away one by one. He who is well in the morning lies in the grave by night, and he who was well at night is found dead in his bed in the morning! If you live to see that time, make your wills beforehand, perform your prayers at the beginning of their time, and strive to be always in a state of ablution, or at the very least when you go to sleep. For sooner or later the angel of death will come for you as well! I have told you what I had to tell you.
From Harun ibn Muslim, from Mas'ada al-Raba'i, from al-Sadiq Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his forefathers (peace be upon them), who said: The Commander of the Faithful (AS) delivered a sermon on the first day of the month of Ramadan in the mosque of Kufa. He praised God with the most excellent, noblest and most eloquent praise, extolled Him with the finest laudation, and invoked blessings upon Muhammad His Prophet (PBUH). Then he said: O people, in this month the gates of heaven are opened, the call is heard in it, supplication is answered in it, and weeping is met with mercy in it. There is no day or night of this month in which goodness from God Almighty is not scattered down from heaven upon this community; and whoever obtains so much as a seed of God's scattered bounty, God makes Paradise his abode. It is a month in which God increases provisions and life spans, and in which the pilgrims to His House are recorded. O you who fast, consider your affair carefully, for in this month of yours you are the guest of your Lord. See that you are not asleep by night and heedless by day. O you who fast, draw near to God by reciting His Book by night and by day, for the Book of God will intercede on the Day of Resurrection for those who recite it, and by the recitation of its verses they will ascend the degrees of Paradise. So whoever fasts Ramadan in faith and seeking reward will enter Paradise. Then he said: I heard the most excellent of the prophets and messengers say: The master of the executors will be slain in the master of months. I said: O Messenger of God, what is the master of months, and who is the master of the executors? He said: As for the master of months, it is the month of Ramadan; and as for the master of the executors, it is you, O Ali. I said: O Messenger of God, will this indeed come to pass? He said: Yes, by my Lord! The most wretched of my community, the counterpart of the one who hamstrung the she-camel of Thamud, will rise up and strike you a blow upon the crown of your head from which your beard will be dyed. At this the people burst into weeping and wailing, so he (AS) cut short his sermon and descended. (Fada'il al-Ashhur, vol. 1, p. 107)
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: On the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan, the Commander of the Faithful (AS) ascended the pulpit in the mosque of Kufa and said: O people! In this month the gates of heaven are open, your call is heard, your supplication is answered, and your tears are effective. By night and by day in this month, kindness from God descends upon you from heaven; so whoever takes a share of it becomes one of the people of Paradise. This is a month in which provisions and life spans can be increased. In this month the provision for the Hajj is apportioned. O you who fast, be mindful that in this month you are the guest of your Lord! So rise for worship in the nights and beware of heedlessness in the days. O you who fast, do not neglect the recitation of the Qur'an by night and by day in this month, for the Qur'an intercedes on the Day of Resurrection for those who recite it, and the degrees of Paradise correspond to the verses of the Qur'an. So whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and seeking reward becomes one of the people of Paradise. Then he said: I heard the master of all creation (PBUH) say: The master of the executors will be martyred in the master of months. I asked what was meant. He said: What is meant is you, who in the month of Ramadan will have your beard dyed with the blood from the crown of your head! At this the sound of weeping and lamentation rose from the crowd. So the Commander of the Faithful (AS) cut short his words and came down from the pulpit.