27th Rajab: Significance and Recommended Acts

The month of Rajab holds a distinct spiritual rank in the Islamic calendar. As narrated by Prophet Muhammad, “Rajab is a glorious month. Allah doubles good deeds and wipes the sins in this month.” [Thawab al-Aamal, p 85]

But among the days of this blessed month, the 27th holds special significance.

The Significance of 27th Rajab

There are multiple narrations from the Imams of Ahlulbayt that highlight the importance of 27th Rajab.

According to one narration, Hasan ibn Rashid, a reliable companion of Imam al-Sadiq, once asked the Imam if there are any Eids besides the well-known ones.

The Imam replied:

“Yes, Indeed, the most noble and the most excellent of them all is the day on which the Messenger of Allah was commissioned, and it is the twenty-seventh of the blessed month of Rajab.”

[Misbah al-Mutahajjid, vol.2, p 820; Al-Iqbal, vol.3, p. 270; Zad al- Ma’ad, p. 37]

There’s also a narration from Imam Muhammad al-Jawad where he said:

“There is a night in Rajab which is better for people than what the sun has risen upon – it is the twenty-seventh night of Rajab. In its morning the Prophet was sent (appointed), and for one who works (devotional acts) on it from among our Shia, his reward is like sixty years of deed.”

[Iqbal al-Amal, vol. 3, p. 266]

Why Must One Observe 27th Rajab?

27th Rajab symbolizes the restoration of divine guidance to a world overshadowed by ignorance, injustice, and moral corruption. For this reason, it is not merely a celebration of a historical milestone; it is a reminder of the spiritual responsibility of every believer to uphold the values of truth, justice, and piety.

Observing Eid al-Mab’ath is a means of expressing gratitude for Allah’s guidance and renewing one’s commitment to the values brought by the Prophet.

On this day, it is important to engage in acts of worship and remembrance that align believers’ hearts with the purpose of the prophetic mission and help renew spiritual consciousness.

Recommended Acts for 27th Rajab

The Imams of Ahlulbayt and scholars have recommended a number of devotional acts for observing the twenty-seventh of Rajab, the Day of Mab’ath. Here are the five of the most recommended ones:

1. Fasting

27th Rajab is one of the four days of the year for which fasting carries great virtue and abundant reward [Misbah al-Mujtahid, vol. 2, p. 820].

Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq is reported to have said that fasting on the 27th of Rajab carries the reward equivalent to seventy years of fasting [Al-Amali of Shaykh al-Saduq].
Shaykh al-Saduq has also mentioned in the book Thawab al-Aʿmal that the Prophet said:

“Whoever fasts twenty-seven days of Rajab, Allah will expand his grave for him by a distance of four hundred years, and will fill all of that with musk and amber.”

2. Salawat (Blessings on the Prophet and Ahlulbayt)

Abundant recitation of salawat is another recommended act for the day of Mab’ath.
In the narration transmitted by Shaykh al-Tusi from al-Hasan ibn Rashid, it is reported that when Imam Jafar al-Sadiq was asked about what should be done on the day the Messenger of Allah was commissioned, he replied:

“You should fast and increase the sending of blessings upon Muhammad and his family.”
[Misbah al-Mutahajjid, vol.2, p 820]

Reciting salawat on this day is a means of expressing devotion and loyalty to the Prophet’s divine mission and reinforces the spiritual bond with the Ahlulbayt.

3. 12-Unit Prayer

The prayer of 27th Rajab has been transmitted through multiple chains from the Imams. While the narrations agree on the number of units (rak’ahs) to be twelve, they differ slightly in the specific recitations.

Prayer of the Night of 27th Rajab:

It is narrated from Imam Muhammad al-Jawad in Misbah al-Mutahajjid that he said:
When you have prayed the night prayer (Isha), go to bed. Then wake up at any hour of the night and perform:

• Twelve rakʿahs, in units of two rakʿahs each.
• In each rakʿah, recite Surah al-Fatiḥah followed by a short surah of your choice.

After every two rakʿahs, recite the following (7 times each):

• Surah al-Fatiha
• Surah al-Tawhid
• Surah al-Kafirun
• Surah al-Falaq
• Surah al-Nas
• Surah al-Qadr
• Ayat al-Kursi

Then recite the following supplication:

الحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذَ وَلَداً وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي المُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ وَلِيُّ مِنَ الذُّلِّ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيراً اللّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِمَعاقِدِ عِزِّكَ عَلى أَرْكانِ عَرْشِكَ وَمُنْتَهى الرَّحْمَةِ مِنْ كِتابِكَ وَبِاسْمِكَ الأعْظَمِ الأعْظَمِ الأَعْظَمِ وَذِكْرِكَ الاَعْلى الاَعْلى الاَعْلى وَبِكَلِماتِكَ التَّامَّاتِ أَنْ تُصَلِّي عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِهِ وَأَنْ تَفْعَلَ بِي ما أَنْتَ أَهْلُهُ.

Transliteration: Al-ḥamdu lillāhi alladhī lam yattakhidh waladan, wa lam yakun lahu sharīkun fī al-mulk, wa lam yakun lahu waliyyun mina al-dhull, wa kabbirhu takbīrā.
Allāhumma innī asʾaluka bimaʿāqidi ʿizzika ʿalā arkāni ʿarshik, wa muntahā al-raḥmati min kitābik, wa bi-smika al-aʿẓami al-aʿẓami al-aʿẓam, wa dhikrika al-aʿlā al-aʿlā al-aʿlā, wa bi-kalimātika al-tāmmāt, an tuṣalliya ʿalā Muḥammadin wa ālih, wa an tafʿala bī mā anta ahluh.

Translation: All praise belongs to Allah, who has not taken a son, who has no partner in sovereignty, and who has no protector arising from weakness—so magnify Him with full glorification. O Allah, I ask You by the bindings of Your might upon the pillars of Your Throne, by the utmost reach of mercy from Your Book, by Your Greatest Name—the Greatest, the Greatest, by Your Highest Remembrance—the Highest, the Highest, and by Your perfect words:
that You send blessings upon Muhammad and his family, and that You deal with me in the manner befitting You.

Prayer for the Day of 27th Rajab:

It is narrated from Rayyan ibn Salt that when Imam Muhammad al-Jawad was in Baghdad, he fasted on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and instructed those with him to perform a prayer on this day.

The prayer, found in Misbah al-Mutahajjid, is performed as follows:

• Perform twelve rakʿahs, in units of two.
• In each rakʿah, recite Surah al-Fatiḥah followed by another surah of the Quran.
• After completing the prayer, recite four times each:
  • Surah al-Fatiḥah
  • Surah al-Tawḥid
  • Surah al-Falaq
  • Surah al-Nas

Then say four times:

لا إلهَ إلا الله، واللهُ أكبر، وسبحانَ الله، والحمدُ لله، ولا حولَ ولا قوةَ إلا بالله العليّ العظيم

Followed by four times:

الله الله رَبِّي لا أُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئاً

And then finally four times:

لا أُشْرِكُ بِرَبِّي أَحَداً

4. Ghusl

A number of scholars have recommended performing ghusl on the 27th of Rajab.

This act symbolizes spiritual purification and readiness to commemorate the day of the Prophet’s divine appointment, and is considered part of the noble acts of worship.

Additional Recommendations:

In addition to these specific acts, there are also specific supplications prescribed for the night and the day of 27th Rajab, recorded in classical books of a’mal.