Which Islamic month comes immediately before Ramadan?

Sha'ban is the Islamic month immediately before Ramadan.

It is the eighth month of the Hijri calendar, while Ramadan is the ninth. Sha'ban therefore serves as the final lunar month before the annual fasting month begins. Since Islamic months follow the lunar cycle, Sha'ban can occur in different seasons of the Gregorian calendar from year to year.

Several traditions connect Sha'ban with extra voluntary fasting and preparation for Ramadan. The 15th night, known in some communities as Laylat al-Bara'ah or Nisf Sha'ban, is observed in different ways across Muslim societies; it is not a universal substitute for Ramadan practices.

Sha'ban is sometimes confused with Shawwal, but Shawwal follows Ramadan and contains Eid al-Fitr. Rajab is also a month in the Islamic calendar, but it occurs earlier, as the seventh month. The sequence is Rajab, Sha'ban, Ramadan, then Shawwal.