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AnonymousPoster

08-05-2009, 02:35 PM

Is it Shabe baraat tonight? When are we suposed to fast and is is ok to keep just the one fast for shabe baraat?

'Abd-al Latif

08-05-2009, 06:33 PM

If the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us these acts of worship, then where is the evidence (daleel) for singling out the day of the Mi’raaj or any other day for fasting? If there were any evidence that it is prescribed to fast on these two days, no one would be able to say that fasting on these days is bid’ah. But what is apparent is that those who say this mean that fasting is an act of worship in general terms, so that if he fasts he has done an act of worship for which he will be rewarded, so long as it is not on one of the days when fasting is not allowed, such as on Eid. This would be correct if the person who is fasting did not single out a day which he believes is a day of virtue, such as the day of the Mi’raaj or the day of Shab-e-baraath. What makes this the matter of bid’ah is the fact that one is singling out these days. If there was any virtue in fasting these two days, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have fasted them, and he would have urged us to fast them. It is known that the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah were more keen to do good than we are; if they had known that there was any virtue in fasting these two days, they would have fasted them. Since we find no reports to that effect from them, we know that this is an innovated bid’ah, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Whoever does an action that is not a part of this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected,” i.e., it will be thrown back on the one who does it.

Fasting these two days is an action which we find no report of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoining, so it is to be rejected.

IslamQA.com

'Abd-al Latif

08-05-2009, 06:36 PM

Concerning the Islaamic Hijree date of 15th Sha'baan the Imaam, the 'Allaamah Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (rahima-hullaah) was asked:

We see some people specifying the 15th of Sha'baan with particular supplications and reciting the Qur'aan and performing naafilah prayers. So what is the correct position concerning this, and may Allaah reward you with good?

He responded as follows:

That which is correct is that fasting the 15th of Sha'baan or specifying it with reciting (the Qur'aan) or making (particular) supplications has no basis.

So the day of the 15th of Sha'baan is like any other 15th day of other months.

So from that which is known is that it has been legislated for a person to fast the 13th, 14th and 15th of every month, however, Sha'baan is characterised unlike the other months in that (except for Ramadhaan) the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) used to fast more in Sha'baan than any other month.

So he used to either fast all of Sha'baan or just a little.

Therefore, as long as it does not cause difficulty for a person, it is befitting to increase in fasting during Sha'baan in adherence to the example of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam).

fatwa-online.com

'Abd-al Latif

08-05-2009, 06:43 PM

Fasting on the day of the Mi’raaj and the day of Shab-e-baraath

Q.Is the following bid'ah?
1. praying more than 8 rak'ats in taraweeh?
2. fasting on the supposed day of mi'raj( for one who believes that that day is the day of mi'raj and for one who is sure that there is no specific date mentioned in hadeeth but he fasts on that day for the sake of Allah?)
3. fasting on the supposed day of shab'e baraath?
4. is it not bid'ah if some says that they are fasting it as a nafil fasting on the day of shab'e baraath?
some muslim brothers say that the extra prayers we pray after 8 rakat in taraweeh and the fasting on various days such as shabe baraath and mi'raj and meelad un nabi are not bid'ah, because these form of worship is taught to us by prophet(saw) and what is wrong in praying or fasting on any day (other than forbidden days and times).what is the ruling?
5.praying salat tasbeeh nafil? (100 times surat al ikhlas in every rakat)

A. Praise be to Allaah.

1 – Praying more than 8 rak’ahs in Taraaweeh is not considered to be bid’ah, on the condition that one does not single out certain nights for increasing the number, such as the last ten nights. The number of raka’hs during the last ten nights should be the same as the number during the other nights. The last ten nights should be characterized by making the rak’ahs longer.

2 – Fasting on the day which one believes to be the day of the Mi’raaj is not permissible, and comes under the heading of bid’ah. Even if a person is not sure, but he fasts this day for the sake of being on the safe side, it is as if he is saying, ‘If it is really the day of the Mi’raaj, then I will have fasted it, and if it is not, it will still be a good action that I have done, and if I will not be rewarded for it then I will not be punished.’ This attitude means that a person is committing bid’ah, and he is a sinner who deserves to be punished. But if his fast is not because it is the day of the Mi’raaj, but is rather because it is his habit to fast alternate days, or to fast Mondays and Thursdays, and that happens to coincide with the day known as the day of the Mi’raaj, there is nothing wrong with him fasting it with that intention, i.e., the intention of fasting on Monday or Thursday, or a day on which he usually fasts.

3,4 – What we have said about fasting on the day of the Mi’raaj also applies to fasting on the day of Shab-e-baraath. If any Muslim says that fasting on the day of the Mi’raaj or on the day of Shab-e-baraath is not bid’ah because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us these acts of worship, so what is wrong with fasting any day apart from the days on which it is haraam to fast? Our response to that is:

If the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us these acts of worship, then where is the evidence (daleel) for singling out the day of the Mi’raaj or any other day for fasting? If there were any evidence that it is prescribed to fast on these two days, no one would be able to say that fasting on these days is bid’ah. But what is apparent is that those who say this mean that fasting is an act of worship in general terms, so that if he fasts he has done an act of worship for which he will be rewarded, so long as it is not on one of the days when fasting is not allowed, such as on Eid. This would be correct if the person who is fasting did not single out a day which he believes is a day of virtue, such as the day of the Mi’raaj or the day of Shab-e-baraath. What makes this the matter of bid’ah is the fact that one is singling out these days. If there was any virtue in fasting these two days, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have fasted them, and he would have urged us to fast them. It is known that the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah were more keen to do good than we are; if they had known that there was any virtue in fasting these two days, they would have fasted them. Since we find no reports to that effect from them, we know that this is an innovated bid’ah, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does an action that is not a part of this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected,” i.e., it will be thrown back on the one who does it. Fasting these two days is an action which we find no report of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoining, so it is to be rejected.

5 – The “salat tasbeeh nafil” is to be regarded in the same way as the matter discussed above, in the fullest sense. Acts of worship that have no evidence (daleel) to support them are to be rejected. It has not been proven in the Book of Allaah or in the Sunnah of His Chosen Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that there is any prayer in which “Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad” is to be recited 100 times, so doing that is an innovated bid’ah for which the one who does it will be punished. And Allaah knows best.

Shaykh Sa’d al-Humayd

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/11086

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ducki

08-05-2009, 08:04 PM

I heard that tonight is shab e barat..

and i was told to fast tomorrow (15th of shaban)

i was just wondering, what i should read tonight and what reward is to fast tomorrow etc

basically just what shab e barat is all about

jazakaAllah :statisfie

Amat Allah

07-18-2011, 11:33 AM

Try to stay away from Bid`ah of Sha`baan

Bid‘ah of Sha‘baan

What is Shab e Baraat that is celebrated by many South Asian Muslims?

Praise be to Allaah.

Some Muslims celebrate the middle of Sha‘baan, fasting on that day and spending that night in prayer (qiyaam). There is a hadeeth concerning that which is not saheeh, hence the scholars regarded celebrating this day as an innovation (bid ‘ah).

Muhammad ‘Abd al-Salaam al-Shuqayri said: Imam al-Fatni said in Tadhkirat al-Mawdoo‘aat: Among the innovations that have been introduced on “Laylat an-Nusf” (mid-Sha‘baan) is al-Salaat al-Alfiyyah, which is one hundred rak‘ahs in which Soorat al-Ikhlaas is recited ten times in each rak‘ah, offered in congregation; they pay more attention to this than to Jumu‘ah and Eid prayers, although there is no report concerning it, except da‘eef (weak) and mawdoo‘ (fabricated) reports, and we should not be deceived by the fact that these reports were quoted by the authors of al-Qoot and al-Ihya’ and others, nor should we be deceived by what was mentioned in Tafseer al-Tha‘labi, that it is Laylat al-Qadr. End quote.

Al-‘Iraaqi said: The hadeeth about the prayer on Laylat al-Nisf (mid-Sha‘baan) is false. Ibn al-Jawzi narrated it in al-Mawdoo‘aat (which is a compilation of fabricated hadeeths):

Chapter on the hadeeth, prayer and supplication on Laylat al-Nisf:

The hadeeth, “When the night of ‘nisf Sha‘baan’ (mid-Sha‘baan) comes, spend the night in prayer and fast on that day” was narrated by Ibn Maajah from ‘Ali. Muhashiyyah said: (It was also narrated) in al-Zawaa’id. Its isnaad is da‘eef (weak) because of the weakness of Ibn Abi Basrah, of whom Ahmad and Ibn Ma‘een said: He fabricates hadeeth. End quote.

Praying six rak‘ahs on Laylat al-Nisf with the intention of warding off calamity, having a long life and being independent of people, and reciting Ya-Seen and offering du‘aa’ in between that -- there is no doubt that this is something that has been introduced into the religion and is contrary to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The commentator on al-Ihya’ said: This prayer is well known in the books of later Sufi masters, but I have not seen any saheeh report in the Sunnah to support it and the connected du‘aa’. Rather this is the action of some shaykhs. Our companions said:

It is makrooh to gather on any of the nights mentioned in the mosques or elsewhere. Al-Najm al-Ghayti said, describing spending the night of al-Nisf min Sh‘baan (mid-Sha‘baan) praying in congregation: That was denounced by most of the scholars of the Hijaz, including ‘Ata’ and Ibn Abi Mulaykah, the fuqaha’ of Madinah and the companions of Maalik.

They said: All of that is an innovation (bid‘ah) and there is no report to suggest that the Prophet spent that night in praying in congregation or that his Companions did that either. Al-Nawawi said: The prayers of Rajab and Sha‘baan are two reprehensible innovations. End quote from al-Sunan wa’l-Mubtada‘aat, p. 144

Al-Fatni (may Allah have mercy on him) said, after the comments quoted above: The common folk are so infatuated with this prayer that they stored up a lot of fuel for it and many evils resulted from it, and many transgressions are committed which we do no need to describe.

(It is so bad that) the close friends of Allah feared His punishment and fled into the wilderness. The first time this prayer occurred was in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) in 448 AH.

Zayd ibn Aslam said: We never saw any of our shaykhs or fuqaha’ saying that Laylat al-Baraa’ah (15 Sha‘baan) had any superiority over other nights. Ibn Dihyah said: The hadeeths about the prayer on Laylat al-Baraa’ah are fabricated and one has an interruption in the isnaad. Anyone who acts upon a report which is known to be false is a servant of the Shaytaan.

End quote from Tadhkirat al-Mawdoo‘aat by al-Fatni, p. 45

See: al-Mawdoo‘aat by Ibn al-Jawzi, 2/127; al-Manaar al-Muneef fil Saheeh wa’l-Da‘eef by Ibn al-Qayyim, p. 98; al-Fawaa’id al-Majmoo‘ah by al-Shawkaani, p. 51

Some people use the word al-Sha‘baaniyyah to refer to the last days of Sha‘baan, and say, “These are the days of bidding farewell to food,” and they take advantage of these days to eat a lot before Ramadan begins. Some scholars say that this idea was originally taken from the Christians, who used to do that as their fasting period (Lent) approached.

To sum up, there is no celebration in Sha‘baan and there is no special act of worship to be performed in the middle of it or during the last days of the month. Doing that is an innovation that has been introduced into the religion.

And Allah knows best.

Ibn Abi Ahmed

07-18-2011, 11:54 AM

"When our concern for those who observe night vigil on the 15th of Sh'aban is greater than our concern for those who don't even come to the masjid, we have issues. #priorities" - Suhaib Webb

As Imam Suhaib explained, using the axiom "an action's absence is not a proof" as is mentioned in the major books of usool: "The major schools of ahl-Sunna held this night to be a commendable for worship. That is the position of the majority of fuqaha. It is simply not possible to believe, nor is it correct, that the Maliki school would approve of something that has no foundation. The usage of bidah applies to an act that has no textual proof. In this case, as noted by al-suyutti, the Hadith regarding this night are not all weak. Thus, there is an asl."

Point is, if you believe it's an innovation, don't do it. But if others do it because they are motivated by the ahadeeth on it or on the general merits of Sha'ban, let them do it. Don't prevent another Muslim from worship. Focus on your own soul first.

Amat Allah

07-18-2011, 01:42 PM

Bismellah wa Tawaklana ala Allah wa laa Hawla wa laa qowata ill beIllahi Al Alyee Al Atheem

Originally Posted by Muraad

"When our concern for those who observe night vigil on the 15th of Sh'aban is greater than our concern for those who don't even come to the masjid, we have issues. #priorities" - Suhaib Webb

I agree with this only when my concern for those who observe night vigil on the 15th of Sh'aban is greater than my concern for those who don't even come to the masjid.

Akhi Al Kareem; The Deen is The Deen, if something is wrong then I will open my mouth and tell and that after making sure that what I am posting is completely right and if I am talking about some matter concerning the Deen then that doesn`t mean ever that I am neglecting another...

My respected and noble brother you said:

Originally Posted by Muraad

In this case, as noted by al-suyutti, the Hadith regarding this night are not all weak. Thus, there is an asl."

So, humbly please bring me that correct proven Asal at least to believe.

and you said:

Originally Posted by Muraad

"an action's absence is not a proof"

Yes, you are right but that doesn`t apply to everything for example : if I wanted to say Athiker I can say it whenever I want but according the Shariaa I can not ever specify a special place and time for a certain thiker as I desier and it is better to stick to The Qur`aan and Sunnah and there are so much we may find there and there is no need for inventions which displease Allah.

and what do you wana tell me here? is al-Salaat al-Alfiyyah, which is one hundred rak‘ahs in which Soorat al-Ikhlaas is recited ten times in each rak‘ah, offered in congregation; permitted?

Then bring me a correct Daleel or at least a hasan hadeeth about this prayer and its description, an Asal to follow it my respected and noble brother and please tell me whom from Sahabah done it.

The scholars have stated that acts of worship must be prescribed in sharee’ah in terms of their principle, description, number, manner, place and time, in the sense that it is not permissible to limit it to a place, time or manner that is not narrated in sharee’ah.

It should be noted that every bid’ah is misguidance, even if people think it is good. Innovation is dearer to Iblees than sin, because there is no repentance from it. Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Whoever introduces an innovation into Islam and thinks it is good is claiming that Muhammad betrayed the message.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2697) and Muslim 91718).

Originally Posted by Muraad

Point is, if you believe it's an innovation, don't do it. But if others do it because they are motivated by the ahadeeth on it or on the general merits of Sha'ban, let them do it. Don't prevent another Muslim from worship. Focus on your own soul first.

It doesn`t matter what I believe cause what I believe is not necessarily be true but the matter here is to follow the Deen according The Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and When I find an innovation has no adellah in Qur`aan and Sunnah to prove it then Humbly I am from the the best nation produced for mankind; enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah so, as long as I am breathing the air of this mortal Dunya then in shaa Allah when seeing any wrong I will change it according Qur`aan and correct Sunnah as much as possible.

and who am I to prevent others from worshipping Allah? I don`t see my self better than anyone ever Alhamdulilah and may Allah never make us hypocriet nor arrogant Ameeen and if anybody wants to worship Allah then there are many acts of worship to do which please Allah and had been proven in Qur`aan and Sunnah other than Shubha and Bid`ah which worshipping Allah is not limited to them no but lead the Ibaad to a great loss...

and focusing on my own soul doesn`t mean to leave enjoining Ma`aroof and forbidding Munkar; cause leaving those two is the reason behind the elimination of the previous nations O my respected and noble brother. and Allah The Exalted says:"Say, "O People of the Scripture, do not exceed limits in your religion beyond the truth and do not follow the inclinations of a people who had gone astray before and misled many and have strayed from the soundness of the way." (77) Cursed were those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel by the tongue of David and of Jesus, the son of Mary. That was because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed. (78) They used not to prevent one another from wrongdoing that they did. How wretched was that which they were doing. (79)" Surat Al Maaedah

and Allah AlMighty says:"And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers. (55)" Surat Athaariyaat

and I am not an angel and must not be an angel to remind those whom I love the most after Allah and His Messenger; my Ummah just for Allah`s sake.

This is what I have to say and not upon the messenger is except convey the message. And Allah knows whatever we reveal and whatever we conceal.

O Allah I have conveyed them O Allah be my witness
O Allah I have conveyed them O Allah be my witness
O Allah I have conveyed them O Allah be my witness

May Allah love you, make you from the best of His slaves and servants and May He The Most Merciful reward ya with Al Firdaws without being reckoning and all the Ummah Ameeeen

Wa Assalaamu Alikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh

Mr.President

07-18-2011, 07:46 PM

^ I agree with amat allah !!

N BTW we don't celebrate the Sahe-e-barath as a special day its not because we don't like to its because its an innovation ! (PLS SEE THE FATWA ^)
if allah and his messenger commanded that this Sahe-e-barath to be done then please provide the proof we also will join with u insha allah !!!

Predator

07-18-2011, 09:03 PM

Whats more shocking is to see weak hadiths about it these where it says Allah 'descends'. This creates a mental picture that Allah is a being who is moving down ,when he is unlike his creation. Ashtagfirullah

It is reported from Sayyiduna Ali that the Islamic prophet Muhammad said: "Let all of you spend the night of mid-Sha`ban in worship (i.e. partly) and its day in fasting. Allah descends to the nearest heaven during this night, beginning with sunset, and says: Is there no one asking forgiveness that I may forgive them? Is there no one asking sustenance that I may grant them sustenance? Is there no one under trial that I may relieve them? Is there not such-and-such, is there not such-and-such, and so forth until dawn rises."

That reminds me of the God of the Bible who flew around on little Girls .Cherubs were his mode of transport according to the below verse

2 Samuel 22:11
And He rode on a cherub and flew; And He appeared on the wings of the wind.

Bottom line is he is more closer to us than our jugular veins meaning his knowledge is everywhere

Surah Qaf 50:16:
"It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein."

AabiruSabeel

07-18-2011, 11:51 PM

:sl:

This is off topic, but just to clarify a misconception,

Originally Posted by Airforce

where it says Allah 'descends'. This creates a mental picture that Allah is a being who is moving down ,when he is unlike his creation. Ashtagfirullah

Brother, it is also mentioned in other authentic Ahadeeth that Allah SubHanahu wa Ta'ala descends to lowest sky in the last third part of the night.

Please see: http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx...ID=24&PID=7167

يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الْآخِرُ فَيَقُولُ مَنْ يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Our Lord (glorified and exalted be He) descends each night to the earth's sky when there remains the final third of the night, and He says: 'Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? Who is asking something of Me that I may give it him? Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him?'" [Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud).]

Ibn Abi Ahmed

07-19-2011, 12:05 AM

:sl:

With all due respect Sister, I think you're over exaggerating the issue - which in reality is a non-issue. The fact is, and remains that observance of this night is a difference of opinion among the Fuqaha and there is no censoring when there is a difference of opinion. If you noticed, in the fatwa you posted, the scholar (correctly) labels many of the actions done on the night by the people as innovations and to take it as a celebration like the people do making feasts and what not. Notice it said it is 'makrooh' to gather in congregation, not an innovation. This is different from what is being said by the other opinion among the scholars - which is simply that praying on that night is commendable. It is important that we are clear on what each is saying.

if something is wrong then I will open my mouth and tell and that after making sure that what I am posting is completely right

The likes of Imam ash-Shafi'ee had the humility to say, "I believe I am correct with the possibility of being incorrect" and yet you are saying that what you're posting is completely right? Please forgive me if I don't buy that.

You have to come to an understanding that this religion is vast enough to accept two rights - there is never only one except in aqeedah. Even in something as fundamental as the recitation of the Qur'an, there are many different equally correct ways to recite it. We need to expand our mindset to learn to accept and appreciate the differences amongst the Fuqaha without censorship and without resorting to labels of bid'ah when there is no need for it. Just because one website (one scholar or one group of scholars) declare something is an innovation, by no means is their declaration binding upon others, much less other scholars who hold an opposing view. There is no censorship.

So, humbly please bring me that correct proven Asal at least to believe.

I don't need to bring you anything. The source is already mentioned - Imam Suyuti. If you are in need of the asl, then feel free to contact Imam Suhaib at www.suhaibwebb.com or you can do further research on your own. As for myself, I am more than comfortable to take the opinion of a scholar who has studied the deen for over 20 years and who is certified to the highest degree in fatawa by the Dar al-Iftaa' of Cairo. What we need is to humble ourselves in front of the people of knowledge so that we can learn, not merely parrot something we read on fatwa websites.

Yes, you are right but that doesn`t apply to everything for example

We are not talking about everything here, we are talking in particular about the issue of the 15th of Sha'ban. There is no need to bring other issues into the discussion.

It should be noted that every bid’ah is misguidance, even if people think it is good.

This I agree with. However, it should also equally be noted that not everything that is labelled as a bid'ah is a bid'ah in reality. Just because a group of scholars declare something bid'ah, it does not automatically become as such.

As Imam Suhaib explained, the major schools of ahl as Sunnah held this night to be good to worship in and this is the position of the majority of the fuqaha. When the established schools approve something, it is clear to anyone who studies Usool that they they would only do so if there was a foundation. It is unfathomable to say that over the length of time the schools have existed, the scholars would go and approve something that has no foundation!

Just to give you an example, Ibn Taymiyyah also said about this night:

If a person prays that night alone, or in a select congregation, as many groups (tawaif) of the Early Muslims used to do, it is very good.

As for gathering in the mosque for a particular fixed prayer, such as gather for 100 rakats in which 1,000 QulhuwaAllahuAhad are read every time, this is a reprehensible innovation, which none of the imams have allowed.

al-Fatawa al-Kubra, 2; 222-138

Note the scholarship of this amazing scholar. He differentiates between the night itself and the actions that are done among the people on the night. That is a very important distinction. We don't censure the merits of the night for the actions of people therein.

It doesn`t matter what I believe

It does, very much. Because you believe an opinion to be correct, others believe another, equally valid opinion to be correct. Point is, both are valid and both as established with scholars in the past presenting those views.

When I find an innovation has no adellah in Qur`aan and Sunnah to prove it

That is your personal conclusion. Others have reached a different conclusion. Both are valid because this is a difference amongst the fuqaha. That's all I'm trying to get you to understand. By all means, I have no problem if you believe the night to be an innovation, that is your prerogative. I respect your opinion. However, I want you to know and acknowledge that at a scholarly level, this is an issue of ikhtilaaf and the issue is not black and white. And that once we understand that, we can move on and focus on more pressing issues that are of much greater priority - like people that don't even pray!

May Allah love you, make you from the best of His slaves and servants and May He The Most Merciful reward ya with Al Firdaws without being reckoning and all the Ummah Ameeeen

Ameen, and the same for you as well.

Amat Allah

07-19-2011, 11:43 AM

Laa ilaha illa Allah wa laa hawla wa laa qowata ila bellah, I think I have said enough so, I am not going to argue with ya Akhi Al Faadil, just if you can read in Arabic and want to know what I meant then here you are (that if you want):

http://www.khayma.com/kshf/B/Neusf-Sh3ban.htm

I have nothing else to do here anymore and I have given the message and everything is in Allah`s hand wa inna lellah wa inna ilayhi Rajioon

take care of your precious self and May Allah guide us all to him Ameeeeen

Fee amanilah wa hifthuh.

Amat Allah

07-19-2011, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Airforce

It is reported from Sayyiduna Ali that the Islamic prophet Muhammad said: "Let all of you spend the night of mid-Sha`ban in worship (i.e. partly) and its day in fasting. Allah descends to the nearest heaven during this night, beginning with sunset, and says: Is there no one asking forgiveness that I may forgive them? Is there no one asking sustenance that I may grant them sustenance? Is there no one under trial that I may relieve them? Is there not such-and-such, is there not such-and-such, and so forth until dawn rises."

That reminds me of the God of the Bible who flew around on little Girls .Cherubs were his mode of transport according to the below verse

2 Samuel 22:11
And He rode on a cherub and flew; And He appeared on the wings of the wind.

Bottom line is he is more closer to us than our jugular veins meaning his knowledge is everywhere

Surah Qaf 50:16:
"It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein."

My respected brother what our noble brother AabiruSabeel posted is true...

and Allah hears, sees and becomes angry too but how? we don't know cause He The Exalted unlike His creature Sub'haan Allah
and it is true that Allah AlMighty descends to the nearest heaven in the last third of the night ,but how? we don't know .

in shaa Allah you will understand what I meant

May Allah love you and all the brothers here and the whole Ummah Ameeeeeen

sorry for posting again I just wanted to clear the matter for my brother...

Feeamanilah

'Abd-al Latif

07-19-2011, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by Muraad

:salamext:

Akhi it's also an usool that an act of worship has to be found in the Qur'an and Sunnah for us to practice it. It's not permissible to 'invent' acts of worship or, in the case of 15th of Sha'ban, act upon the ahadeeth that are found to be weak or fabricated.

What's more beneficial for us is to perfect the obligations first and then follow the Sunnah that is confirmed.

Allah knows best.

'Abd-al Latif

07-19-2011, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by Airforce

There are ahadeeth that include the wording of Allah descending that are authentic, however we affirm that we do not know how Allah descends nor do we ask how Allah descends. So we say; Allah descends to lower heavens as He says He does, and He descends in the manner which befits His majesty, and leave it at that.

Imam Maalik was asked this very question; how does Allah descend? And Imam Maalik ordered that this person be thrown out of the congregation. This is because asking how is not permissible.

Hamza Asadullah

07-19-2011, 04:42 PM

Clarification on the significance of the night of Bara'ah (Laylatul Bara'ah)

The world renowned scholar Sheikh Mufti Taqi Uthmani says regarding the night of Bar'ah night:

The worship in the night and fast of the day of the 15th of Shabaan is based on a tradition reported by Sayiddna Ali. Its text runs as follows :

When the Middle Night of Shabaan arrives, you should stand (Praying) in the night and should fast in the day following it. This Hadith is recorded by Ibn Majah in his Sunan, one of the famous six books of Hadith, and also by Baihaqi in his famous book Shu'ab-al-'iman'.

Both of them have reported it without any comment about its authenticity. But after a critical analysis of its chain of narrators it is found that this tradition is mainly based on the report of Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Saburah whose narrations cannot be relied upon. That is why the scholars of Hadith have declared it as a weak (da'if) tradition. However, the allegation that the narrator of this Hadith i.e. Abu Bakr ibn Abi Saburah, is a fabricator who used to coin forged traditions does not seem correct. In fact, he was mufti of Madinah, a well-known jurist and he was appointed as a qadi (Judge) of Iraq in the days of Mansur and was succeeded in this office by Imam Abu Yousuf. He was a colleague of Imam Malik.

Once Mansur, the Abbasi Caliph, asked Imam Malik referred to three names, and one of them was that of Ibn Abi Saburah. Had he been a fabricator, Imam Malik would have never referred to his name in this context. But despite his high position among the jurists, his memory was not of the standard required for the uthenticity of a tradition. That is why most of the critics of Hadith like Imam Bukhari etc. Have held him as weak, but did not declare him a fabricator. Only Imam Ahmed is reported to have remarked about him that he fabricates Hadith. But this remark alone is not sufficient to hold him as a fabricator, for two reasons: Firstly Imam Ahmed was born long after him, and his contemporary scholars never held him as such, secondly the Arabic words used by Imam Ahmed are some times used for confusing one tradition with another, and not for deliberate fabrication.

This is the reason why the majority of the scholars of Hadith have held Abu Bakr ibn Abi Saburah as a weak reporter of Hadith, but they did not declare him as a forger or fabricator. Now, coming to his tradition about the fast of the 15th Ramadan it is held by the scholars to be weak but i have not come across an authentic scholar who has treated it as a fabricated (Mawdu) Hadith. There are a number of books indicating the fabricated Ahadith, but this tradition is not included in these books as fabricated.

It is well-known that Ibn Majah consists of about twenty Ahadith held to be fabricated. The list of these fabricated AHadith is available, but the tradition in question is not included therein.

Hadith not fabricated:

Therefore, the correct position is that this Hadith is not fabricated. However, being reported by a weak narrator, it cannot be relied upon in the matter of the injunctions of Shariah. Thus, the fast of the 15th of Shabaan cannot be termed as Sunnah or Mustahab in the strict sense of the term. Nevertheless, it may be advisable to fast in the 15th of Shabaan without taking it as Sunnah for several reasons:

Firstly it is fully established through a large number of Ahadith that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has emphasized on the merits of fasting in Shabaan, and particularly in the first half of the month. The 15th day of Shabaan, being the last day of the first half, is included in the preferable days for fasting.

Secondly, the merits of the 15th night of Shabaan is established by more than a dozen Ahadith. It means that this night should be spent in prayers and other forms of worship. On the other hand, all the blessed nights which the Muslims are advised to spend in worship are generally followed by fasting on the coming day like in the Laylatul-Qadr, where fasting on the following day is obligatory, or like the first night Zilhijjah where fasting on the following days is optional, rather advisable. on this analogy, too, the 15th night of Shabaan may be followed by an optional fasting on the following day.

Thirdly, the tradition relating to the merits of fasting on 15th of Shabaan is, no doubt, a weak tradition, not competent to prove this practice to be a Sunnah or a formal Mustahabb, but it can be acted upon as a measure of precaution, provided that the practice is not taken as Sunnah or a formal Mustahabb. It is for these reasons that some Ulama and elders have been fasting on the 15th of Shabaan and have been taking it an advisable practice.

Other great scholars of the past on the night of Bara'ah:

Ibn Taymiyya was asked about the prayer of mid-Sha`ban [i.e. the night of]. He answered:

If a person prays that night alone, or in a select congregation, as many groups (tawaif) of the Early Muslims used to do, it is very good.

As for gathering in the mosque for a particular fixed prayer, such as gather for 100 rakats in which 1,000 QulhuwaAllahuAhad are read every time, this is a reprehensible innovation, which none of the imams have allowed. [Ibn Taymiyya, al-Fatawa al-Kubra, 2; 222-138]

Ibn Tayymiya also said regarding this night:

The excellency regarding the 15th of Shabaan is an area of dispute between the Scholars, some of them say that there is no significance of this night, but Imam Ahmed recognises the excellency of this night, our other Hanbli Scholars also agree with Imam Ahmed. There are Ahadith on this night being significant, some of them are from Sunnan (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah) and the other Ahdeeth books as well [Iqtidah Siratul Mustaqeem page 203 by Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyah]

Imam Ibn Majah states:

It is narrated by Ali (Ra) that the Prophet Mohammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) stated; “When it is the 15th night of Shabaan, do Qiyaam in the night, and fast in the morning, and ask for forgiveness. Because on that night Allah calls: ‘Is there anyone who is asking for forgiveness so that I can forgive them, who is in distress that I may relieve his distress, is there anyone who needs (rizq) food that I may give it to him.’ And this continues till the morning.” [Ibn Majah chapter Salaah]

Hafidh Rawpari & Thana'ullah Amritsari on the Night of Bara'ah:

Two great followers of Ibn Taymiyah and Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Al Najdi, are Hafidhh Abdullah Rawpari and Thanaa’ullah Amritsari, both state that to worship on the 15th night of Shabaan is not Bid’ah and the person who does Ibada (Worship) on this night will obtain reward for it. The narrations concerning this night are weak but this does not matter since weak Ahadith are acceptable for virtuous actions. [Fatawa Ahl-e-Hadith by Hafidhh Rawpari and Fatawa Thanaa’iya by Thana’ullah Amritsari, chapter on fasting]

Sheikh Al-Albani also confirmed the significance of this night. Below is the hadith which he declares it Sahih:

Hadith: Allah turns towards his creation in the Night of "MID-SHABAN" and He forgives all of them except for a Mushrik and one who hates other people (Albani calls it); "A SAHIH HADITH" narrated by group of Sahaba with different routes (Turuq) such as from Muadh bin Jabal (Ra), Abu Thalbah (Ra) Abdullah bin Umar (Ra), Abu Musa al Ashari (Ra), Abu Hurraira (Ra), Abu Bakr as Saddiq (ra), Awf bin Malik (ra) and Aisha (ra).The Hadith of Muadh bin Jabal (ra) comes through Makhul from Malik bin Yakhamir and It is "MARFU" narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in his As-Sunnah Hadith #512 [Nasir ud din Albani in Silsilat ul-Ahadith-as Sahiha, Volume No. 3, Page No. 135 #1144]

Sheikh Al Albani also said:

As for what is authentic regarding the night of the 15th of Sha'baan, [The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, said,]

"Allaah, the Blessed and Exalted, comes to His Creation on Laylatun-Nisf (the 15th night) of Sha'baan, and He forgives all of His Creation, except for the polytheist and the mushaahin ."

It is an authentic narration narrated by a number of Companions with a number or different chains that strengthen each other, by way of Mu'aath ibn Jabal, Aboo Tha'labah Al-Khushanee, 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr, Aboo Moosaa Al-Ash'aree, Aboo Hurayrah, Aboo Bakr As-Siddeeq, 'Awf ibn Maalik, and 'Aa'ishah…

…So in summary, the narration is authentic without a doubt, as authenticity could be established for it even if there were not so many routes, so long as they are free of any severe weaknesses, as is the case with this narration.

Source: http://fatwa-online.com/news/0021017.htm

Imam Nawawi (Ra) mentioned in his Majmu`, where he also quoted Imam al-Shafi`i from the latters al-Umm that it has reached him that there are 5 nights when dua is answered, one of them being the night of the 15th of Sha`ban.

There are many other narrations from the Companions and early Muslims confirming this matter, as mentioned by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali in his Lataif al-Ma`arif, and others.

So if the above scholars of the past and many of the present declare this night as having some significance then who are we as lay people to say otherwise without any proof or evidence as the above scholars have. Al we are doing is parroting the scholars who have deemed it insignificant instead of respecting the differences of opinion.

Therefore to declare such night as bida'a is declaring the above scholars as those who promote bida'a.

Sheikh Mufti Taqi Uthmani concludes regarding the night of Bara'ah:

Although the chain of narrators of some of these traditions regarding this night suffers with some minor technical defects, yet when all these traditions are combined together, it becomes clear that this night has some well founded merits, and observing this night as a sacred night is not a baseless concoction as envisaged by some modern scholars who, on the basis of these minor defects, have totally rejected to give any special importance to this night. In fact, some of these traditions have been held by some scholars of hadith as authentic and the defects in the chain of some others have been treated by them as minor technical defects which, according to the science of hadith, are curable by the variety of their ways of narration. That is why the elders of the ummah have constantly been observing this night as a night of special merits and have been spending it in worship and prayers.

And Allah knows best in all matters

Hamza Asadullah

07-19-2011, 04:55 PM

So the Excellency regarding this night is confirmed by great fuqaha of the past and present so clearly worshipping on this night cannot be deemed as bida'a but what is bida'a is to attribute a specific worship or action on this night. Aswell as many other bida'a acts done by people on this night like setting off fireworks blessing food etc.

Predator

07-19-2011, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by AabiruSabeel

:sl:

This is off topic, but just to clarify a misconception,

Brother, it is also mentioned in other authentic Ahadeeth that Allah SubHanahu wa Ta'ala descends to lowest sky in the last third part of the night.

Please see: http://hadith.al-islam.com/Page.aspx...ID=24&PID=7167

The interpretation of hadith is wrong and It means he comes closer to you in spirituallity by accepting repentance,supplications, requests and not comes closer to physically or geographically

Example : Lets say , I and Mr.President have come closer to each other . ( Came close as what - 'friends' and not in the distance between our houses )

Mr.President

07-19-2011, 07:01 PM

^ if allah says he descends then he descends thats it don't ask questions !
btw this happens when u think abt god in human terms DONT DO THT ITS NOT CORRECT

IF ALLAH SAYS ANY THING REGARDING HIM I JUST ACCEPT I DONT ASK QUESTION HOW CAN ALLAH HAS A FACE like....

فَلاَ تَضْرِبُواْ لِلّهِ الأَمْثَالَ إِنَّ اللّهَ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

English Pikthall: So coin not similitudes for Allah. Lo! Allah knoweth; ye know not.
English Yusuf Ali: Invent not similitudes for Allah. for Allah knoweth, and ye know not.
English Dr. Mohsin Khan: So put not forward similitudes for Allâh (as there is nothing similar to Him, nor He resembles anything). Truly! Allâh knows and you know not.

[ 16:74 ]

'Abd-al Latif

07-19-2011, 09:30 PM

:salamext:

I'm sorry but I'm still not convinced with any of the other evidences. The first post pretty much says what I'd be repeating.

w/salam

Ibn Abi Ahmed

07-19-2011, 11:24 PM

Originally Posted by 'Abd-al Latif

:w: Akhi

I'm sure the vast number of the fuqaha who approved this night were very well aware of Usool and their application, including the asl that you are mentioning. I'm quite sure they understood a depth much greater than you or me. If such a large number of scholarship from ahl as Sunnah approved the night, including the four schools, then I have no problems in accepting it even if a small group amongst them disagreed. Like I said earlier, just because one opinion declares something as an innovation, it does not make it binding on others so long as there is valid scholarship that holds a dissenting opinion. In this case, there is a vast majority of scholarships that holds a different opinion than the one given in the first post. After all, the correct one gets two rewards, and the incorrect one gets one. That's the end of the matter.

The point here is not what you or I believe, it's learning to be tolerant of diverging opinions when they are valid and understanding that a different opinion may be just as correct as the one you personally believe. That's all. The slogan of 'Qur'an and Sunnah' is all good - but what does that really mean? That we abandon the scholarship that has extrapolated jurisprudence from those very sources? Honestly, I really feel like when people throw around the 'Quran and Sunnah' slogan when it comes to differences of Fiqh..they probably have no idea what exactly 'Quran and Sunnah' means when it comes to jurisprudence. It's as if they're implying that the opinion that is different to theirs was conjured out of thin air or the whims of scholars! Each opinion has grounding in the Qur'an and Sunnah, other wise it wouldn't be an opinion! The opinion that approves the 15th of Sha'ban didn't just come out of no where - the scholars that hold it didn't just invent it out of no where. The least we can do is respect the scholarship and the fact that it is is a legitimate opinion.

I'm sorry but I'm still not convinced with any of the other evidences. The first post pretty much says what I'd be repeating.

That's completely fine. Again the point is to simply be tolerant of other opinions that have traditionally existed among the scholars of the past.

Muslim Woman

07-20-2011, 12:41 AM

Salaam

We are allowed to offer prayer at each night ; except Eid days ( and I read that fasting only on Fridays is makrooh ) we can do fasting . So , I am confused why this debate takes place each year ?

Some believe it's the night of destiny - that's wrong as it goes against holy Quran. But offering prayer , Quran recitation , giving charity , fasting ....what could be wrong with these ?

These are the good reminders of the coming holy Ramadan. A good practice for fasting . Prophet pbuh used to fast through out the whole year . So , why can't we offer special prayer and fasting on the middle of Shaban ?

Zafran

07-20-2011, 01:57 AM

Salaam

Its always the 15th of shaban and Mawlid - whenever they happen theres always these types of threads - why dont we just revive the old ones and continue on with the debates every year. Pointless and a waste of time.

peace

Muslim Woman

07-20-2011, 05:49 AM

Walaykum as Salaam

Originally Posted by Zafran

Salaam

- why dont we just revive the old ones

yap , good idea :)

till one reopens ( I can't , search option does not like me much ) the old thread , let me post more here .

...Al-`Uqaylī writes: "As for Allaḥ descending on the night of the middle of Sha'bān, there is weakness (in the narrations), whilst the narrations of (Allāh) descending every night are authentic and the night of the middle of Sha'ban is included in them." (Ad-Du`afā al-Kabir 3/29).

&&&

Part Three

By
Abu `Abd Allāh I. Damiel

Position of Muslim Scholars regarding the excellence of the night of Sha'bān.

(A) Those scholars who believe in the excellence of the night.

1. Imām ash-Shāfi'ī writes: "It has reached us that it used to be said: The supplications are answered on five nights: the night of Friday, The night of al-Aḍḥā, the night of al-Fiṭr, the first night of Rajab and the night of the middle of of Sha'bān…and I prefer everything that has been reported about these nights without it being compulsory." (Al-Umm)

2. Aḥmad ibn al-Hasan ibn Hassan said: It was said to Abū `Abd Allāh (Imām Aḥmad): "Does Allah the Most High descend to the lowest heaven every night? He said: Yes. He was asked: And in Sha'bān as we find it in the narration? He said: Yes" (Abu Ya'la, Ibtāl at-Ta'wīlāt li akhbār as-Sifāt (1/260)

3. Ibn Taymiyyah writes:

"And under this chapter (is) the night of the middle of Sha'bān. Some marfū aḥādīth and āthār regarding its merit have been narrated which shows that it is a chosen night. Moreover, some of pious predecessors (salaf) used to dedicate it with ṣalāh and fasting in the month of Sha'bān, as has been related in authentic narrations.

He continues: "And from the salaf, from the people of Madināh, and those who came later, (they) rejected its merit and criticized the narrations mentioned regarding it…But the opinion of many of the scholars or the majority, from our companions and others, is of the merit of this night. This is indicated in the saying of Aḥmad, since there are many aḥādīth mentioned regarding it. This is (further) confirmed by the statements of the pious predecessors." (Iqtidā as-Sirāt al-Mustaqīm, pg. 137)

He further states in his Fatāwa:

“If a person prays that night alone, or in a select congregation, as many groups of the Early Muslims (salaf) used to do, it is very good." (Majmu' Al-Fatāwā, 23/131)

4. Ibn Rajab states: "It is required for a believer to free himself on that night for remembering Allah, and supplicating to him for forgiveness, (asking Allah) to veil ones sins and remove distress. And to precede that with repentance, for Allāh forgives in it (night of the middle of of Sha'bān) the one who repents" (Latāif al-Ma'ārif, pg 264)

5. Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāḥ remarks:

"As for the night of the middle of Sha'bān it has some merit and to spend it in worship is preferable…." (Taslīh ash-Shaja'ān, pg 80)

(B) Those scholars who reject the excellence of the night.

1. Ibn Rajab writes: "Most of the scholars from Hijāẓ rejected it (the merit of the night of the middle of Sha'bān). From them are `Atā (ibn Rabāh) and Ibn Mulaykah. It is also similarly reported by `Abd ar-Raḥmān b. Zayd b. Aslam from the Jurist of Madinah, and this is the opinion of the companions of Mālik and others. They said: All of that is an innovation" (Latā'if al-Ma'ārif, pg. 263)

2. Al-Ḥāfidh ibn Dahīyah argues:

"The scholars of "Jarḥ wa Ta'dīl" say: There is no authentic narration regarding the night of the middle of Sha'bān…." (Taslīh ash-Shaja'ān, pg. 88)

3. Abū Sha'ma writes in his book "al-Bā'ith `alā inkār al-bida'h wa al-ḥawādith":

"Abū Bakr al-Tartūsī said: it was reported by Ibn Wad'ah from Zayd ibn Aslam who said: We did not meet any of our teachers nor our jurists who paid any attention to the night of the middle of of Sha'bān, nor do they pay attention to the ḥadīth of Makhūl, nor do they believe it has some merit over other nights. He then said: It was said to Ibn Abī Mulaykah that Ziyad an-Namirī says: the reward of the night of the middle of of Sha'bān is like the night of Power. So he replied: If I heard it and there was a stick in my hand I would have hit him…."

4. Imām ash-Shāṭibī comments in his book al-I'tisām whilst discussing different types of Bid'ah (innovations):

"And from it (innovations), is to do a specific worship at a specific time without any specification in the Sharī'ah, like fasting on the middle of Sha'bān and worshipping during its night." (Al-I'tisām, pg 28)

5. Ibn Bāz writes:

"Among the innovations that have been invented by some people is the celebrating of the middle of Sha’bān, and singling out that day for fasting. There is no reliable evidence for that. Some weak aḥādīth have been narrated concerning its virtues, but we cannot regard them as reliable. The reports which have been narrated concerning the virtues of prayer on this occasion are all fabricated, as has been pointed out by many of the scholars. (Hukm Ihtifāl bil-Laylat an-Nisf min Sha'bān)

http://forums.alkauthar.org/showthread.php?t=9068

Mr.President

07-20-2011, 06:06 AM

so now we have two group of scholars and SOK's 1 says it bidaa another says no it aint ! ? which 1 is correct ?

Muslim Woman

07-20-2011, 08:11 AM

Salaam

Originally Posted by Mr.President

so now we have two group of scholars and SOK's 1 says it bidaa another says no it aint ! ? which 1 is correct ?

better not to debate about it ,specially before holy Ramadan . we are allowed to offer extra salat and recite Quran throughout the whole year . But we must not think that it's a must to do so on middle of Shaban .

And Allah Knows Best.

Insaanah

07-04-2012, 06:12 PM

:sl:

As we have other threads on this topic, bumping this one too.

And Allah knows best.

Dagless

07-04-2012, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by Hamza Asadullah

As for what is authentic regarding the night of the 15th of Sha'baan, [The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, said,]

"Allaah, the Blessed and Exalted, comes to His Creation on Laylatun-Nisf (the 15th night) of Sha'baan, and He forgives all of His Creation, except for the polytheist and the mushaahin ."

It is an authentic narration narrated by a number of Companions with a number or different chains that strengthen each other, by way of Mu'aath ibn Jabal, Aboo Tha'labah Al-Khushanee, 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr, Aboo Moosaa Al-Ash'aree, Aboo Hurayrah, Aboo Bakr As-Siddeeq, 'Awf ibn Maalik, and 'Aa'ishah…

…So in summary, the narration is authentic without a doubt, as authenticity could be established for it even if there were not so many routes, so long as they are free of any severe weaknesses, as is the case with this narration.

It might just be a statement (ie. that He (swt) forgives all His creation, except for the polytheist and mushaahim). Like just something which happens, and not something which is to be celebrated/made something of? Otherwise wouldn't there have been 'and you should pray, fast etc.' tagged onto the end?

Anyway... am I correct in thinking:

For: Weak hadiths and the month being holy.
Against: This night was never singled out and nothing specific to be done.

Pretty confusing, but I might fast randomly on Sunday, that way I'm not making tonight special and I'm still within the month ;)

Hamza Asadullah

07-04-2012, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by Dagless

It might just be a statement (ie. that He (swt) forgives all His creation, except for the polytheist and mushaahim). Like just something which happens, and not something which is to be celebrated/made something of? Otherwise wouldn't there have been 'and you should pray, fast etc.' tagged onto the end?

Anyway... am I correct in thinking:

For: Weak hadiths and the month being holy.
Against: This night was never singled out.

Pretty confusing, but I might fast randomly on Sunday, that way I'm not making tonight special and I'm still within the month ;)

:sl:

The hadith regarding the night of Bara'ah was narrated on the authority of 8 Sahaba:

Abu Bakr siddique
Muaaz ibn jabal
Abu Tha’labah al Khushani
Abdullah ibn Amr
Abu Musa al Ash’ari
Abu hurayrah
Awf ibn Malik
Aisha Siddiqah radhiallahu anhum ajmaeen.

The collective strength of these narrations cannot be refuted.

The excellency of this night was also supported by the likes of:

1. Imam Nawawi (Ra) mentioned in his Majmu`, where he also quoted Imam al-Shafi`i from the latters al-Umm that it has reached him that there are 5 nights when dua is answered, one of them being the night of the 15th of Sha`ban.

2. Imaam ibn Hibbaan (RA) has classified this narration as Sahih (authentic) and has included it in his book – al-Saheeh. (see Sahih ibn Hibbaan vol.12 pg.482; Hadith5665).

3. Hafiz al-Haythami (RA) has mentioned that all the narrators of this Hadith are reliable. (Majma-uz-zawaaid vol.8 pg.65)

4. It is also classified as sound by Haafiz al-Mundhiri(RA) in his (Al-Targheeb (vol.3 pg.459)).

5. This narration is of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (Radhiallaahu Anhu) and is recorded by Imaam Bazzaar (RA) in his Musnad.

6. In fact, Hafiz ibn Hajar (RA) has also classified one of its chains as Hasan (sound). (al-Amaalil mutlaqah pgs.119-120)

Besides the above, there are many other Sahaaba (Radhiallaahu Anhum) that narrated Ahaadith regarding the merit of this night, such as:

7. Abu Hurayra (Musnad al-Bazzaar),

8. Abu Tha’labah (Shu’ubul Imaan),

9. Awf ibn Maalik (Musnad al-Bazzaar),

10. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas (Musnad Ahmad Hadith6642),

11. Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari (ibn Majah Hadith1390; Shu’ubul Imaan Hadith3833) and others.

The general virtue of this night has been accepted by many great Ulama of the past. From among many great scholars which have agreed to the virtue of this night are:

12. Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz,

13. Imaam al-Shaafi’ee,

14. Imaam al-Awdhaa’ie,

15. Attaa ibn Yassaar,

16. Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

17. Hafidh Zaynu-deen al-Iraaqiy

18. Sheikh Al Albani regarded the hadith regarding the excellency of this night as SAHIH : [Nasir ud din Albani in Silsilat ul-Ahadith-as Sahiha, Volume No. 3, Page No. 135 #1144]

The following quotes which sum up this night very well:

19. Ibn Taymiyyah said:

‘As for the middle night of Sha’baan, there are various narrations that have been narrated regarding its significance and it has been reported from a group of the Salaf (predecessors) that they performed Salaat in it individually, hence, such a deed cannot be disputed.’ (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa ibn Taymiyah vol.23 pg.132)

He also said: "So many Ahaadith and reports exist regarding the excellence of the fifteenth night of Shabaan that one is compelled to accept that this night possesses some virtue". Some of the pious predecessors used to specially devote this night for Salaat. [Faydhul-Qadeer. vol 2., pg 317].

Moulana Abdur Rahman Mubarakpuri writes in his commentary of Tirmidhi, "The sheer number of Ahaadith regarding this night serve as proof against those people who refute the excellence of this night". [Tuhfatul-Ahwazi. vol 2. pg 53].

So are all the above counted as those who promoted something which is not founded in Islam? Or is it simply that those who oppose the excellency of such a night do not respect valid differences of opinion? You can decide.

Abz2000

07-04-2012, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by AabiruSabeel

salamz, i remembered that hadith too when i saw the brother's post, but even this seems difficult to understand in terms of literal value,
the Quran tells us in Ayat al -Kursi that His Throne encompasses the heavens and the earth, and that is easy to make sense of.
but Allah a'lam about the coming down as i don't want to be guilty of rejecting a hadith if it is real.
but since its always the third part of the night somewhere on this planet, i find it difficult to understand how it can be taken literally - because He - Exalted and Praised is He Above All we can imagine - would be in the lower heaven 24/7 if it was literal.
Allah a'lam if it is true or has been misinterpreted while being passed down, though it is not my place to reject it offhand.

Ibn Abi Ahmed

07-05-2012, 12:16 AM

Originally Posted by Abz2000

:sl:

To question the 'how' of the attributes of Allah, such as His descending or Rising (istiwa') is a reprehensible innovation as per the Early Muslims. We believe in a Lord that can do whatever He wishes - because to say otherwise would be saying that Allah (swt) cannot do something. It leads to, in extreme cases, denying the attributes altogether such as Mu'tazilites did and other sects who were all censored by the Salaf for heresy. The Early Muslims used to say that the attribute is known and what it is, is understood by it's apparent meaning, the 'how' (kayfiyyah) is unknown, Imaan in it is obligatory because it is from the Qur'an and the blessed tongue of the Messenger (saw), and to question it is a bid'ah.

Imaam at-Tirmidhee said, "It has been stated by more than one person from the People of Knowledge about such ahaadeeth, that there is no tashbeeh (likening to the creation) to the Attributes of Allaah, and our Lord - the Blessed and Most High - Descends to the lowest heaven every night. So they say: affirm these narrations, have faith in them, do not deny them or ask how. The likes of this has been related from Maalik bin Anas, Sufyaan ath-Thawree, Ibn Uyaynah and Abdullaah bin al-Mubaarak, who all said about such ahaadeeth, ‘leave them as they are without asking how.’ Such is the saying of the People of Knowledge from Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaa’ah. However the Jahmiyyah oppose these narrations and say: this is tashbeeh! However Allaah - the Most High - has mentioned in various places in His book, the Attribute of Hand (al-Yad), Hearing (as-Sam’), Seeing (al-Basr), but the Jahmiyyah make ta’weel of these Verses, explaining in a way, other than is explained by the People of Knowledge. They say: indeed Allaah did not create Aadam with His own Hand - they say that Hand means the Power of Allaah."

‘Sunan at-Tirmidhee’ (3/42)

And Abu Ja’far at-Tirmidhee, when asked as to How Allaah keeps His Attribute of being above the creation if He Descends to the Lowest Heaven in the last third of the night, replied, "The Nuzool (Descent) is understood, but the how/nature is unknown, and faith in it is obligatory, and to question about it (i.e. how) is a bid’ah."

‘Mukhtasar al-Uluw’ (pg. 231) - Sahih

Amat Allah

07-05-2012, 02:18 AM

would someone please mention the ahadeeth which mentioning the qiyaam and siyaam in this night?

Muslim Woman

07-05-2012, 04:49 AM

:sl:

Laylatul-bara'ah" (The night of freedom from Fire).

....Fast of the 15th Sha'ban
On the day immediately following the Night of Bara'ah, i.e. the 15th of Sha'ban, it is mustahabb(advisable) to keep fast. Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, is reported to have recommended this fast emphatically. Although the scholars of hadith have some doubts in the authenticity of this report, yet it is mentioned earlier that the fasts of the first half of Sha'ban have special merits and Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, used to fast most of the days in Sha'ban. Moreover, a large number of the elders (salaf) of the Ummah have been observing the fast of the 15th ofSha'ban. This constant practice indicates that they have accepted the relevant hadith as authentic.

Therefore, it is advisable to fast the 15^th of Sha'ban as an optional (nafl) fast. One can also keep a fast of qada on this day and it is hoped that he can also benefit from the merits of this fast.

Back to Top

full article here :

Sha'ban: Merits, Do's, and Dont's

By Mufti Taqi Usmani
- The Night of Bara'ah
- What Should be Done in this Night?
- What Should Not be Done in This Night
- Fast of the 15th Sha'ban

http://www.albalagh.net/general/shaban.shtml

Muslim Woman

07-05-2012, 04:53 AM

:sl:

What Should Not be Done in This Night

1. As mentioned earlier, the Night of Bara'ah is a night in which special blessings are directed towards the Muslims. Therefore, this night should be spent in total submission to Allah Almighty, and one should refrain from all those activities, which may displease Allah.

Although it is always incumbent upon every Muslim to abstain from sins, yet this abstinence becomes all the more necessary in such nights, because committing sins in this night will amount to responding to divine blessings with disobedience and felony.

Such an arrogant attitude can invite nothing but the wrath of Allah. Therefore, one should strictly abstain from all the sins, particularly from those mentioned in the Hadith No. 3 quoted earlier in this article, because these sins make one devoid of the blessings of this night.

2. In this night some people indulge in some activities which they regard as necessary for the celebration of the Night of Bara'ah, like cooking some special type of meal, or illuminating houses or mosques, or improvised structures.

All such activities are not only baseless and innovated in the later days by ignorant people, but in some cases they are pure imitation of some rituals performed by non-Muslim communities. Such imitation in itself is a sin; performing it in a blessed night like the Night of Bara'ah makes it worse. Muslims should strictly abstain from all such activities.

3. Some people spend this night in holding religious meetings and delivering long speeches. Such activities are also not advisable, because these acts can easily be performed in other nights. This night requires one to devote himself for the pure acts of worship only.

4. The acts of worship like Salah, recitation of the Qur'an and dhikr should be performed in this night individually, not collectively. The Nafl Salah should not be performed in Jama'ah, nor should the Muslims arrange gatherings in the mosques in order to celebrate the night in a collective manner.

On the contrary, this night is meant for worshipping Allah in solitude. It is the time to enjoy the direct contact with the Lord of the Universe, and to devote one's attention to Him and Him alone. These are the precious hours of the night in which nobody should intervene between one and his Lord, and one should turn to Allah with total concentration, not disturbed or intermitted by any one else.

That is why Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, observed the acts of worship in this night in total seclusion, not accompanied by anyone, not even by his favorite life companion Sayyidah 'Aishah, Radi-Allahu anha, and that is why all forms of the optional worship (Nafl Ibadah), are advised by him to be done in individual, not in collective manner.

http://www.albalagh.net/general/shaban.shtml

'Abd-al Latif

07-05-2012, 07:32 AM

:salamext:

:threadmrg

'Abd-al Latif

07-05-2012, 07:35 AM

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak (r) was asked about the descent of Allah on the night of fifteenth of Sha'ban, he said to the one who asked, "O weak one! The night of the fifteenth? He descends every night!"

('Itiqaad ahl-as Sunnah)

Endymion

07-05-2012, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by Abz2000

Even more near.

(50:16) Surely We have created man, and We know the promptings of his heart, and We are nearer to him than even his jugular vein.

IslamicRevival

07-05-2012, 10:52 AM

Seems as though everyone is a Mufti or a big time Sheikh these days. If Muslims want to peform extra ibadah on this night why warn them off it? Since when was remembering Allah an innovation? Because thats all Muslims do on Sha`ban. The standards of this forum have well and truly gone down the toilet, Fake Sheikhs; put a sock in it and stop labelling other Muslims as innovaters.

Amat Allah

07-05-2012, 11:32 AM

The worship in the night and fast of the day of the 15th of Shabaan is based on a tradition reported by Sayiddna Ali. Its text runs as follows :

When the Middle Night of Shabaan arrives, you should stand (Praying) in the night and should fast in the day following it. This Hadith is recorded by Ibn Majah in his Sunan, one of the famous six books of Hadith, and also by Baihaqi in his famous book Shu'ab-al-'iman'.

Imam Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib {May Allah have mercy upon him} once saw a man praying more than two rak’ah after the beginning of Fajr, he was making many bows and prostrations, and so he forbade him from doing that.

The man {May Allah have mercy upon him} said,“O Abu Muhammad, is Allah going to punish me for praying?” Imam Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib said, “No, but He will punish you for contradicting the Sunnah.”

(Related by al-Bayhaqi, As-Sunan Al-Kubra Volume 2 pg. 466)

laa ilaha illa Allah, I'll just quit asking, explaining and replying...

earlier I said to our beloved, respected and noble brother Hamzah that:

I don't deny everything about Sha'ban my respected brother; I know that our prophet Muhammad peace and blessings of Allah be upon him used to fast most of this month and sometimes he fasts few days only but never heard or read that he did specify the night of the half of Sha'baan with any prayer or fasting nor the guided caliphs may Allah Be pleased with them.

it is the deed of Attabi'een and their deeds May Allah Be pleased with them are not Hujjah to be taken and won't be and Allah knows the best.

forgive me if I made you upset in anyway, those are different of opinions and I mean not to impose anything on anyone...whats in my hand is to make the word reach others and thats it ; accepting it or not is in Allah's hand...and there will be nothing between us but the love of Allah and for His sake...this is the way of Salaf; differing but never ever hated each other for that or forced anyone to accept their opinions even if were based on strong addellah and according Allah's religion and shariah.

and I say the same to you all and as I see ;some are exceeding the lines of the speech laa ilaha illa Allah...we are not here to disrespect one another and I have never read one of the scholars insulting the other for differing in opinions; they used to respect one another, love each other and dialogue as Allah taught them; with Al 3aql, wisdom and husnu Al Khuluq...

we are living for Allah's sake and we do remember Him in everthing we do and say; we must...laa hawla wa laa qowata ila bellah.

I think it has been said so much about this matter and pretty enough ...Alhamdulilah for everything.

May Allah make you all amongst those who will enter The Highest level of the Paradise without any reckoning in the first group after Rasool Allah salla Allahu Alyhi wa sallam and be from those who see Allah's face daily in Paradise Ameeeeeeen

Wa Assalaamu Alikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh.

tango92

07-05-2012, 12:39 PM

wonderful to see the mods so passionate about enforcing their views on a non issue.

personally i find it futile to perform worship the prophet pbuh did not do and neither recommended explicitly

there is hardly solid evidence in what has been posted other than to say "15th shabaan is a good night"

Hamza Asadullah

07-05-2012, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by tango92

:sl:

Its not so simple to call such a matter as a"non issue". Many Salaf and great schlars of the past and present accepted the validity and excellency of this night as i have pointed it in my last post. Therefore the best way to go about this matter is for all to accept valid differences of opinion as differences of opinion are a blessing on the Ummah. If one wants to worship this night because they are inclined towards a certain opinion then let them, if they don't because they are inclined towards another opinion then also let them.

Anyway let us close this chapter for this year and prepare for the arrival of the blessed month of Ramadan.

And Allah knows best in all matters

Hamza Asadullah

07-05-2012, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by Amat Allah

as I read that you do take the word of 3aalimu Al Hadeeth Al Albaani Rahimahu Allah; then Al Albani said that this hadeeth is fabricated (in his book of Daeef Al Jaami'e page 752 ).

Fabricated means : it means a lie .

and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:“Telling lies about me is not like telling lies about anyone else. Whoever tells lies about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1229. It was also narrated by Muslim in the Introduction to his Saheeh, without the phrase “Telling lies about me is not like telling lies about anyone else.”

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not tell lies about me, for whoever tells lies about me will enter Hell.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 106. And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever narrates a hadeeth from me that he thinks is false is one of the liars.” Narrated by Muslim (1).

why to take his word as hujjah in some hadeeths but not the other some? there is no single sound hadeeth about such deeds in this night.

it will never be the act of worship itself but is it according Allah's law and Sunnah of His prophet Salla Allahu alyhi wa sallam?

laa ilaha illa Allah, I'll just quit asking, explaining and replying...

earlier I said to our beloved, respected and noble brother Hamzah that:

and I say the same to you all and as I see ;some are exceeding the lines of the speech laa ilaha illa Allah...we are not here to disrespect one another and I have never read one of the scholars insulting the other for differing in opinions; they used to respect one another, love each other and dialogue as Allah taught them; with Al 3aql, wisdom and husnu Al Khuluq...

we are living for Allah's sake and we do remember Him in everthing we do and say; we must...laa hawla wa laa qowata ila bellah.

I think it has been said so much about this matter and pretty enough ...Alhamdulilah for everything.

May Allah make you all amongst those who will enter The Highest level of the Paradise without any reckoning in the first group after Rasool Allah salla Allahu Alyhi wa sallam and be from those who see Allah's face daily in Paradise Ameeeeeeen

Wa Assalaamu Alikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh.

:sl:

What about the following hadith that Sheikh Al Albani regarded as Sahih:

Sayyidina Mu'adh ibn Jabal reports that RasulAllah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has said: "Allah Almighty looks upon all those created by Him in the middle Night of Sha'ban and forgives all those created by Him, except the one who associates partners with Him or the one who has malice in his heart (against a Muslim)". (Saheeh Ibn-e-Habban, vol 7, p470)

Sheikh Albani writes: ‘This Hadith is authentic (Saheeh). A Jama’at of the Sahabah have narrated this through differing chains, from these, certain narrations support and give strength to the others. Those Companions, the likes of: Abu Bakr Siddique, Mu’adth ibn Jabal, Abu Salaba, Al Khashni, Abdullah bin Amr, Abu Musa Ash’ari, Abu Hurairah, Awf bin Malik and Sayyida Aishah Siddiqa have narrated this Hadith. (Silsilatul Ahadithus-Sahiha, vol 3, p135)

Sister why did you not comment on the above hadith that Sheikh Al Albani declared as Sahih in my main post?

Also can i ask you how do you feel about the Ibn Taymiyya's stance on this matter? Consider the following:

Ibn Taymiyyah said: "So many Ahaadith and reports exist regarding the excellence of the fifteenth night of Shabaan that one is compelled to accept that this night possesses some virtue". Some of the pious predecessors used to specially devote this night for Salaat. [Faydhul-Qadeer. vol 2., pg 317].

Many Sahaba narrated hadith regarding this night and many Salaf and great scholars of the past and present accepted its validity and excellency, but i just want to ask your opinion on Sheikh Al Albani, Ibn Taymiyyah & Imam Ahmed (May Allah have mercy on them all) in particular, accepting the validity and excellency of this night.

Are they right or wrong to accept the validity or excellency of such a night?

I would like to hear your opinions on the stance of these 3 scholars as you have not commented on their stance on this matter thus far...

Jazakallahu Khayr

syed_z

07-05-2012, 04:58 PM

Asalaam O Alaikum....

By arguing before Ramadaan, we are not helping each other and neither are we respecting this month cause this month requires preparation for Ramadaan as Shaikh Abdul Qadir Gilani in his book on Laylatul Baraat said about Shabaan....

...that tomorrow has gone today is an opportunity and tomorrow might not come....which means blessed month Rajab has gone, blessed Shabaan is here right now which is an opportunity to earn blessings as many as possible because Blessed Ramadaan might not comes meaning we might not live to see it....so lets make the best out of this month....

therefore there are hadith about 15th Shabaan but even though they are weak yet they are not fabricated as we know it (no arguments over that).....

Ummah for 1400 years has been celebrating this night till a group of Muslims decided to brand other Muslims who celebrate as innovators.... this intolerant way of dealing with your brothers in faith will not help the Ummah but create more hatred. There needs to be tolerance towards others...

If you believe those hadith to be wrong, then don't celebrate it but if a Muslim worships that night just to come close to Allah (swt) then it is Allah (swt) who will decide on the day of Judgment whether that worship of his counts or no......

.......but if it does count and gets accepted on the Day of Judgment then how would we be on the day of judgment ....would we want to be standing on that day with people who tried to block people from worshiping Allah (swt) ? We would then be the worst on that day....

Muslim Woman

07-05-2012, 05:12 PM

:sl:

Originally Posted by tango92

...personally i find it futile to perform worship the prophet pbuh did not do and neither recommended explicitly

"

Allah and His messenger never forbid anyone to offer extra salat on any specific night . So , what's the harm if any Muslim wants to offer salat , recite Quran on 15th Shaban ?

tango92

07-05-2012, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by Hamza Asadullah

Thanks to people making a huge deal out of non issues we are quickly heading towards the 73 promised sects of the prophet pbuh. Just history repeating itself

Originally Posted by Muslim Woman

:sl:

Allah and His messenger never forbid anyone to offer extra salat on any specific night . So , what's the harm if any Muslim wants to offer salat , recite Quran on 15th Shaban ?

with all due respect, i find your post has missed my point and is shallow in its reasoning.

Hamza Asadullah

07-05-2012, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by tango92

Thanks to people making a huge deal out of non issues we are quickly heading towards the 73 promised sects of the prophet pbuh. Just history repeating itself.

:sl:

My brother with all due respect to you i think you are very much over exaturating. How does differing in fiqhi matters equate to going towards 73 different sects? Remember a different sect would differ in the fundamentals of another. We are only differing in fiqh matters and NOT the fundamentals. Therefore your statement is irrelevant to this discussion.

Endymion

07-05-2012, 06:00 PM

Ermm... i think this thread should be closed now as we have enough discussion on whether this night has any virtue or not.For both sides,everything has been said and this thread is now turning into a war of different opinions.Those who think this night has virtue,should go and offer ibadah and those who dont think it has any virtue,have good time around the forum and learn something new.

From me the thread has been closed.

:threadclo

Amat Allah

06-22-2013, 06:05 PM

Fatwas of Ibn Baz,Volume 1, Warning against Bid’ahs,
Third Treatise: Ruling on celebrating the night before the fifteenth of Sha’ban,Page No. 186 – 192

Ruling on Celebrating the Mid-Sha’ban Night

Fatwas of Ibn Baz, Volume 1, Warning against Bid’ahs,
Third Treatise: Ruling on celebrating the night before the fifteenth of Sha’ban,
Page No. 186 – 192, alifta.net

Praise be to Allah Who has perfected the religion for us and has completed the favor upon us! Peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad, the Prophet of repentance and mercy!
To proceed: Allah (Exalted be He) says:

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”
[al-Maa’idah 5:3]

He (Exalted be He) also says:

“Or have they partners (with Allah — false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allah has not ordained?”
[al-Shooraa 42:21]

Moreover, it is reported in the two the Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. Al-Bukhari and Muslim) from ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said:

“Anyone who introduces anything into this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected”.

Furthermore, it is reported in the Sahih of Muslim from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to address people in the Friday Sermon by saying:

“To proceed, the best of speech is the Book of Allah, the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the most evil of matters are those which are newly-introduced in religion, and every Bid’ah (innovation in religion) is Dalalah (a deviation from what is right).”

There are many other Qur’anic verses and Hadiths to the same effect.

All these verses and Hadiths clearly indicate that Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) has perfected for this Ummah (nation based on one creed) its religion and has completed upon it His Favor and did not cause His Prophet (peace be upon him) to die until he had conveyed the clear message, explained to the Ummah all what Allah has legislated for it of sayings and actions and he (peace be upon him) had pointed out that all what the people innovate after him and relate to the religion of Islam of sayings and actions are Bid’ah (innovation in religion) rejected to those who innovate it, even if done with good intention. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the scholars of Islam after them had realized this matter, and thus, they denied such innovations in religion and warned against them as mentioned by all the scholars who wrote about the great status of the Sunnah (supererogatory act of worship following the example of the Prophet) and the denial of Bid’ah, such as Ibn Waddah, At-Tartushy, Abu Shamah and others.

From the Bid’ah which have been introduced into the religion by people is the Bid’ah of celebrating the Mid-Sha’ban night and fasting on its day, and there is no reliable evidence for such actions. There are weak Hadiths reported with regard to the virtue of the Mid-Sha’ban night, but it is not allowed to rely on them as evidence. As for what is reported regarding the virtue of praying during the Mid-Sha’ban night, they are all fabricated Hadiths as confirmed by many Muslim scholars, and we will, Insha’a-Allah (if Allah wills), mention some of their comments on that.

Besides, there are some other narrations regarding the virtue of this night reported from the righteous predecessors of the people of Al-Sham (the Levant) and others. What the majority of Muslim scholars agreed upon is that the celebration of this Mid-Sha’ban night is Bid’ah and that the Hadiths reported regarding the virtue of this night are all weak Hadiths and some of them are fabricated Hadiths. From those who drew the attention to the weakness and fabrication of these Hadiths is Al-Hafiz ibn Rajab in his book entitled: (Lata’if Al-Ma’arif) and people other than him. It is to be noted that the weak Hadiths can be applied only in the types of worship, the origin of which have been established by sound and authentic evidence. As for celebrating the Mid-Sha’ban night, there is no sound and authentic evidence supporting it to justify reliance on the weak Hadiths in this regard.

This great rule has been mentioned by Imam: Abul-’Abbas Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him). Dear reader, I will convey for you some of what the people of knowledge say about this issue in order to be on clear evidence regarding it. Moreover, the majority of Muslim scholars (may Allah have mercy upon all of them) said that it is an obligation to refer the issues what the people differ over to the Book of Allah (Exalted be He) and to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and thus, what both these sources or either of them approve, then it is the legislation which should be followed and what contradicts them should be set aside and what is not mentioned in these two sources of worships, then it is Bid’ah which is not allowed to be practiced, let alone inviting people to it and encouraging it.

Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:

“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:59]

He (Glorified be He) also says:

“And in whatsoever you differ, the decision thereof is with Allah (He is the ruling Judge).”[al-Shooraa 42:10]

Moreover, Allah (Exalted be He) also says:

“Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to mankind): “If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.” [Aal 'Imraan 3:31]

He (Glorified and Exalted be He) also says:

“But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.” [al-Nisaa' 4:65]

In addition to that, there are many verses supporting this principle and they are clear evidence of the obligation to refer the debatable issues to the Book of Allah and to the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him) and the obligation to be pleased and satisfied with their rulings, and to know that this is the natural outcome of faith, the best for the slaves during this lifetime and in the Hereafter and the best in result: namely, the end result.

Al-Hafiz ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy upon him) in his book entitled: “Lata’if Al-Ma’arif” with regard to this issue – after previous similar talk – said in wording:

“Regarding the Mid-Sha’ban night, the followers from the people of Al-Sham; such as Khalid ibn Ma’dan, Makhul, Luqman ibn ‘Amir and others used to exalt it and exert their efforts therein to perform more worships and people followed them with regard to its virtue and exaltation. It is said that some Israelite narrations and traditions have reached them regarding the virtue of this night, and when this became widespread in countries, people differed regarding it, and therefore, some of them accepted it and agreed with them with regard to the magnification of this night such as a group from the worshippers of the people of Basra and others. On the other hand, this act was denied by the majority of Muslim scholars of Al-Hijaz such as: ‘Ata and Ibn Abu Mulaikah, and it was transmitted by ‘Abdul-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam from the jurists of the people of Madinah, and it is the opinion of the disciples of Imam Malik and others. They said that all these acts are mere Bid’ah. '

However, the scholars of the people of Al-Sham differed regarding the way of celebrating it into two opinions:

First: It is recommended to celebrate it collectively in the Masajid (Mosques). It is reported that Khalid ibn Ma’dan and Luqman ibn ‘Amir and others used to put on their best clothes, apply incense and kohl (antimony powder eyeliner) and spend the entire night in the Masjid. Their act was approved by Ishaq ibn Rahawyah who said about celebrating it in congregation in the Masjid, that it is not Bid’ah. This is reported by Harb Al-Kirmany in his book titled: “Al-Masa’il” (Religious Issues).

Second: It is reprehensible to gather during that night in the Masjid for prayer, narrating stories and supplication, but is not reprehensible for one to pray individually during that night for himself. This is the opinion of Al-Awza’iy, who was the Imam of the people of Al-Sham, their jurist and their scholar, and this, Insha’a-Allah (if Allah wills), is the closest opinion to the truth, until he said: It is not known if Imam Ahmad said something about the Mid-Sha’ban night. There are two narrations reported from Al-Awza’iy regarding the recommendation to stay up late for prayer during the Mid-Sha’ban night relying on the two narrations reported from Imam Ahmad regarding staying up late for Prayer during the two nights of ‘Eid. In one narration, he did not recommend staying up late in congregational prayer during the two nights of ‘Eid because it was not reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) or from his Companions that they did that. In another narration he recommended staying up late for Prayer during those nights following the act of ‘Abdul-Rahman ibn Yazid ibn Al-Aswad who was one of the Tabi’un (Followers, the generation after the Companions of the Prophet), in that. By the same token, there is no sound and authentic narration reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) nor from his Companions regarding staying up late for Prayer during the Mid-Sha’ban night. However, it is reported from a group of the Followers from among the noble jurists of the people of Al-Sham”

This is the end of the statement of Al-Hafiz ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy upon him), whichclearly states that no sound and authentic narration was reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) nor from his Companions (may Allah be pleased with all of them) regarding the Mid-Sha’ban night.

As for the opinion chosen by Al-Awza’iy (may Allah have mercy upon him) regarding the recommendation of staying up late individually for Prayer during the Mid-Sha’ban night and Al-Hafiz ibn Rajab’s preference of this opinion, it is strange and weak, because if something has not been established by the legal evidence that it is legislation, then it is not allowed for a Muslim to introduce it into the religion of Allah, whether one does it individually or in congregation, and whether one practices it secretly or openly, due to the comprehensiveness of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying: Anyone who does an action which is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected. and other evidence indicating the rejection of innovations in religion and warning against them.

It is also reported from Imam Abu Bakr Al-Tartushy (may Allah have mercy upon him) in his book entitled: (Al-Hawadith Wal-Bida’) that he said in wording:

“It is reported by Ibn Waddah from Zayd ibn Aslam that he said: ‘We have not found anyone from our Shaykhs or our jurists paying attention to the Mid-Sha’ban night. Moreover, they did not pay attention to that Hadith reported by Mak-hul and they did not consider any special virtue for this night to the exclusion of other nights.’ Moreover, it was said to Ibn Abi Mulaikah : Indeed, Ziyad An-Numairiy says: ‘Verily, the reward of the Mid-Sha’ban night is like the reward of Laylat-ul-Qadr (the Night of Decree)’, then he said: ‘If I hear him saying that and I have a staff in my hand, I will hit him’. It is noteworthy that Ziyad was a narrator of stories.” End of the statement of Abu Bakr Al-Tartushy.

Furthermore, the erudite scholar: Al-Shawkany (may Allah bestow His mercy upon him), in his book entitled: (Al-Fawa’id Al-Majmu’ah), said in wording:

“The Hadith: O ‘Ali, whoever prays a hundred Rak’ah (a unit of the prayer) during the Mid-Sha’ban night and reads in every Rak’ah (unit of Prayer) Al-Fatihah (the Opening Chapter of the Book) and Surah Ikhlas ten times, Allah will fulfil all their needs etc., is a fabricated Hadith, and within the words of the Hadith talking about the great reward for the one who performs this Prayer there is something which does not leave any doubt for a sound-minded person to know that it is a fabricated Hadith. Moreover, its narrators are unknown and it has been reported through a second and third narrations, all of which are inserted fabrications and their narrators are unknown. It is also said in “Al-Mukhtasar” (The Concise Book of Hadith) that the Hadith of performing Prayer during the Mid-Sha’ban night is null. and what is reported by Ibn Hibban from the Hadith of ‘Ali : When the Middle Night of Sha’ban comes, observe night vigil prayer during it and fast the following day is a weak Hadith. It is said in (Al-La’ali’, “Perals”) that Praying one hundred Rak’ahs with sincerity during the Mid-Sha’ban night ten times. along with the rest of the details about its virtue, which is reported by Ad-Daylamiy and others, and this is a false Hadith, and all its narrators in the three different narrations are unknown and thier narrators are weak. He said that the Hadith: And twelve Rak’ahs in which Surah Al-Ikhlas is recited thirty times. is a fabricated Hadith, and the Hadith: and fourteen Rak’as. is also a false Hadith.

It is noted that a group of jurists had been deceived by this Hadith, such as the author of the book entitled: (Al-’Ihya’) and others, as well as some Exegetes of the Qur’an. Performing prayer on this night – namely, the Mid-Sha’ban night- has been reported in different ways, all of which are null and fabricated narrations. This does not contradict the narration reported by Al-Tirmidhiy from the Hadith of ‘Aishah regarding his (peace be upon him) going to Al-Baqi’ and the descending of the Lord to the nearest sky during the Mid-Sha’ban night and that He forgives for more than the number of the hairs of the sheep of Banu Kalb, since we are talking about this prayer which has been falsely established in that night.

Moreover, the Hadith reported by ‘Aishah has weakness and its chain of transmission is interrupted and the Hadith reported by ‘Ali which has been previously mentioned with regard to staying up late during that night for Prayer does not contradict the ruling that a special Prayer during that night is falsely established, in addition to the weakness in that Hadith according to the what we have mentioned.” End of Al-Shawkany’s comment.
It is reported from Al-Hafiz Al-’Iraqy that he said:

“The Hadith of performing prayer during the Mid-Sha’ban night is falsely related to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and is lying about him. Moreover, it is reported by Al-Imam Al-Nawawy that he said in the book entitled: (Al-Majmu’): ‘The Prayer known as Salat-ul-Ragha’ib (Prayer for great bounties or wishes), which is twelve Rak’ahs performed between the Maghrib (Sunset) Prayer and ‘Isha’ (Night) Prayer during the night of the first Friday of the Month of Rajab and the Prayer during the Mid-Sha’ban night, which is a hundred Rak’ahs, are two evil Bid’ahs (innovations in religion) and no one should be deceived by their mentioning in the book entitled: (Qout A-Qulub), the book entitled: (Ihya’ ‘Ulum Ad-Din) nor by the Hadith reported regarding these two nights, since all this is void and no one should be deceived by some of the Imams who got confused about their ruling and wrote some papers regarding the recommended practices during these two nights, because they made a mistake in that”.

On the other hand, Shaykh Imam Abu Muhammad ‘Abdul-Rahman ibn Isma’il Al-Maqdisy wrote a very valuable book regarding the falsification of the special virtues of these two nights and he did a good job in this book. Moreover, people of knowledge talked very much about this issue, and if we trace all what has been said regarding this subject and try to convey it, then we will have a very long explanation, but we hope that what we have mentioned regarding this issue will be sufficient and convincing for the seeker of truth.

From what has been previously mentioned of verses, Hadith and the opinions of Muslim scholars, it becomes clear to the seeker of the truth that celebrating the Mid-Sha’ban night through performing Prayer and other activities and singling out the following day with Fast is an evil Bid’ah according to the opinion of the majority of Muslim scholars. It has no foundation in the purified Islamic Shar’ (law), but it has been newly introduced into Islam after the epoch of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with all of them). It is sufficient for the seeker of truth, about this subject and other subjects, to read Allah’s (may He be Exalted and Sublime) Saying: “This day, I have perfected your religion for you” and to read other Qur’anic verses confirming this meaning, as well as the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) saying: “Anyone who introduces anything into this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected”, in addition to what has been reported of the Hadiths confirming this meaning.

Moreover, it is reported in the Sahih of Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

“Do not single out the night (preceding) Friday among the nights for prayer and do not single out Friday among days for fasting but only when anyone among you is accustomed to fast (on dates) which coincide with this day (Friday).”

If it is allowed to single out a certain night with a special worship, then the night of Friday will be more deserving of this special worship, because its day is the best day on which the sun rises according to the sound and authentic Hadith reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Since the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) warned against singling out this night with special Prayer to the exclusion of other nights, then it is evidence that other nights should not be singled out with a certain type of worship unless there is a sound and authentic evidence indicating such specification.

Since it is ordained to stay up late for Prayer during Laylat-ul-Qadr (the Night of Decree) and during other nights of Ramadan, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) drew the attention to that, encouraged the Ummah to do that and did it himself as reported in the two Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. Al-Bukhari and Muslim) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said:

“Whoever observes Optional Night Prayer during the month of Ramadan out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his past sins will be forgiven, and whoever stands for prayers in the night of Qadr out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.”

Thus, if the Mid-Sha’ban night, the night of the first Friday of Rajab or the night of Isra’ (Night Journey) and Mi’raj (Ascension to Heaven) were singled out with a certain type of worship, then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would guide the Ummah to it or would do it himself and if something like this had happened, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with all of them) would have transmitted it to the Ummah and would not conceal it from the following generations since they were the best people and the best in giving advice after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of them) and may Allah be pleased with the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and may they be pleased by Allah. You have already known from the opinions of Muslim scholars that nothing has been established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) nor from his Companions (may Allah be pleased with all of them) regarding the virtue of the night of the first Friday of Rajab or of the Mid-Sha’ban night, and therefore, it becomes clear that celebrating both of them is a Bid’ah, newly introduced in the religion. By the same token, singling them out with a special worship is an evil Bid’ah. The same ruling applies to the twenty-seventh night of Rajab, which some people believe is the night of Al-Isra’ and Mi’raj, that it should not be singled out with a certain worship and it is not allowed to celebrate it due to the above-mentioned evidence. This is the ruling if we know when Al-Isra’ and Mi’raj happened, how will it be if this night is unknown, according to the true view of Muslim scholars, and the saying of those who claim that it is the twenty-seventh night of Rajab is a false opinion having no basis within the sound and authentic Hadith. Indeed, he is good in speech the one who says:

The best affairs are those previously established on true guidance
and the worst of them are the newly introduced innovations in religion

He is Allah Whom we ask to guide us and all Muslims to abide by the Sunnah, to be steadfast on it and to be cautious of what contradicts it. Indeed, He is Bounteous and Generous! May Allah send His Peace and Prayers upon His Servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, his family and all his Companions!

Fatwas of Ibn Baz, Volume 1, Warning against Bid’ahs,

Third Treatise: Ruling on celebrating the night before the fifteenth of Sha’ban, Page No. 186 – 192

Taken from :http://www.alifta.net/Fatawa/FatawaC...No=1&BookID=14

IbnAbdulHakim

06-22-2013, 06:08 PM

I will post some strong evidences for This night when I have the chance inshallah.

Muhaba

06-22-2013, 06:36 PM

I heard a khutbah about the month of Shaban in the masjid yesterday - the imam was Arab. The people used to consider Rajab and Ramadan as sacred months but were ignorant of the month of Shaban. The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم made the people aware of the importance of the month of Shaban. The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم said that in this month the deeds of mankind go up to Allah and the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم liked to be fasting when the deeds were being presented before Allah. so one should fast in these days (in Shaban). while mankind's deeds always go up, at other times they are raised to the nearest heaven but in Shaban they go up to Allah. (This is summary translation of what I heard from the imam.)

Also, I read a clarification about the salat e tasbeeh. Some people claim that the hadith about Salat e Tasbih is a weak hadith and therefore one shouldn't pray the Salat e tasbih. Actually there are many ahadith about Salat e tasbih. Some are weak and others are sound hadith. but (deliberately or mistakenly) some people have only taken the weak hadith and use it claim that Salat e Tasbih is a bida, thus keeping people from praying the salat e tasbih and earning rewards. Salat e tasbih is not a bida'. Not only are there stronger hadith about it that show that it is an authentic form of prayer but also the ulama have said that the weak hadith should only not be followed concerning the halal and haram etc. But weak hadith concerning earning rewards should be followed because there is no harm in it (From Uloom Ul Hadith). Note that we are talking about supererogatory (nawafil) that have come through hadith (weak or sound hadith) and not about supererogatory acts that someone made from themselves (that have no source in hadith).

Amat Allah

06-22-2013, 06:51 PM

Then, would you please give us the sound ahadiths you have habibati? we need sound ahadiths to follow then humbly and with all respect post us those ahadiths May Allah make you a source of khayer for your Ummah Ameeeeeen

Muhaba

06-22-2013, 07:17 PM

^I will see if I can find them. I read an article about Salat e Tasbih which had information about the Sound hadith. In-sha-Allah as soon as I do, I will post them. The imam in the masjid didn't tell where the hadith were reported but these are Awqaf-approved imams, very pious and knowledgeable, so in-sha-Allah we can trust that what they say is correct. I will try my best to find the sound hadith about the month of Shaban and Salat e Tasbih.

~Zaria~

06-22-2013, 07:28 PM

:salam:

The Night of Bara’ah

Another significant feature of the month of Sha’ban is that it consists of a night which is termed in Shariah as “Laylatul-bara’ah” (The night of freedom from Fire). This is the night occurring between 14th and 15th day of Sha’ban. There are certain traditions of Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, to prove that it is a meritorious night in which the people of the earth are attended by special Divine mercy. Some of these traditions are quoted as follows:

1. Ummul-Mu’mineen ‘Aishah, Radi-Allahu anha, is reported to have said, “Once Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, performed the Salah of the night (Tahajjud) and made a very long Sajdah until I feared that he had passed away. When I saw this, I rose (from my bed) and moved his thumb (to ascertain whether he is alive). The thumb moved, and I returned (to my place). Then I heard him saying in Sajdah: ‘I seek refuge of Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and I seek refuge of Your pleasure from Your annoyance, and I seek Your refuge from Yourself. I cannot praise You as fully as You deserve. You are exactly as You have defined Yourself.’ Thereafter, when he raised his head from Sajdah and finished his salah, he said to me: ‘Aishah, did you think that the Prophet has betrayed you?’ I said, ‘No, O Prophet of Allah, but I was afraid that your soul has been taken away because your Sajdah was very long.’ He asked me, ‘Do you know which night is this?’ I said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘This is the night of the half of Sha’ban. Allah Almighty looks upon His slaves in this night and forgives those who seek forgiveness and bestows His mercy upon those who pray for mercy but keeps those who have malice (against a Muslim) as they were before, (and does not forgive them unless they relieve themselves from malice).‘”

2. In another Tradition Sayyidah’ Aishah, Radi-Allahu anha, has reported that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has said, “Allah Almighty descends (in a manner He best knows it) in the night occurring in the middle of Sha’ban and forgives a large number of people more than the number of the fibers on the sheep of the tribe, Kalb.”

Kalb was a big tribe the members of which had a very large number of sheep. Therefore, the last sentence of the hadith indicates the big number of the people who are forgiven in this night by Allah Almighty.

3. In yet another Tradition, she has reported Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, to have said, “This is the middle Night of Sha’ban. Allah frees in it a large number of the people from Fire, more than the number of the hair growing on the sheep of the tribe, Kalb. But He does not even look at a person who associates partners with Allah, or at a person who nourishes malice in his heart (against someone), or at a person who cuts off the ties of kinship, or at a man who leaves his clothes extending beyond his ankles (as a sign of pride), or at a person who disobeys his parents, or at a person who has a habit of drinking wine.”

4. Sayyidna Mu’adh ibn Jabal, Radi-Allahu anhu, reports that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has said: “Allah Almighty looks upon all those created by Him in the middle Night of Sha’ban and forgives all those created by Him, except the one who associates partners with Him or the one who has malice in his heart (against a Muslim)”.

Although the chain of narrators of some of these traditions suffers with some minor technical defects, yet when all these traditions are combined together, it becomes clear that this night has some well founded merits, and observing this night as a sacred night is not a baseless concoction as envisaged by some modern scholars who, on the basis of these minor defects, have totally rejected to give any special importance to this night. In fact, some of these traditions have been held by some scholars of hadith as authentic and the defects in the chain of some others have been treated by them as minor technical defects which, according to the science of hadith, are curable by the variety of their ways of narration. That is why the elders of the ummah have constantly been observing this night as a night of special merits and have been spending it in worship and prayers.

What Should be Done in this Night?

In order to observe the Night of Bara’ah, one should remain awakened in this night as much as he can. If someone has better opportunities, he should spend the whole night in worship and prayer. However, if one cannot do so for one reason or another, he can select a considerable portion of the night, preferably of the second half of it for this purpose, and should perform the following acts of worship:

(a) Salah. Salah is the most preferable act to be performed in this night. There is no particular number of Rak’at but preferably it should not be less than eight. It is also advisable that each part of the Salah like qiyam, rukoo’ and sajdah should be longer than normal. The longest surahs of the Holy Qur’an one remembers by heart should be recited in the Salah of this night. If someone does not remember the long surahs, he can also recite several short surahs in one rak’ah.

(b) Tilawa. The recitation of the Holy Qur’an is another form of worship, very beneficent in this night. After performing Salah, or at any other time, one should recite as much of the Holy Qur’an as he can.

(c) Dhikr. One should also perform dhikr (recitation of the name of Allah) in this night. Particularly the following dhikr is very useful:

One should recite Salah (durood) on Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, as many times as he can. The dhikr can also be recited while walking, lying on bed and during other hours of work or leisure.

(d) Dua. The best benefit one can draw from the blessings of this night is prayers and supplications. It is hoped that all the prayers in this night will be accepted by our Lord, insha-Allah. Prayer itself is an ‘Ibadah, and Allah Almighty gives reward on each prayer along with the fulfillment of the supplicator’s need. Even if the purpose prayed for is not achieved, one cannot be deprived of the reward of the prayer which is sometimes more precious than the mundane benefits one strives for. The prayers and supplications also strengthen one’s relation with Allah Almighty, which is the main purpose of all kinds and forms of worship.

One can pray for whatever purpose he wishes. But the best supplications are the ones made by Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. These are so comprehensive and all-encompassing prayers that all the human needs, of this world and the Hereafter, are fully covered in the eloquent expressions used in them. Actually, most of the prophetic prayers are so profound that human imagination can hardly match their greatness.
Several books in various languages are available which provide these prophetic prayers, and one should pray to Allah Almighty in accordance with them, whether by reciting their original Arabic text or by rendering their sense in one’s own language.

(e) There are some people who cannot perform any additional Salah or recitations for any reason, like illness or weakness or being engaged in some other necessary activities. Such people also should not deprive themselves completely of the blessings of this night. They should observe the following acts:

(i) To perform the Salah of Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr with Jama’ah in the mosque, or in their homes in case of their being sick.
(ii) They should keep reciting the dhikr, particularly the one mentioned above, in whatever condition they are until they sleep.
(iii) They should pray to Allah for their forgiveness and for their other objectives. One can do so even when he is in his bed.
(f) The women during their periods cannot perform salah, nor can they recite the Qur’an, but they can recite any dhikr, tasbeeh, durood sharif and can pray to Allah for whatever purpose they like in whatever language they wish. They can also recite the Arabic prayers mentioned in the Qur’an or in the hadith with the intention of supplication (and not with the intention of recitation).
(g) According to a hadith, which is relatively less authentic, Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, went in this night to the graveyard of Baqi’ where he prayed for the Muslims buried there. On this basis, some of the fuqaha hold it as mustahabb (advisable) in this night to go to the graveyard of the Muslims and recite Fatihah or any other part of the Qur’an, and pray for the dead. But this act is neither obligatory nor should it be performed as regularly as an obligatory act.

What Should Not be Done in This Night

1. As mentioned earlier, the Night of Bara’ah is a night in which special blessings are directed towards the Muslims. Therefore, this night should be spent in total submission to Allah Almighty, and one should refrain from all those activities, which may displease Allah. Although it is always incumbent upon every Muslim to abstain from sins, yet this abstinence becomes all the more necessary in such nights, because committing sins in this night will amount to responding to divine blessings with disobedience and felony. Such an arrogant attitude can invite nothing but the wrath of Allah. Therefore, one should strictly abstain from all the sins, particularly from those mentioned in the Hadith No. 3 quoted earlier in this article, because these sins make one devoid of the blessings of this night.

2. In this night some people indulge in some activities which they regard as necessary for the celebration of the Night of Bara’ah, like cooking some special type of meal, or illuminating houses or mosques, or improvised structures. All such activities are not only baseless and innovated in the later days by ignorant people, but in some cases they are pure imitation of some rituals performed by non-Muslim communities. Such imitation in itself is a sin; performing it in a blessed night like the Night of Bara’ah makes it worse. Muslims should strictly abstain from all such activities.

3. Some people spend this night in holding religious meetings and delivering long speeches. Such activities are also not advisable, because these acts can easily be performed in other nights. This night requires one to devote himself for the pure acts of worship only.

4. The acts of worship like Salah, recitation of the Qur’an and dhikr should be performed in this night individually, not collectively. The Nafl Salah should not be performed in Jama’ah, nor should the Muslims arrange gatherings in the mosques in order to celebrate the night in a collective manner.

On the contrary, this night is meant for worshipping Allah in solitude. It is the time to enjoy the direct contact with the Lord of the Universe, and to devote one’s attention to Him and Him alone. These are the precious hours of the night in which nobody should intervene between one and his Lord, and one should turn to Allah with total concentration, not disturbed or intermitted by any one else.
That is why Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, observed the acts of worship in this night in total seclusion, not accompanied by anyone, not even by his favorite life companion Sayyidah ‘Aishah, Radi-Allahu anha, and that is why all forms of the optional worship (Nafl Ibadah), are advised by him to be done in individual, not in collective manner.

Fast of the 15th Sha’ban

On the day immediately following the Night of Bara’ah, i.e. the 15th of Sha’ban, it is mustahabb (advisable) to keep fast. Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, is reported to have recommended this fast emphatically. Although the scholars of hadith have some doubts in the authenticity of this report, yet it is mentioned earlier that the fasts of the first half of Sha’ban have special merits and Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, used to fast most of the days in Sha’ban. Moreover, a large number of the elders (salaf) of the Ummah have been observing the fast of the 15th of Sha’ban. This constant practice indicates that they have accepted the relevant hadith as authentic.
Therefore, it is advisable to fast the 15th of Sha’ban as an optional (nafl) fast. One can also keep a fast of qada on this day and it is hoped that he can also benefit from the merits of this fast.
See also:Book on Shabaan by Shaikhul Hadeeth Maulana Fazlur Rahmaan Azmi

Source: Jamiatul Ulama SA:

http://jamiat.org.za/blog/shaban-mer...s-and-donts-2/

Just wanted to make a few comments:

1. We should realise that sites such as: IslamQA, SuhaibWeb, Al Kauthar Institute and a few others that have been mentioned, do not follow a specific madhab.

If you follow a madhab (school of interpretation) - be it Hanafi, Shaafi, Hanbali, Maliki, then it would be most advisable to contact your ulema directly in matters such as these, were there are differences of opinion.

2. We should develop extreme caution when discussing matters where the scholars of deen (who have spent years/ most of their lives acquiring such knowledge) themselves differ.
Its ok to post a fatwa or an opinion that you, yourself may be following - but, for the most of us, we should just leave it at that.

It is a great fitnah to speak of that which we do not possess the knowledge/ insufficient knowledge (this does not only pertain to matters of deen, but also worldly matters). We are only bringing about more sin upon ourselves by doing so.

3. If anyone had a serious medical condition, they would look for the best specialist in that field to guide them in management.
They would not be seeking advise from lay-people on an on-line forum.
Then, why do we treat the most important part of our lives - our IMAAN, in such a manner?

Truly, brothers and sisters, our imaans are so precious, and nowadays, it is so easy to be led astray, that we need to adopt a much more cautious approach when it comes to our deen.

:wasalam:

Hamza Asadullah

06-23-2013, 08:51 PM

The Night of Bara'ah (Laylatul Bara'ah) is tonight in the UK (Sunday 23rd of June)

This is not a debate or discussion thread but is meant as a reminder and is therefore closed and will remain so to avoid pointless arguing. Let us be tolerant of valid differences of opinion and not let them divide us, as differences of opinion are a blessing and must never be a cause of division.

The Hadith regarding the night of Bara'ah:

There are many Ahaadith that have been narrated on the virtue of the 15th of Sha’baan. One of them is the narration of Sayyiduna Mu’aadh ibn Jabal (Radhiallaahu Anhu) that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said,

‘Allah Ta’ala turns to his entire creation on the fifteenth night of Sha’baan and forgives all of them except one who ascribes partners to Him and one who harbours enmity in his heart.’

(This Hadith has been recorded by Imaam Tabrani in his Mu’jamul Awsat Hadith6776 and Mu’jamul Kabeer vol.20 pg.108-109)

Sahaba, Tabi'een, Tabi tabi'een & great scholars of the past & present on the Night of Bara'ah:

1. Ibn Taymiyya was asked about the prayer of mid-Sha`ban [i.e. the night of]. He answered:

If a person prays that night alone, or in a select congregation, as many groups (tawaif) of the Early Muslims used to do, it is very good.

As for gathering in the mosque for a particular fixed prayer, such as gather for 100 rakats in which 1,000 QulhuwaAllahuAhad are read every time, this is a reprehensible innovation, which none of the imams have allowed. [Ibn Taymiyya, al-Fatawa al-Kubra, 2; 222-138]

He also said regarding this night:

The excellency regarding the 15th of Shabaan is an area of dispute between the Scholars, some of them say that there is no significance of this night, but Imam Ahmed recognises the excellency of this night, our other Hanbli Scholars also agree with Imam Ahmed. There are Ahadith on this night being significant, some of them are from Sunnan (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah) and the other Ahdeeth books as well [Iqtidah Siratul Mustaqeem page 203 by Hafidhh Ibn Taymiyah]

Ibn Taymiyyah also said:

‘As for the middle night of Sha’baan, there are various narrations that have been narrated regarding its significance and it has been reported from a group of the Salaf (predecessors) that they performed Salaat in it individually, hence, such a deed cannot be disputed.’ (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa ibn Taymiyah vol.23 pg.132)

He also said: "So many Ahaadith and reports exist regarding the excellence of the fifteenth night of Shabaan that one is compelled to accept that this night possesses some virtue". Some of the pious predecessors used to specially devote this night for Salaat. [Faydhul-Qadeer. vol 2., pg 317].

2. Imam Ibn Majah states:

It is narrated by Ali (Ra) that the Prophet Mohammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) stated; “When it is the 15th night of Shabaan, do Qiyaam in the night, and fast in the morning, and ask for forgiveness. Because on that night Allah calls: ‘Is there anyone who is asking for forgiveness so that I can forgive them, who is in distress that I may relieve his distress, is there anyone who needs (rizq) food that I may give it to him.’ And this continues till the morning.” [Ibn Majah chapter Salaah]

3. Hafidh Rawpari & Thana'ullah Amritsari on the Night of Bara'ah:

Two great followers of Ibn Taymiyah and Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Al Najdi, are Hafidh Abdullah Rawpari and Thanaa’ullah Amritsari, both state that to worship on the 15th night of Shabaan is not Bid’ah and the person who does Ibada (Worship) on this night will obtain reward for it. The narrations concerning this night are weak but this does not matter since weak Ahadith are acceptable for virtuous actions. [Fatawa Ahl-e-Hadith by Hafidhh Rawpari and Fatawa Thanaa’iya by Thana’ullah Amritsari, chapter on fasting]

4. Sheikh Al-Albani also confirmed the significance of this night. Below is the hadith which he declares it Sahih:

Hadith: Allah turns towards his creation in the Night of "MID-SHABAN" and He forgives all of them except for a Mushrik and one who hates other people (Albani calls it); "A SAHIH HADITH" narrated by group of Sahaba with different routes (Turuq) such as from Muadh bin Jabal (Ra), Abu Thalbah (Ra) Abdullah bin Umar (Ra), Abu Musa al Ashari (Ra), Abu Hurraira (Ra), Abu Bakr as Saddiq (ra), Awf bin Malik (ra) and Aisha (ra).The Hadith of Muadh bin Jabal (ra) comes through Makhul from Malik bin Yakhamir and It is "MARFU" narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in his As-Sunnah Hadith #512 [Nasir ud din Albani in Silsilat ul-Ahadith-as Sahiha, Volume No. 3, Page No. 135 #1144]

Sheikh Al Albani also said:

As for what is authentic regarding the night of the 15th of Sha'baan, [The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam, said,]

"Allaah, the Blessed and Exalted, comes to His Creation on Laylatun-Nisf (the 15th night) of Sha'baan, and He forgives all of His Creation, except for the polytheist and the mushaahin ."

It is an authentic narration narrated by a number of Companions with a number or different chains that strengthen each other, by way of Mu'aath ibn Jabal, Aboo Tha'labah Al-Khushanee, 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr, Aboo Moosaa Al-Ash'aree, Aboo Hurayrah, Aboo Bakr As-Siddeeq, 'Awf ibn Maalik, and 'Aa'ishah…

Sheikh Al Albani concludes: …So in summary, the narration is authentic without a doubt, as authenticity could be established for it even if there were not so many routes, so long as they are free of any severe weaknesses, as is the case with this narration.

Source: http://fatwa-online.com/news/0021017.htm

5. Imam Nawawi (Ra) mentioned in his Majmu`, where he also quoted Imam al-Shafi`i from the latters al-Umm that it has reached him that there are 5 nights when dua is answered, one of them being the night of the 15th of Sha`ban.

6. Imaam ibn Hibbaan (RA) has classified this narration as Sahih (authentic) and has included it in his book – al-Saheeh. (see Sahih ibn Hibbaan vol.12 pg.482; Hadith5665).

7. Hafiz al-Haythami (RA) has mentioned that all the narrators of this Hadith are reliable. (Majma-uz-zawaaid vol.8 pg.65)

8. It is also classified as sound by Haafiz al-Mundhiri(RA) in his (Al-Targheeb (vol.3 pg.459)).

9. This narration is of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (Radhiallaahu Anhu) and is recorded by Imaam Bazzaar (RA) in his Musnad.

10. In fact, Hafiz ibn Hajar (RA) has also classified one of its chains as Hasan (sound). (al-Amaalil mutlaqah pgs.119-120)

Besides the above, there are many other Sahaaba (Radhiallaahu Anhum) that narrated Ahaadith regarding the merit of this night, such as:

11. Abu Hurayra (Musnad al-Bazzaar),

12. Abu Tha’labah (Shu’ubul Imaan),

13. Awf ibn Maalik (Musnad al-Bazzaar),

14. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas (Musnad Ahmad Hadith6642),

15. Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari (ibn Majah Hadith1390; Shu’ubul Imaan Hadith3833) and others.

The collective strength of these narrations cannot be refuted.

The general virtue of this night has been accepted by many great Ulama of the past. From among many great scholars which have agreed to the virtue of this night are:

16. Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz,

17. Imaam al-Shaafi’ee,

18. Imaam al-Awdhaa’ie,

19. Attaa ibn Yassaar,

20. Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

21. Hafidh Zaynu-deen al-Iraaqiy (Rahmatullaahi alayhim) – refer Lataiful Ma’aarif of Hafiz ibn Rajab pgs.263-264 and Faydhul Qadeer vol.2 pg.317

Moulana Abdur Rahman Mubarakpuri writes in his commentary of Tirmidhi, "The sheer number of Ahaadith regarding this night serve as proof against those people who refute the excellence of this night". [Tuhfatul-Ahwazi. vol 2. pg 53].

In conclusion:

So if the above Sahaba, Salaf, Tabi'een, Tabi Tabi'een and great scholars of the past and present accept and declare this night as having some significance then who are we as lay people to say otherwise without any proof or evidence but just parroting what certain scholars have said instead of respecting it as a valid difference of opinion.

Therefore to declare such night as a bida'a is declaring the above scholars as those who promote bida'a and also being ignorant to valid differences of opinion.

So if one wants to worship this night then let him and if one does not then that is also fine, but the least one can do is to accept valid differences of opinion.

Sheikh Mufti Taqi Uthmani concludes regarding the night of Bara'ah:

Although the chain of narrators of some of these traditions regarding this night suffers with some minor technical defects, yet when all these traditions are combined together, it becomes clear that this night has some well founded merits, and observing this night as a sacred night is not a baseless concoction as envisaged by some modern scholars who, on the basis of these minor defects, have totally rejected to give any special importance to this night. In fact, some of these traditions have been held by some scholars of hadith as authentic and the defects in the chain of some others have been treated by them as minor technical defects which, according to the science of hadith, are curable by the variety of their ways of narration. That is why the elders of the Ummah have constantly been observing this night as a night of special merits and have been spending it in worship and prayers.

And Allah knows best in all matters

'Abd-al Latif

06-23-2013, 11:28 PM

If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.

Aimed at no one in particular.

:threadclo

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