"15th Of Sha'baan - The Most Confusing Topic Of Islam"

"15th Of Sha'baan - The Most Confusing Topic Of Islam"

Each year, a fair amount of fussing and fighting takes place over this issue. Yet the truth of the matter is that scholars have long-held this issue to be one over which there is a valid difference of opinion. The first group considered the night to have no specific virtues over and above any other night of the year, and believed that singling the night out for extra acts of worship is unsanctioned. Another group begged to differ and held that the middle night of Sha'ban does possess special merits and should be earmarked for extra prayers and devotion.

。Firstly :

Many Scholars like "Syed Faiz" and others believe that the Name given to this night "Shab E Barat" means "The Night of Hatred" and also that this name has no basis in Islam !

Whereas other scholars differ and say that the name which is “Shab-e-Bara’ah” i.e. “the night of freedom/salvation/forgiveness” meaning of this Night is "The Night of Forgiveness" But since there is a difference of opinion among the scholars and also that this name has no authentication from the Quran and Sunnah thus we should avoid using the Name "Shab e Barat" for this Night.

。Secondly :

Matters of ordainment for the mankind are not decreed on 15th of shaban !

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنذِرِينَ

“We sent it down on a blessed night. Verily, We are ever warning.”
(Aayah No’s 1 to 3, Surah Ad-Dukhan, Chapter No. 44, Holy Qur’an).

In above mentioned verses, Almighty Allah is informing us about the night in which He sent down His Book (i.e. Holy Qur’an), and that night has been termed as a ‘blessed night’.

From other verse of Holy Qur’an we know that Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan:

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an…”
(Aayah No. 185, Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter No. 2, Holy Qur’an).
We further know that the Holy Qur’an was revealed in the ‘Night of Al-Qadr':

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ

“Verily, We have sent it (the Qur’an) down in the night of Al-Qadr.”
(Aayah No. 1, Surah Al-Qadr, Chapter No. 97, Holy Qur’an).
So, we know that the Holy Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan on the night of Al-Qadr.
Thus, the blessed night discussed in Verse No. 3 of Surah Ad-Dukhan (Chapter No. 44 of Holy Qur’an) is the night of Al-Qadr.
Having understood this, let us go back to Surah Ad-Dukhan and continue from where we had left:

فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ

“Therein (in that blessed night) is decreed every matter of ordainments,”

أَمْراً مِنْ عِنْدِنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ

“As a Command from Us. Verily, We are ever sending,”
(Aayah No’s 4 & 5, Surah Ad-Dukhan, Chapter No. 44, Holy Qur’an).

and,

لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ

“The ‘Night of Al-Qadr’ is better than a thousand months.”

تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ

“Therein descend the angels and the Ruh by their Lord’s permission with every matter (every/all Decrees).”
(Aayah No’s 3 & 4, Surah Ad-Dukhan, Chapter No. 44, Holy Qur’an).

Thus, angels descend in abundance during the night of Al-Qadr. In this night, the matters are decided by Almighty Allah, and the decrees are transferred from ‘Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooz’ to the angels who write down the decrees of coming year (in order to do the execution of the ordainments) including the life spans, provisions and all what that shall happen until the end of that year (till next night of Al-Qadr).

Based on all this information, it is clear that matters of ordainment for the mankind are decreed in the night of Al-Qadr which falls in the month of Ramadan. This should also be understood from the name of the night itself (‘Qadr’ is an Arabic word which means ‘decree / destiny’ etc.). The night of 15 Shaban has got nothing to do with it.

。Thirdly :

All the Ahadith that describe the "Fazeelat of Mid shabaan" are either "Mafroo" or "Daeef". Here are some of the Daeef Ahadith which are Attributed to this Night :

Aishah (RA) narrated: I could not find Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) one night. So I left & found him at Al-Baqi (the graveyard near Prophet’s masjid in Al-Madinah). He said, “Did you fear you had been wronged by Allah and His Messenger (PBUH)?” I said, “O Allah’s Messenger (PBUH)! I thought that you had gone to one of your wives.” So he said, “Indeed Allah, Mighty & Sublime is He, descends to the lowest Heavens during the night of middle of Shaban to grant forgiveness to more than the number of hair on the sheep of (Banu) Kalb.”

(Hadith No. 739, Chapters on Fasting, Jami’ At-Tirmidhi, Vol. 2; Hadith No. 1389, Chapters of Establishing the Prayers & the Sunnah regarding them, Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 2).

and,

It was narrated that Ali bin Abu Talib (RA) said: Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said, “When it is the night of the middle of Shaban, spend its night in prayer and observe fast on that day, for Allah descends at sunset on that night to the lowest heaven and says: Is there no one who will ask Me for provision, that I may provide for him? Is there no one who is afflicted by trouble, that I may relieve him?, and so on, until dawn comes.”

(Hadith No. 1388, Chapters of Establishing the Prayers & the Sunnah regarding them, Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 2).

But Many people believe that these Ahadith are Daeef but they are "Ahadith" !!

。Thirdly :

Ibn Taimiyyah was asked about praying on 15th of Shabaan And He replied :

As for the 15th Night of Shabaan, there are many Narrations and Athar (Quotes from the Sahabah) regarding its virtue. It has been reported of this night that the salaf prayed in this Night. Therefore, Praying alone on this night, having precedence in the salaf is sufficient evidence and something of this kind surely cannot be denied.
[Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah, majmua al fatawa volume no. 23 page no. 132]

So we cannot deny the fact that salaf us saliheen did spend the Night in prayer but most of the scholars have the opinion that people should not specify thi Night as it comes under "Bid'dah"

。Fourthly :

Fasting on the 15th of Shabaan :

According to Sahih Muslim

2607.'Imran b. Husain (Allah be pleased with them) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace he upon him) having said to him or to someone else: Did you fast in the middle of Sha'ban? He said: No. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: If you did not observe fast, then you should observe fast for two days.2608.Imran b. Husain (Allah be pleased with them) reported that Allah's Apostle (way peace heupon him) said. to a person: Did you observe any fast in the middle of this month (Sha'ban)? He said: No. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Fast for two days instead of (one fast) when you have completed (fasts of) Ramadan.

But Most of the Scholars believe that singling out 15th of shabaan for fasting is BID'DAH so one should fast the lunar days i.e 13, 14 or 15 or Mondays or Thursdays if the 15th shabaan falls on monday or thursday !

。Fifthly :

There is no celebration or fireworks prescribed in Sharee'ah for this Night,

Doing fireworks etc. as a mark of celebration is not a good idea at all, even if it is done for some other occasion. Spending in fireworks and firecrackers means we spend handsome amounts of money in these activities. All such expenditure is a waste of one’s money and amounts to ‘Israf’, or may be even ‘Tabzir’ (please refer to a detailed article titled ‘Extravagance';

。Sixthly:

The Souls do not visit the living world on 15th of sha'baan ! It is just a false belief !

After death, the soul of the dead is kept in either ‘Illiyeen’ (if it is a good soul) or in ‘Sijjeen’ (if it is a bad soul). Allah creates a barrier (the ‘barzakh’) between this world and the Hereafter (thereby a barrier between the departed souls and this world). The dead souls can never visit this world till the ‘Day of Resurrection’.
Hence, the belief that dead souls visit the earth on the night of 15 Shaban and we should visit the graveyards during that night is wrong, and all the rituals associated with such a belief are Bida’a
(i.e. an innovation).

。Conclusion :

The conclusion can be summarized as below:
It is wrong and against the teachings of Qur’an to believe that matters of ordainments are decreed by Allah on the night of 15 Shaban. In fact, such matters are decreed on the night of Al-Qadr (which falls in the last 10 days of the month of Ramadan).
It is immature understanding if one believes that Allah descends down to lowest of the heavens on the night of 15 Shaban only. The fact is that Allah descends down to lowest of the heavens every night.

It is wrong to believe that dead souls visit the earth in the night of 15 Shaban and hence we should visit graveyards on this occasion. All rituals associated with such a belief are Bida’a.
Singling out the night of 15 Shaban for performing voluntary prayers and the day of 15 Shaban for fasting is an act of Bida’a.
Doing fireworks etc. on 15 Shaban as a mark of celebrations is not an Islamic practice; it leads to extravagance, and should be avoided completely.

But In Terms of Ibadah, there is a difference of opinion between scholars so we cant Prohibit doing Ibadah on this Night or fasting on this day but it is better to Fast the lunar days to be on a safer side.

And Allah knows Best.

May Allah Forgive me if I am wrong and Guide us on the Right Path. Ameen.

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