[ergyuu]

Asalamu Alaika, Wr Wb.

Resently I got told that it was bidah to take part in laylatulbarat, and it was unislamic, and not autentic tradition. is this true?

[propolo]

these are exactly the type of issues ill be avoiding debating with my brothers in islam inshallah although i hold an oppinion on it myself.

I advise to read scholarly articles from both sides of the arguement and then pick which one seems to be the haqh from the evidence provided inshallah. And avoid debating or arguing the matter with those who differ. Thats my advice inshallah. Wallahu a'lam

[LarryG1978]

Asalamu Alaika, Wr Wb.

Resently I got told that it was bidah to take part in laylatulbarat, and it was unislamic, and not autentic tradition. is this true?

Im sure iv seen you viewing the thread on Laylathul-Bara'at before? why make another thread?????? enough has been discussed on this...do a forum search.

[Sironimoll]

Asalamu Alaika, Wr Wb.

Resently I got told that it was bidah to take part in laylatulbarat, and it was unislamic, and not autentic tradition. is this true?

It is not bidah

[Xcqjwarl]

Here is a scholarly article that represents the opposite view

Question: Asalamualykum How do we commemorate the 15th night of Shabaan? Shukran

Answered by: Sheikh `Abd al-`Azîz al-Humaydî, professor at Umm al-Qurâ University

Allah says: “Thy Lord does create and choose as He pleases” [Sûrah al-Qasus: 68]. Allah is the One Who gives preference to days, months or anything else. He gave preference to Fridays over other days and the month of Ramadan over all other months and the night of Qadr over all other nights. This preference and virtue does not exist according to someone’s wishes.

There is no authentic hadîth supporting the virtue middle of the month of Sha`bân. There are some hadîth talking about that night, but nothing of these is authentic. Al-Bayhaqî has collected all the hadîth related to that night in his book “Fadâ’l al-Awqât”. The collected hadîth were not authentic and varied in strength between weak to downright false.

The best graded hadîth among them was the one related by Mu`âdh b. Jabal. It reads: “Allah will look over His creatures in the night of middle Sha`bân then He forgives all His creatures except idolaters or people in dispute among themselves.” [Ibn Hibbân (7/470) and others].

This hadîth is not authentic in its line of transmission. It is related from `Abd al-Rahmân b. Thâbit b. Thawbân through his father. `Abd al-Rahmân is not reliable. Imam Ahmad said about this hadîth: “It is rejected”. Ibn Ma`în described this narrator alternatively as weak, feeble, and good on three separate occasions. However, when he described him as good, he was speaking about his personality and not about his strength as a narrator of hadîth. He still maintained that his narrations were weak.

Ibn Ma`în said about this `Abd al-Rahmân : “He is weak.”

Mu`âwiyah said: “Can we write down his hadîth?”

Ibn Ma`în said: “Yes, despite his weakness, he was a pious man.”

Sâlih b. Muhammad said about him: “He is a truthful man from Syria.” Nevertheless, Sâlih b. Muhammad still rejected many hadîth that `Abd al-Rahmân b. Thâbit narrated from his father from Makhûl. This hadîth, about the middle of Sha`bân, is also narrated from his father from Makhûl. Therefore, this hadîth is weak.

As we said before, all the other hadîth regarding this issue are weaker than this one and some of them fabricated. Hence, there is no special distinction for this night over other nights.

Having acknowledged that, it is prohibited to hold any special forms of worship during this night. Everything intended specially for this night, as well as the habit of calling it “the night of Katb al-A`mâr” is an innovation. There is no special prayer for this night, no special fast, and no special `Umrah.

Our Prophet (peace be upon him) warned us against all kinds of innovations. He said: “Whoever innovates in our religion something that is not part of it, then it will be rejected.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim].

However, is someone prays, fasts , or engages in some other worship in that day and night without the intention of intending it for the sake of the middle of Sha` bân, then there is nothing wrong with that. It is simply voluntary worship.

[VQdeochratis]

i totally agree with Op's query...but i saw one article in one of the threads and i never read it though.. by mufti taqi Usmani on 15th shabaan just try to read it..and contact scholars for further argument.

check this video too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=9LQEPT5yqd4

[Lolita Palmer]

Asalamu Alaika, Wr Wb.

Resently I got told that it was bidah to take part in laylatulbarat, and it was unislamic, and not autentic tradition. is this true?

Within the Hanafi Madhab:

1. Shaykh Mufti Rasheed Ahmed Ludhyanwi (RA) calls it Bidah
2. Shaykh (Mufti) Taqi Usmani (RA) considers it permissable to make extra worship anyway you want

Your choice.

[ergyuu]

Shukran Mospike,, I just wanted to clear doubt.

[pGJLweEw]

Within the Hanafi Madhab:

1. Shaykh Mufti Rasheed Ahmed Ludhyanwi (RA) calls it Bidah
2. Shaykh (Mufti) Taqi Usmani (RA) considers it permissable to make extra worship anyway you want

Your choice.

listen HERE mufti taqi usmani sb d.b about this

[Lolita Palmer]

listen HERE mufti taqi usmani sb d.b about this

Shaykh,

Shaykh (Mufti) Rasheed Ahmed Ludhyanwi (RA) in Ahsanul-Fatawa calls it Bid'ah.
Shaykh (Mufti) Taqi Usmani (HA) doesn't call it Bid'ah.

We respect both and we can chose to follow either opinion and that has been the position of Ulama of this ummah i.e. they have differed in the matter.

[Phassetus]

these are exactly the type of issues ill be avoiding debating with my brothers in islam inshallah although i hold an oppinion on it myself.

I advise to read scholarly articles from both sides of the arguement and then pick which one seems to be the haqh from the evidence provided inshallah. And avoid debating or arguing the matter with those who differ. Thats my advice inshallah. Wallahu a'lam

السلام عليكم

What you just said is Wisdom.

[Sironimoll]

Can listen to bayan http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/show...Must-Listen%29

[VQdeochratis]

Shaykh,

Shaykh (Mufti) Rasheed Ahmed Ludhyanwi (RA) in Ahsanul-Fatawa calls it Bid'ah.
Shaykh (Mufti) Taqi Usmani (HA) doesn't call it Bid'ah.

We respect both and we can chose to follow either opinion and that has been the position of Ulama of this ummah i.e. they have differed in the matter.

Mashallah nice explanation in one sentence...i respectfully agree with you....
both these are Muftis 'but' they both have 'difference' of 'opinion'...
so the problem is how can we convince a layman regarding the authenticity.

[Lolita Palmer]

Mashallah nice explanation in one sentence...i respectfully agree with you....
both these are Muftis 'but' they both have 'difference' of 'opinion'...
so the problem is how can we convince a layman regarding the authenticity.

Laymen means a "Non-Expert" so his or her place isn't to question the evidence or research but ask a Scholar and follow. This is the command of Allah (SWT).

[SO, ask the people (having the knowledge) of the Message, if you do not know.] (16:43)(21 :7)

What he/she should be quoting is merely, "I follow Scholar A or Scholar B and thats about it"

If he/she is able to get to the bottom of the issue then they are not laymen anymore.

The real question is:

1. Is the person really not a laymen i.e. they have sufficient knowledge?
2. OR they are laymen but they think that they are not laymen?

For me this issue is clear cut for any Hanafi. The two opinions are present of two great Jurists of our time, take whichever suits your heart and if you are able to do research and arrive at a conclusion, even better!

In Summary:

1. Shaykh (Mufti) Rasheed Ahmed Ludhyanwi (RA) says that the Ahadeeth on this subject are so weak that even a thousand of them cannot combine to elevate the status of this night.
2. Shaykh Fazalur-Rahman Aazmi (HA) has written this to explain the nature of Ahadeeth on this subject:
   http://abumohammed.muftisays.com/shabebaraat.pdf

If a laymen can directly understand and research this then he/she isn't a laymen!

Most Salafees also simply quote Scholar A or Scholar B and are not capable of independent research.

[thushioli]

Shabaan & Laylatul Bara'at
Source


Allah (swt), out of His infinite mercy, has created varying seasons throughout the year for people's benefit. Similarly, Allah (swt) has also assigned different seasons for particular ibadah. These are special times designated by Allah (swt) for increased Ibadah.

Of course, a Mu'min is expected to be performing Ibadah continuously throughout his or her life, but these special opportunities exist so that every believer may get a chance to attain closeness to Allah (swt) and earn manifold rewards.

One of these blessed opportunities is the month of Shabaan. It is reported in authentic hadith that Rasulullah (saw) used to particularly increase his Ibadah in this month. It is recorded in Sahih al Bukhari :

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ - رضى الله عنها - قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم - يَصُومُ حَتَّى نَقُولَ لاَ يُفْطِرُ ، وَيُفْطِرُ حَتَّى نَقُولَ لاَ يَصُومُ . فَمَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم - اسْتَكْمَلَ صِيَامَ شَهْرٍ إِلاَّ رَمَضَانَ، وَمَا رَأَيْتُهُ أَكْثَرَ صِيَامًا مِنْهُ فِى شَعْبَانَ . - بخاري ح1833، مسلم ح1956، نسائي ح2311، ابوداؤد ح2079

Aishah radhiallahu anhaa narrates: The Blessed Prophet (saw) fasted for so long [so many days] we thought he would never break his fast. Then he would do iftar (for so many days) we thought he will never fast. I have never seen the Blessed Prophet (saw) fast for a whole month besides the month of Ramadan and keep more fasts [outside of Ramadan] than in the month of Shabaan. (Reported in Bukhari, Muslim, Nisai, Abu Dawood)

عَنْ أُسَامَةُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَمْ أَرَكَ تَصُومُ شَهْرًا مِنَ الشُّهُورِ مَا تَصُومُ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ. قَالَ ذَلِكَ شَهْرٌ يَغْفُلُ النَّاسُ عَنْهُ بَيْنَ رَجَبٍ وَرَمَضَانَ وَهُوَ شَهْرٌ تُرْفَعُ فِيهِ الأَعْمَالُ إِلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ فَأُحِبُّ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ عَمَلِى وَأَنَا صَائِمٌ. - نسائي ح2317، مسند احمد ح20758

Usamah bin Zaid narrates that I said:

Oh Blessed Prophet (saw)! I do not see you fasting any month more than the month of Shabaan. The Blessed Prophet (saw) replied:
People are ignorant of it, being between the months of Rajab and Ramadan. All deeds are raised towards Rabb ul Alameen in that month. Thus, I wish that my deeds are raised when I am fasting. (Reported in Nisai, Musnad Ahmad)

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ مَا رَأَيْتُ النَّبِىَّ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فِى شَهْرٍ أَكْثَرَ صِيَامًا مِنْهُ فِى شَعْبَانَ كَانَ يَصُومُهُ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً بَلْ كَانَ يَصُومُهُ كُلَّهُ. - ترمذي ح668، نسائي ح2149، ابوداؤد ح2079، مسند احمد ح23402

Aisha radhiallahu anhaa narrates that I never saw the Blessed Prophet (saw) fast in any month more than the month of Shabaan. He used to fast the whole month except for some days; in fact, he used to fast the whole month (of Shabaan). (Reported in Nisai, Abu Dawood, Musnad Ahmad)

عن أبي هريرة أن عائشة حدثتهم أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يصوم شعبان كله قالت قلت يا رسول الله أحب الشهور إليك أن تصومه شعبان؟ قال إن الله يكتب على كل نفس ميتة تلك السنة فأحب أن يأتي أجلي وأنا صائم- مسند ابويعلى ص311 ج8، الترغيب والترهيب ص72 ج2 وقال:وهوغريب واسناده حسن

Abu Huraira (ra) relates that Aisha radhiallahu anhaa narrated to them the hadith that the Blessed Prophet (saw) fasted the whole month of Shabaan. She said: I asked the Blessed Prophet (saw): Oh Blessed Prophet (saw), is Shabaan your most favorite month to fast? He replied: Allah (swt) assigns the year of death for each person (in the month of Shabaan), thus, I wish my death come when I am fasting. (The chain of narration is ranked "Hasan" in al-Targheeb wal Tarheeb and is also related in Musnad Abu Yala)

The following things are very clear from the several ahaadith above:

1. The month of Shabaan is a very important month and Shari'ah encourages us to perform optional Ibadah during this month
2. Rasulullah (saw) used to fast most of the month of Shabaan
3. In this month, all of the people's deeds are presented to Allah (swt)
4. Rasulullah (saw) disliked for the people to neglect the importance of the month of Shabaan
5. In Shabaan, the list of all the people that are suppose to die in that year are handed over to the angels.

In addition to all of these virtues, there is particular emphasis for the 15th of Shabaan which is called Laylatul Bara'a. Although some people deny the importance of the 15th night of Shabaan; there are authentic ahaadith which clearly indicate its importance.

The following few hadith have been presented with scholarly critique in order to illustrate the special virtues of this night so people are not deprived of a great opportunity of Ibadah through which they can attain more nearness to Allah (swt).

Hadith 1
عن معاذ بن جبل عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال يطلع الله الى خلقه في ليلة النصف من شعبان فيغفر لجميع خلقه الا لمشرك أو مشاحن

It is related by Muaz bin Jabbal (ra) that the Blessed Prophet (saw) said: Allah (swt) looks over at his creation on the fifteenth night of Shabaan and forgives everyone but for two people: a polytheist and one who holds a grudge against people.

Imam Ibn Hibban has narrated this hadith in his Sahih, Imam Bayhaqi in his Shua'bal Imaan, Imam Tabarani in Al Mu'jam al Kabeer, & Abu Nu'aym in Al Hulya. Imam Haithami has also narrated this hadith in his Majmu'al Zawaid and after narrating it, he has commented that all of the people in the chain of narrators of the above hadith are trustworthy and this hadith is authentic.

This hadith is also narrated by Imam Mundhari in Al Targheeb wal Tarheeb, Imam Suyuti in Durrul Manthoor, & the late Shaykh Albani has also narrated this hadith in his Silsilah Sahiha (a book in which he has narrated only authentic hadith according to him.)

Hadith 2
عن أبي ثعلبة عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال إذا كان ليلة النصف من شعبان يطلع الله عز وجل إلى خلقه فيغفر للمؤمنين ويترك أهل الضغائن وأهل الحقد بحقدهم

It is related by Abu Thalaba (ra) that the Blessed Prophet (saw) said: On the 15th night of Shabaan, Allah (swt) looks over at his creation and forgives all the believers except for the one who begrudges and hates. He leaves them in their enmity.

This hadith is narrated by Bayhaqi (raheemullah) in Shubal Imaan, Hafiz Ibn Abi Asim in Kitabus Sunnah, Imam Suyuti in Durrel Manthoor, and Shaykh Albani confirms its authenticity by narrating it in his Silsilah Sahiha.

Hadith 3
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- قَالَ « يَطَّلِعُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَى خَلْقِهِ لَيْلَةَ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ فَيَغْفِرُ لِعِبَادِهِ إِلاَّ لاِثْنَيْنِ مُشَاحِنٍ وَقَاتِلِ نَفْسٍ.

Sayyidina Abdullah bin Amar (ra) has narrated that Rasulullah (saw) has said, "Allah (swt) on the 15th night of Shabaan looks at the people and He forgives all believers except for two kinds of people: 1) Someone who holds a grudge against others and 2) someone who has taken an innocent life.

This hadith is narrated by Imam Mundhiri in Al-Targheeb wal Tarheeb, Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, and Hafiz Al Haithami in Majmual Zawaid. Shaykh Albani has narrated this hadith in his Silsilah Sahiha and after a lengthy discussion regarding its chain of narrators; he concludes that this hadith is Hassan.

In addition to the above, we find most of the great scholars have confirmed the importance and the virtue of the 15th night of Sha'ban. Following are some quotations.

1) Sheikh Mansoor Bahoti Hanbali says in his well known book of Hanbali fiqh Kash-shaful Qina, Vol1:444
وأما ليلة النصف من شعبان ففيها فضل وكان في السلف من يصلي فيها لكن الاجتماع فيها لإحيائها في المساجد بدعة اه وفي استحباب قيامها أي ليلة النصف من شعبان ما في إحياء ليلة العيد - كشاف القناع ج: 1 ص: 444

As for the 15th night of Shabaan, it is a night of virtue. Some of the salaf prayed the whole night, although establishing congregational prayers (on this night) is bida't (an innovation). And the reward of ibadah on the 15th night of Shabaan is the same as the reward of ibadah on the night of E'id.

2) Imam Shafi rahmatullahi alayh said in Al-Umm, Vol. 1 p. 231:
قال الشافعي وبلغنا أنه كان يقال إن الدعاء يستجاب في خمس ليال في ليلة الجمعة وليلة الأضحى وليلة الفطر وأول ليلة من رجب وليلة النصف من شعبان- الأم ج: 1 ص: 231

Imam Shafi said, "of the narrations that have reached us, verily, dua is accepted on five nights: the night of Juma', the night of E'id Al-Adha, the night of E'id Al-Fitr, the first night of Rajab, and the 15th night of Shabaan".

3) Shaikh Abu-Ishaq Ibrahim Al-Hanbali says in Al-Mubdi':
ويستحب إحياء ما بين العشائين للخبر قال جماعة وليلة عاشوراء وليلة أول رجب وليلة نصف شعبان- المبدع ج: 2 ص: 27

It is desirable to revive the time (with salat and ibadah) between the two E'sha's (Maghrib and E'sha) because of the ahaadith. Many scholars say: Similarly with the night of Ashura, the first night of Rajab, and the 15th night of Shabaan.

4) Imam Shurunbulali Hanafi rahmatullahi alayh says in Noorul Eidhah P.63:
وندب إحياء ليالي العشر الأخير من رمضان وإحياء ليلتي العيدين وليالي عشر ذي الحجة وليلة النصف من شعبان - نور الإيضاح ص: 63

It is desirable to revive the last ten nights of Ramadan, two nights of Eidain (Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha), ten nights of Zil Hijjah, and the 15th night of Shabaan.

5) Imam Ibn-Taimiyyah rahmatullahi alayh was asked about the importance of the 15th night of Sha'ban. He replied:
اماليلة النصف فقد روى فى فضلها أحاديث وآثار ونقل عن طائفة من السلف أنهم كانوا يصلون فيها فصلاة الرجل فيها وحده قد تقدمه فيه سلف وله فيه حجة فلا ينكر مثل هذا - كتب ورسائل وفتاوى ابن تيمية في الفقه ج: 23 ص: 132

As for the 15th night of Shabaan, there are many narrations and Athar (quotes from the Sahabah (ra)) regarding its virtue. It has been reported of the salaf that they 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.

6) At another occasion, Imam Ibn-Taimiyyah rahmatullahi alayh was asked the same question and he replied:
وسئل عن صلاة نصف شعبان فأجاب اذا صلى الانسان ليلة النصف وحده أو فى جماعة خاصة كما كان يفعل طوائف من السلف فهو أحسن وأما الاجتماع فى المساجد على صلاة مقدرة كالاجتماع على مائة ركعة بقراءة ألف قل هو الله أحد دائما فهذا بدعة لم يستحبها أحد من الأئمة والله أعلم - كتب ورسائل وفتاوى ابن تيمية في الفقه ج: 23 ص: 131

If one prays on this night alone or in a select company of people as many groups amongst the salaf did, then it is good. As for congregating in the masjid upon a fixed prayer like gathering upon a salat with 100 rakats, and reciting Surah Ikhlas a thousand times, this is bida't. None of the scholars extolled this and Allah (swt) knows best.

7) Shaikh Mubarakpuri writes in Tuhfatul Ahwadhi Vol.3 P.365:
اعلم أنه قد ورد في فضيلة ليلة النصف من شعبان عدة أحاديث مجموعها يدل على أن لها أصلا - تحفة الأحوذي ج: 3 ص: 365

You should know that a sufficient number of hadith has been narrated confirming the virtues of the 15th night of Shabaan. All these ahaadith prove that it has a basis.

After relating many Ahadith about the importance of this night he says:
فهذه الأحاديث بمجموعها حجة على من زعم أنه لم يثبت في فضيلة ليلة النصف من شعبان شيء والله تعالى أعلم - تحفة الأحوذي ج: 3 ص: 367

The sum of all these ahadith is strong evidence against the one who thinks there is no proof of the virtue of the 15th night of Shabaan and Allah (swt) knows best.

May Allah (swt) give all of us tawfeeq to take advantage of this great opportunity and blessing of Allah (swt). Ameen!


Wallaahu A'lam.

[VQdeochratis]

Laymen means a "Non-Expert" so his or her place isn't to question the evidence or research but ask a Scholar and follow. This is the command of Allah (SWT).

[SO, ask the people (having the knowledge) of the Message, if you do not know.] (16:43)(21 :7)

What he/she should be quoting is merely, "I follow Scholar A or Scholar B and thats about it"

If he/she is able to get to the bottom of the issue then they are not laymen anymore.

The real question is:

1. Is the person really not a laymen i.e. they have sufficient knowledge?
2. OR they are laymen but they think that they are not laymen?

For me this issue is clear cut for any Hanafi. The two opinions are present of two great Jurists of our time, take whichever suits your heart and if you are able to do research and arrive at a conclusion, even better!

In Summary:

1. Shaykh (Mufti) Rasheed Ahmed Ludhyanwi (RA) says that the Ahadeeth on this subject are so weak that even a thousand of them cannot combine to elevate the status of this night.
2. Shaykh Fazalur-Rahman Aazmi (HA) has written this to explain the nature of Ahadeeth on this subject:
   http://abumohammed.muftisays.com/shabebaraat.pdf

If a laymen can directly understand and research this then he/she isn't a laymen!

Most Salafees also simply quote Scholar A or Scholar B and are not capable of independent research.

.... very appreciable clarification!

[shinesw]

Assalamu alaykum
I heard this from a great scholar.

There are few blessed opportunities, but two groups of people loose them.

1. who don't posses the knowledge of masail, they waste this opportunity by spending time in bidah and non islamic rituals.
2. who don't posses the knowledge of fazail, they also are loosers. They don't have any value for the opportunity.

[shinesw]

The Deeds of Sha'ban:

Now, we should understand whether there is any prescribed act to do in this esteemed month? Since, we cannot invent anything that is not outlined in the Shariah though a practice is proven on any other time, like the Prayer of Taraweeh is a good and effective worship in the Month of Ramadan but it cannot be offered in Sha'ban because it is not prescribed in this month.

In brief, if we do anything out of its proper time, it amounts as a transgression on a matter relating to the Religion of Islam. Then, we should think whether there is any special righteous deed to be offered in this month. We have presented above (in part 1) the prescribed deeds in this month.

The most favorite deed to be done is to fast abundantly in this month as the Holy Prophet (saws) used to do in this month. In another Hadith it is narrated that the Holy Prophet (saws) has suggested not to fast after mid-Sha'ban. (Tirmidhi 1: 155)



Preparation for the Month of Ramadan during the Month of Sha'ban:

Obviously, in this Hadith it has been prohibited to fast after the mid-Sha'ban. But, at the same time another thing has been recommended in this Hadith. The detail is that the reason why the Holy Prophet (saws) prohibited fasting after mid-Sha'ban is that the people may not become physically weak by fasting in Sha'ban, and in this way would not realize their full potential of the Divine blessings and merits of the more glorious days of the forthcoming month of Ramadan in an excellent manner.



This prohibition, in fact, is directed towards making people prepare for fasting in the Month of Ramadan. This Hadith also suggests that as we should fast in Sha'ban in the same way we should do in Ramadan but it is designed to prepare us for the Month of Ramadan where a fasting Muslim can steel himself for superior acts of offering special prayers like Taraweeh and other acts of voluntary worship enthusiastically during Ramadan, and in this way gain more spiritual rewards. The month of Sha'ban also means that a person with a weak disposition should get strong by seeking proper medical advice and it is highly desirable that an ailing person cure himself, by seeking a cure for his ailment so that he should not lose out on the spiritual benefits and merits, which would accrue by fasting in the month of Ramadan. If any person wishes to travel then he should do it in Sha'ban and keep himself completely free to observe fasts in a proper manner in Ramadan. So, the intention of the Holy Prophet (saws) while highlighting the glories of the month of Sha'ban is that he did not wish the Muslims neglect the Divine merits that are gained in this month, and at the same time, he wanted to give them some free time to attend to their other worldly tasks before the arrival of Ramadan.



Now, we shall discuss the Night of Bara'ah and its reality, significance, origins and merits according to the principles outlined in the Islamic Shariah.



The Night of Bara'ah According to Islamic Shariah:



Is the night of Bara'ah respected in Islam? If that is so then what is its status? What should we do in this night and what should we avoid doing during this night? We shall answer to all these questions in the following paragraphs.



The fact is that people have gone to two extreme ways in this regard. Some of them deny the status of this night has, while some others elevate this night to a place, which it is not destined to have, for which they have invented a number of innovations. So we will outline the moderate way of observing this night and the best opinions of Islamic jurists in this regard.

The Meritorious Place of the Night of Bara'ah:



As far as the night of the Bara'ah is concerned, there are a number of Hadith, which verify its meritorious place, glory and greatness. Is the merit of the night of Bara'ah supported by the Qur'an or not? This is a disputed point. The Muslim scholars have two important views regarding this. In fact, the point of difference is the Qur'anic verse in which Allah says,

“We have sent it down in a blessed night, (because); we had to warn people. In that (night), every wise thing is decided." (Al-Qur'an 44: 34)

Some commentators of the Holy Qur'an say that the blessed night mentioned in the verse is the night of Bara'ah. Ikrimah and many other scholars share this opinion. But, the majority of the commentators have strongly rejected this idea for the verse says that the Revelation of the Holy Qur'an took place in the Night of Qadr so this is the correct meaning of this verse too, and they believe that this is the Night of Qadr, which is mentioned in this verse.



However, there are many narrations from the Holy Prophet and his Companions, which have been collected by Allama Suyuti in Ad-Durr Al- Manthoor. But most of the narrations are weak. However, since many weak narrations have been related on the same subject, they would gain strength and reliability, and put together - according to the rules of the scholars of Hadith - the Hadith would reach the status of "Hasan".

Sahih Hadith Regarding the Night of Bara'ah:



This was explained according to the general Hadith principles. Allama Nasiruddin Albani, a well-known Salafi scholar of Hadith, has mentioned a Hadith in the footnote of "Islahul Masajid". The Hadith is reported on the authority of Muadh Ibn Jabal in the Sahih collection of Imam Ibn Hibban.



Muadh (ra) relates the Holy Prophet (saws) as saying:

"Allah Almighty looks upon 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." (The Footnote on Islahul Masajid: 128)



In brief, the Sahih Hadith explains that the middle night of Sha'ban, which is called " Shab e Bara'ah", is undoubtedly a meritorious night and its greatness is not a baseless idea that has been created in the minds of men.


Some more Hadith narrations:



When we add to this Hadith the other weak narrations they gain strength, and the weak narrations will become applicable if supported by an authentic Hadith, as the Hadith scholars have laid down in the guidelines of criticizing the Hadith. We present here two narrations.



Imam Tirmidhi reports on the authority of Hazrat Ayesha (ra) that she said:

"Once she did not find the Holy Prophet (saws) in the bed and she got too much perturbed and she kept searching for him until she went to the cemetery of Madinah named "Jannatul Baqi." She saw that the Holy Prophet (saws) is present there. The Holy Prophet (saws) said, "Verily, Allah descends in this night on the earth and frees a large number of people from fire, more than the number of the hair growing on the sheep of the tribe of Kalb i.e. this tribe was noted amongst Arabs for growing sheep in great numbers." (Tirmidhi 1: 156, Musnad, Ahmad 6: 238, Musnad, Ishaq Ibn Rahuyah 3: 979)



This Hadith has been declared to be weak for two reasons:

1. One of the narrators of this Hadith is Hajjaj Ibn Artat who has been declared as weak in memory by the majority of the Hadith scholars.
2. Secondly, there is Inqita in this Hadith at two places i.e. there are two narrators in the chain of this Hadith who did not mention the person on whose authority they narrated the Hadith. But, the ahadith mentioned above support this Hadith.



Imam Ahmad reports in his Musnad on the authority of Hazrat Amr Ibnul Aas that the Holy Prophet (saws) said:

"Allah Almighty looks upon all those created by Him in the middle night of Sha'ban and forgives all human beings except the one who has malice in his heart (against a Muslim) and the one who commits suicide”. (Musnad-e-Ahmad 10: 127) There are some other Hadith too, which verify the meritorious status of this night.


Is the Night of Bara'ah the time of Divine Decision Making?


There are many Hadith reports describing the merits of this night, which say that on this night Allah makes His decisions i.e. from this Sha'ban until the next, the list of those being born and those who will die is assigned to the relevant angels. In the same way, many other decisions are also taken on this day. The scholars of the Science of Hadith have declared that all such types of narrations as Dha'eef.



However, the Hadith mentioned above by Ibn Hajar is sound in which the Holy Prophet (saws) has said, "In this (Sha'ban) Allah prescribes the list of the persons dying this year." This narration supports all other weak narrations, which are mentioned on this subject.



Here a question may arise as to when the Night of Qadr has been defined by Allah for a decision as the Holy Qur'an says: "In that (night), every wise thing is decided." (Al-Qur'an 44: 4), and as many Hadith narrations confirm this idea, then what is the meaning of making decisions in the Night of Bara'ah? Some of the Muslim scholars have totally rejected the idea of accepting the Hadith that says that decisions are made in the Night of Bara'ah considering the strong evidences from Hadith that clearly reinforce the idea that the decisions are made by Allah in the Night of Qadr. But, we have mentioned above that there are some narrations, which are good and hold the other opinion i.e. the decisions are also made in the night of Bara'ah. So, some of the scholars have taken a moderate view and say that the good explanation is that the decisions in the Night of Bara'ah are recorded but they are executed and implemented in the Night of Qadr. In this way it is possible to call the both nights as the Nights of Decision. In this way the two conflicting narrations can be reconciled and synchronized. The famous scholar of Ahle Hadith Maulana Abdur Rahman Mubarkpuri notes Mulla Ali Qari as having said, "There is no difference of opinion that in the night of mid-Sha'ban the decisions take place as the Hadith says. However, the question is that whether the Holy Qur'an supports this view or not? The sound opinion is that the Holy Qur'an does not prove the idea that the Night of Bara'ah is the Night of Decision. However, the Hadith narrations confirm that decisions are made in both the nights. Besides, it is possible that in one night the decisions are made in a brief manner and they are made in the other night in a detailed way, or it is possible that in one night worldly affairs are decided and in the other night the decisions of the Hereafter are made. There are so many possibilities that arise as one contemplates deeply on the verses of the Holy Qur'an and the numerous Traditions that have been related to this effect." (Tohafatul-Ahwadhi 3: 367)



The Night of Bara'ah and the Moderate way:



The above details show that the Night of Bara'ah is proven by some narrations and as a whole it is a meritorious night. It is possible to call this night as the Night of Divine Decisions as the Hadith explains. At the same time, it is not proper to give this night an extra status as some people do in our areas. They consider the night of Bara'ah as equal to the day of Eid. They put on new clothes on this day. A lot of care is paid for cooking excellent dishes to greet the arrival of this night. Even some Muslims go to the extent of calling this day as the Eid of Sha'ban.



The Islamic Shariah has not given this night such a great status as to equal to the day of an Eid. The Holy Prophet (saws) did not attach such a status to this day. He did not call the people to get assembled in a congregation to celebrate this night in worship. What he did was to attract the attention of the people to know the great place of this night and thus to redirect their attention towards doing good deeds.

In brief, we should adopt a moderate way and take the middle attitude without falling into encroachment or exaggeration, which conflicts directly with the Islamic Shariah.

What Muslims should do in the Night of Middle of the Month of Sha'ban?



There is no authentic narration that suggests making some special worship on this night. However, there are some weak narrations, which recommend doing particular types of deeds. And, since these narrations have been reported in regard with the merits, then there is nothing wrong in practicing them. Ibn Majah reports that the Holy Prophet (saws) said:

"When the night of mid Sha'ban comes, start to worship in it and fast during the day for Allah descends during this night on the earth and says, "Is there any one to seek My forgiveness so that I forgive him. Is there anyone seeking livelihood so that I give him sustenance? Is there any one suffering whom I remedy?" In this way Allah says until the rise of dawn." (Ibn Majah: 99)



The scholars of Hadith have rated this Hadith as to be weak but since weak narrations are applicable in order to prove the merits of particular things we have provided them here. In this Hadith three particular deeds have been mentioned.

1. To stay awake in this night.
2. To fast during the day.
3. Making supplication for one's own forgiveness, pray for a livelihood, comforts and other necessities. This has been mentioned is on the previous lines, is going to the cemetery as the Holy Prophet (saws) did. But, since these narrations are weak so it is not suitable to give them the status of permanent Sunnah acts. Considering them as part of the religion amounts to an appalling innovation of the Shariah. So, one may do this in a simple way without attaching much notice, significance or exaggeration during this night. Some people go to the extremes and visit cemeteries as though it were an Obligatory act of Islam. Such things are classified under deviation from the Right Path, and there is always the danger of straying out of the bounds of Religion if one acts in this manner.





Constant Prayers During the Night of Bara'ah:



During the Night of Bara'ah one should pay much heed to offer a lot of prayer and supplication. Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (ra) says:

"There are five nights in which the prayers are not rejected (i.e. they are most certainly to be accepted by Allah). They are: the night of Jumuah, the first night of the month of Rajab and the night of mid-Sha'aban and the two nights of the two Eids (i.e. Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al- Adha)." (Shuabul Iman, Baihaqi 3: 342)



Imam Shafi'ee says that it has been transmitted to me that they believed (i.e. the companions) that the Dua is most likely to be accepted in the five nights mentioned. The night of Jumuah, the nights of Eid Al-Adha and Eid Al-Fitr, the first night of Rajab and the night of mid-Sha'aban. (Shuabul Iman, Baihaqi 3: 341)

[VQdeochratis]

Is it mentioned anywhere to single out this night for visiting graves?