15th Night of Sha`baan

Individual scholars and schools of Islamic thoughts hold different opinions about the spiritual relevance and importance of the 15^th day and night of the month of Sha`baan, the 8^th month of the Islamic calendar. Very often people  ask me  whether or not they should celebrate this  night of this month as special . I decided to offer the scholar's opinions on the matter to the wider readership and below is a gist of these opinions:

Excellence of fasting in Sha`baan

There is no doubt many authentic hadith have been narrated from the Prophet, Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon him, regarding the excellence of fasting, in general, in the month of Sha`baan.

In a hadith narrated in the books of Bukhari and Muslim, Ayesha, May Allah be pleased with her, says: ‘I did not see the Prophet, Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon him, completing the fast of a month except in the month of Ramadan, and I did not see him fasting most of a month except the month of Sha`baan. He would fast in Sha`baan except some of it’.

In another hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad and Nasai from Osamah bin Zaid who said to the Prophet: ‘I do not see you fasting in a month the way you fast in Sha`baan? The Prophet replied: ‘That is a month most people are heedless of; that is between the months of Rajab and Ramadan. That is a month deeds are raised therein to the Lord of the worlds. And I love that my deeds are raised ( to Him) while I am in the state of fasting’.

However, we must remember that there is no authentic hadith saying that the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, ever sought to fast a on any one particular day in Sha`baan by specifying it for any reason.

15^th Day and night of Sha`baan

A number of hadith have been narrated from the Prophet in relation to the excellence of the 15^th night of the month of Sha`baan. Broadly, the Ulema (Islamic scholars) hold two different opinions.

A large number of scholars of Hadith and Ulema are of the opinion that these hadith are unauthentic and weak and so should not be taken in account. Based on their opinions about the weak narrations of those Hadith, these Ulema and scholars of Hadith regard any special type of prayers or gatherings of Zikr in that night as Bid`ah, or religious innovation to the teachings of Islam.

Other school of thought base their opinion on hadiths narrated by Ibn Hibbaan, Imam Ahmad, Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.

One of such Hadith  claims a narration from the Prophet saying: ‘when it is the night of the Mid Sha`baan, stay the night (in prayers) and fast its day, because Allah descends in that night after sunset to the lower heaven and says: Is there any who may seek forgiveness and I forgive him? Is there any who may seek provision and I grant him? Is there any who is  suffering and I release him (from  suffering), this remains until the first light breaks out’.

There is another famous hadith in this context which is narrated from Ayesha, May Allah be pleased with her, says: ‘I did not find the Prophet one night in the house, so I left looking for him and I found him at Baqee`; the famous cemetery in Madinah, holding his head high. He said: Did you think that you were let down by Allah and his Messenger? I said: O Messenger of Allah! I thought you might be with one of your other wives! The Prophet then said: ‘Allah surely descends the night of the Mid Sha`baan to the lower heaven and offers forgiveness to (the number of people) more than the hairs of the sheep of the tribe of Kalb’.

 Imam Ahmad offers a hadith from Abdullah ibn Amr, narrating from the Prophet, saying: ‘Allah pays special attention to His people on the night of 15^th Sha`baan and forgives His servants except two kinds of people; Mushahin and one who commit suicide’.

All these above hadith and others seek to explain the excellence of that night.

However, other scholars of hadith do not regard these hadith as authentic,

Sheikh al-Islam imam Ibn Taymiah says in his book ‘Iqtidhaus Siraat al-Mustaqueem’: ‘No doubt there are many hadith narrated about the excellence of the night of the mid Sha`baan, some of which are linked to the Prophet, while others are from the companions that explain the excellence of that night’.

Specifying the night with Salaah and Zikr

Ibn Rajab says: 'Nothing has been proven from the prophet or from his Companions regarding ‘specifying this night with special prayers and acts of Zikr’. At a  later date people in Shaam began to celebrate it and spend the night in spiritual acts and from these people it spread to others.

Specifying the fasting the day of the 15^th Sha`baan has no authentication and is regarded as makrooh (disliked).

Celebrating the occasion

Celebrating the day and the night of 15^th Sha`baan, or what is popularly called as ‘shab-e-Baraat’ or 'Lailatul Bara`ah' has no religious authenticity in Islamic theology. When many Muslims celebrate it with special meals or decorate their homes and market places, gather for special collective prayers in the mosques or in their homes and neighbourhoods, this remains nothing but part of popular religious culture and has nothing to do with true Islamic teachings.

No doubt the night has excellence and one may individually be mindful of its importance asking Allah to grant him forgiveness, blessings, increase in provisions, cure from illness and release from suffering and troubles of life.

However, anything else, to celebrate it with fireworks, the decoration of homes and market places, preparation of special foods and sweets, special collective prayers or to exaggerate the nature of that night, or anything more than what is narrated in these hadith,  should be regarded as innovative acts in the religion, with no basis and roots in Islamic guidance.

Let us be  accomplished Muslims who  worship Allah alone, follow the path of His Prophet, avoid popular religious cultures which do not have their roots in Islamic teachings and find the way to live our lives embracing  Islamic ethics and true manners in everyday life.