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Thursday, June 12, 2014

A Detailed Study into Narrations Pertaining to the Virtue of Mid-Sha'baan

Haafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalee (d.795) [May Allaah have Mercy on him] writes:
Chapter 33: Second Sitting on Mid-Sha'baan

It has been narrated by Imaam Ahmad, Aboo Dawood, at-Tirmidhee, an-Nisaa'ee, ibn Maajah, Ibn Hibbaan and Haakim, on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah [May Allah be Pleased with him] that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] said;

"If half of the month of Sha'baan has passed, do not fast."
At-Tirmidhee classed this as Saheeh as did others, such as Ibn Hibbaan, Haakim at-Tahaawee al-Hanafee, Ibn Abdul-Barr.

Others such as Bin Mahdee, Imaam Ahmad, Aboo Zur'ah ar-Raazee and Athram classed the hadeeth as being weak and rejected.

They also stated that it contradicts another hadeeth; "Do no precede Ramadhaan by fasting a day or two days before it."

Based on the latter, the understanding is that it is permissible to fast after mid-Shab'aan except for a day or two before the commencement of Ramadhaan. Athraam also explained that it goes against other Ahadeeth as well, for instance it is also narrated that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] fasted the whole of Sha'baan to the extent that he combined the month of Sha'baan in fasting with Ramadhaan, so it's not permissible to fast a day or two before Ramadhaan and all the other Ahadeeth are not authentic in this regard.
Imaam at-Tahaawee al-Hanafee says that the Hadeeth is abrogated and stated that there is consensus from the scholars that this Hadeeth must be left however the majority of the scholars acted upon these Ahadeeth.

Others like Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee and his companions reconciled by stating that it is not permissible to fast voluntary fasts post mid-Sha'baan except for the one who has a habit of fasting voluntarily on a regular basis. Many of the scholars agreed with this explanation.

Despite this, the scholars differed as to the reason behind the prohibition. Some stated that it was to prevent the month of Ramadhaan having extra days or an extension to the month. Others stated that the reason was to prevent any form of weakness during the fasting of Ramadhaan, as was stated by Wakee' and this is how he explained the fact that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] combined the months of Sha'baan and Ramadhaan.

As for singling out the fifteenth day of Sha'baan for worship and fasting, then this is not permissible unless one is fasting the Ayaam al-Beed[1] and that this is his habit to fast these days throughout the year.

It has been narrated in a Hadeeth narrated by Ibn Maajah with a very weak chain of narrators, on the authority of 'Alee [May Allaah be Pleased with him] that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] said:

"When you reach mid-Sha'baan, stand the night in prayer and fast during the day because Allaah, the Most High, descends after the sun sets to the first sky and says, 'Is there anyone asking for forgiveness so I may Forgive them? Is there anyone seeking any provision so I may Give it to them? Is there anyone facing any difficulties so I may Relieve them? 'And this continues until the break of dawn."
There are many other Ahaadeeth that discuss the virtues of the 15th of Sha'baan but the majority of the scholars have said that they are all weak. Ibn Hibbaan, however, stated that some of them are authentic. For example, it has been narrated in his Saheeh, on the authority of A'isahah [May Allaah be Pleased with her] that she said;

"The Messenger of Allaah [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] left to the graveyard of Baq'ee and he then raised his head to the sky and said, 'Are you scared that Allaah and His Messenger are doing something wrong?' I replied, 'Oh Messenger of Allaah! I thought that you were going to another wife.' To which he replied, 'Verily, Allaah, The Exalted and The Most High, Comes Down on the night of mid-Sha'baan to the first sky and He Forgives people more than the number of hairs on a Sheppard's dog.'"

This was also narrated by Imaam Ahamd and at-Tirmidhee. Imaam Ahmad, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajaah and Imaam al-Bukhaaree all classified this Hadeeth as being weak.

It has been narrated by Ibn Maajah from the Hadeeth of Aboo Moosaa [May Allaah be Pleased with him] that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] said, "Verily, Allaah descends on the night of the fifteenth of Sha'baan and He Forgives all of His Creation except the Mushrik or the one who has a quarrel with another."

Imaam Ahmad also narrated from the Hadeeth of Abdullah bin 'Amr [May Allaah be Pleased with him] that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] said, "Verily, Allaah Descends upon His creation on the night of fifteenth of Sha'baan and He Forgives all of His creation except the one who is worshipping idols, the one has a quarrel with another or the person who commits suicide."
Another narration has been narrated by Ibn Hibbaan on the authority of Mu'aadh [May Allaah be Pleased with him] which states, "When the fifteenth of Sha'baan arrives a caller calls out and says; 'Is there anyone who needs forgiveness so that I may forgive him? Is there anyone who has a need so that I may give it to him? And he will give to everyone except for the adulterer or the Mushrik'."

There are many Ahaadeeth on the virtues of this night but they are all weak. It has been narrated that Nawf al-Bakaalee that 'Alee [May Allaah be Pleased with him] went out on the night of fifteenth of Sha'baan and he looked at the sky and said, 

"Verily, Dawood - Peace be Upon him - came out on the same night, at about the same time at night and looked at the sky and said, 'Verily, if one calls to Allaah at this hour, He Will Give it to him. There is no one who asks for forgiveness at this time, except He Will Forgive him, as long as they are not involved in immorality or involved in Sihr.'"

Many of the scholars of Makkah and Madeenah have rejected this narration from 'Alee or other similar to it, from them are the likes of 'Ataa and Ibn Abee Mulaykah. In fact, it has been narrated from Abdur-Rahmaan bin Zayd bin Aslam that the Fuqahaa or the scholars of Madeenah rejected it also, from them were the likes of Imaam Maalik's companions and other than them, all stating that holding this night as a night of virtue is an innovation.

The scholars of Shaam differed about this night into two views. Some said that is it recommended for people to gather in the Masjid, this was the view of Khaalid bin Ma'dan and Luqmaan bin 'Aamir and others. They stated that one should wear his finest clothes, we should perfume the Masjid with incense and we should stand in prayer in the Masjid during this night.  Ishaaq bin Raahooyah agreed with them and stated that having a congregational optional prayer during this night in the Masjid is not an innovation, and he narrated this from Harb al-Karmaanee as well.
The second view from the people of Shaam is that they said it was not permissible to gather in the Masaajid and single this night out, holding prayers during the night, reciting stories, making Dua'aa are all not permissible. However, they did state that a man may stand alone during this night in prayer if he doesn’t single the night out believing there to be special virtue in his praying on this particular night.  This was the view of 'Awzaa'ee, who was the most knowledgeable in Shaam and he was also labeled as Imaam Ahl ash-Shaam, their Faqeeh and their 'Aalim. And this is the correct opinion, Allaah Willing.

It has also been narrated from 'Umar bin 'Abdul-'Azeez that he wrote to his mayor in Basrah, that he should not leave off venerating four nights in the year; the first night of Rajab, the fifteenth night of Sha'baan, the night of 'Eid al-Fitr and the night of 'Eid al-Adhaa. However, this narration is not authentic.

Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee [May Allaah have Mercy on him] stated about this, "It has reached us that some say we should venerate five nights; the night before Jumu'ah, the nights before the two 'Eids, the first night of Rajab and the night of fifteenth of Sha'baan. They have stated that it is recommended to increase in worship during these nights but I do not know from Imaam Ahmad anything authentic about the night of fifteenth Sha'baan."   

It is also narrated from him that it is recommended or Mustahab to stand the night in prayer, this is one of two views narrated from him. In the view that you are recommended to stand, it states that we should stand the night of ‘Eid in prayer and this night, however it is not recommended to stand the night in congregational prayer, as it has not been narrated from the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] or any of his Companions [May Allaah be Pleased with them]. It is recommended or Mustahab to stand this night in prayer due to the action of Abdur-Rahmaan bin Yazeed bin al-Aswad, who was a Tabi’ee. However, standing the night in prayer, the 15th night in Sha’baan has not been narrated from the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] or any of his Companions [May Allaah be Pleased with them] or any other of the Tabi’een or any of the scholars of Shaam.

It has been narrated on the authority of K’ab [May Allaah have Mercy on him] that he said, “Verily, Allaah, the Most High, sends on the night of 15th Sha’baan  Jibreel [Peace be Upon him] to Jannah and orders him to tell them, ‘Verily, Allaah, the Most High, has freed people from the fire on the night of 15th Sha’baan which are equivalent to the stars in the sky, equivalent to the number of days and nights in the Dunya, equivalent to the number of leaves on the tress, equivalent to the weight of the mountains and equivalent to every gain of sand.’”

It is also narrated that ‘Ataa [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said, “There is no night, after the night of Qadr in Ramadhaan, except the night of 15th Sha’baan. Allaah Descends to the first sky on this night, Honored and He is, and He Forgives everyone except a Mushrik, a person who has a quarrel or someone who is cutting the ties of kinship, the rest He Frees from the fire. ”

Therefore it is incumbent upon the Muslim to remember Allaah, the Most High, on this night, ask Him to forgive you your sins, to cover your mistakes and to get close to Allaah, the Most High, by repenting to Him and gaining close to Him[2].
It is also important that the Muslim leaves off sinning on this night, lest he be prevented from attaining the Forgiveness and Mercy of Allaah, lest he may find his Dua’aa rejected on this night.

It has been narrated that the worst of sins that one can commit are Shirk, committing suicide and fornicating/adultery as it has been narrated from the hadeeth of Ibn Ma’sood [May Allaah be Pleased with him] which is Agree Upon on its authenticity that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] said, “Do you know what is the worst of sins? It is to make a partner or equal to Allaah when He Created you…to kill your children fearing poverty…to fornicate/commit adultery with the wife of your neighbor.”

Allaah, the Most High, Descends on this night, so think about the saying;

And those who invoke not any other ilah (god) along with Allah, nor kill such life as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.
[al-Furqaan 25:68]

Also from the sins that could prevent one from attaining Mercy and Forgiveness is to be in a state of argumentation with another Muslim. Having enmity, hatred and spreading rumors about him are also causes for one to be prevented from having Mercy and Forgiveness upon him. This is not exclusive to this night, rather this prevention of Mercy and Forgiveness applies to the quarrelsome person every night, as it has been narrated on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah [May Allaah be Pleased with him] that has been narrated by Saheeh Muslim that the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him] said, “The doors of Jannah are opened every Monday and Thursday, so Allaah forgives all His Slaves except for the one who is involved in doing Shirk, two Muslim brothers who have a quarrel with each other and they. So it said, ‘Let them be until they reconcile’”

Al-‘Awzaa’ee [May Allaah have Mercy on him] explained the meaning of this by stating that the one who is argumentative or quarrelsome is the one who harbors ill-thought and hatred towards another Muslim.  There is no doubt that this type of sin is worse than mere argument or disagreements that may occur between two people, just like the people of Bid’ah split the Ummah.

Ibn Thawbaan [May Allaah have Mercy on him] said that the argumentative person here in this Hadeeth refers to the one who leaves following the Sunnah of the Prophet [Peace and Blessings of Allaah be Upon him].

Therefore this argumentative person, I mean the person of Bid’ah, includes everyone who splits the Ummah, he splits them in their religion, their wealth and their honor just like the Khwaarij and the Rawaafid, they insult the Jama’ah of the Muslims and even make Halaal their blood and the likes.

So from the best of actions is that one is clean and pure in his heart, free from having any quarrels or grudges, unlike those who follow their desires or Bid’ah, that which insults the Salaf of this Ummah and those who came after them, sharing in their ‘Aqeedah and their enmity to the people of innovation. Branching off from this, if one is clean in his heart and his thoughts of people, it will lead to him being sincere to the general Muslims, wanting good for them and giving them sincere advice. The one who is clean and free from grudges wants for others that which he would want for himself.

Allaah, the Most High, has given the believer this special characteristic, as He States:

“And those who came after them say: "Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful.
[al-Hashr 59:10]

The Salaf would see the best deed one can do is to have a clean heart, rectifying himself and being sincere to the Ummah. Because of the virtue of having a clean heart, goodness has spread throughout the land, even more so than the ones who are heavy in praying and fasting.

My brothers! Leave off everything that will make the Mercy and Forgiveness of Allaah abandoned from you. The slave is the slave of a Mawlaa who is al-Ghafaar, Forgiving especially in this season, a season of Mercy, Repentance and Forgiveness. As for the Mushrik, then Allaah says;

Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode . And for the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers) there are no helpers.” [al-Maaidah 5:72]

If one commits the sin of murder, had the heavens and the earth’s and all its inhabitants were to gather to help this person, then he will not be saved from the fire.

As for the one who commits fornication or adultery, then he should beware of the Anger of al-Jabbaar. All of the creation are slaves to Allaah, there is no one more jealous than Allaah when a slave commits fornication/adultery, thus because of this He has Prohibited His slaves from committing any lewd act and Has Ordered us to lower our gaze.   

Consider not that Allah is unaware of that which the Zalimun (polytheists, wrong-doers, etc.) do, but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror
[Ibraaheem 14: 42]

This is all sufficient for us to be prohibited from attaining the Forgiveness of Allaah.

It has also been narrated about this night from ‘Ikrimah and others from the scholars of Tafseer about the Aayah

We sent it (this Qur'an) down on a blessed night [(i.e. night of Qadr, Surah No: 97) in the month of Ramadan,, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship]. Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments.
[ad-Dukhaan 44:3-4]

That this refers to the 15th of Sha’baan. However, the majority of the scholars, and this is the correct opinion, they stated that this Aayah refers to Laylah al-Qadr in Ramadhaan.

[Lataa'if al-Ma'aarif (Pg. 102-107)]



[1] Literally meaning the 'White Day's', these are the days when there is a full moon and it is Sunnah to fast during these days or any three days of a given month. See: Sharh al-Mumti' 6/373 [TN]
[2] Assuming that some of the Ahaadeeth are authentic, there is nothing narrated from the Sunnah that states we should gather in the Masaajid or pray Salaah or supplicate in congregation or to fast the day of the 15th Sha’baan. As Shaykh Sa’ood ash-Shuraym [May Allaah Preserve him] pointed out, “So the correct view about the virtues of this night, the night of 15th Sha’baan, is that there is no virtue or anything special about this night and there is nothing specifically prescribed for us to do on this night. Some people try to use the hadeeth, “Allah descends on this night and he forgives al of his creation except the Mushrik [the one who is doing Shirk], the Mushaahin [one who has a quarrel with another] or the Mudmin [addict]”. Some of the scholars did say that this hadeeth is Saheeh, but even if it is Saheeh for arguments sake, then the hadeeth doesn’t prescribe for us to do anything special on this night by the way of act of worships. This is because the hadeeth doesn’t encourage us to do any special act of worship or to fast the day or the following day, rather all the hadeeth states is that Allaah will forgive on this night.” [Sharh Nathm al-Habeer fi Usool at-Tafseer, tape 14]

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