Assalamu alaykum.
THERE IS NO MENTION OF SHAB E BARAT IN QURAN AND AUTHENTIC HADITH.
If you search for the word ‘shaban’ within the SAHIH HADITHS you will find :
1. Shaban is the month preceding RAMADAN
BUKHARI: Volume 3, Book 31, Number 133:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet or Abu-l-Qasim said,
“Start fasting on seeing the crescent (of Ramadan), and give up fasting on seeing the crescent (of Shawwal), and if the sky is overcast (and you cannot see it), complete thirty days of Sha’ban.”
2. Shaban is a month when Ayesha(RadiAllahu anha) offered missed Fasts
BUKHARI: Volume 3, Book 31, Number 171:
Narrated ‘Aisha:
Sometimes I missed some days of Ramadan, but could not fast in lieu of them except in the month of Sha’ban.” Said Yahya, a sub-narrator, “She used to be busy serving the Prophet .”
MUSLIM: Book 006, Number 2549:
Abu Salama reported: I heard ‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) as saying:
I had to complete some of the fasts of Ramadan, but I could not do it but during the month of Sha’ban due to my duties to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) or with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him).
3. The Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) fasted more in the month of Shaban than he ever did in any other month outside of RAMADAN.
BUKHARI: Volume 3, Book 31, Number 190:
Narrated ‘Aisha:
Allah’s Rusul used to fast till one would say that he would never stop fasting, and he would abandon fasting till one would say that he would never fast. I never saw Allah’s Apostle fasting for a whole month except the month of Ramadan, and did not see him fasting in any month more than in the month of Sha’ban.
BUKHARI: Volume 3, Book 31, Number 191:
Narrated ‘Aisha:
The Prophet never fasted in any month more than in the month of Sha’ban. He used to say, “Do those deeds which you can do easily, as Allah will not get tired (of giving rewards) till you get bored and tired (of performing religious deeds).”
The most beloved prayer to the Prophet was the one that was done regularly (throughout the life) even if it were little. And whenever the Prophet offered a prayer he used to offer it regularly.
MUSLIM: Book 006, Number 2580:
‘A’isha, the Mother of the Believers (Allah be pleased with her), reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe fasts (so conti- nuously) that we said that he would not break, and did not observe (them) till we said that he would not fast: and I did not see the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) completing the fast of a month, but that of Ramadan, and I did not see him fasting more in any other month than that of Sha’ban.
MUSLIM: Book 006, Number 2582:
‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) did not observe fast in any month of the year more than in the month of Sha’ban, and used to say: Do as many deeds as you are capable of doing, for Allah will not become weary (of giving you reward), but you would be tired (of doing good deeds) ; and he also said: The deed liked most by Allah is one to which the doer adheres constantly even if it is small.
WHY the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) fasted more in the month of Shaban than any other month outside of Ramadan.
A. Either to get his physical body into shape before the month of Ramadan (because fasting immediately in Ramadan after a 11-month gap, is strenuous on the body. So if one does preparation work upfront, by doing optional fasts before the mandatory fasting, then it becomes easier. Just like a warm-up exercise before the full exercise).
B. Something special about the MONTH of SHABAN
(Note the MONTH OF SHABAN, not a DAY OF SHABAN)
c. Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with both of them) was reported to have said that he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “I have not seen you observe additional fast during any month as you do in Sha`ban?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “This is a month that people usually forget about between Rajab and Ramadan, and it is a month in which people’s deeds are presented to Allah, so I like that my deeds are presented while I am fasting” (An-Nasa’i).
NOTE in this HADITH that days of SHABAN are implied: “I did not see him fasting more in any other month than that of Sha’ban.” Nowhere does it state that the Prophet fasted only on the 15th of SHABAN.
4. There appears to be some merit in fasting the last days of Shaban
BUKHARI: Volume 3, Book 31, Number 204:
Narrated Mutarrif from ‘Imran Ibn Husain:
That the Prophet asked him (Imran) or asked a man and Imran was listening,
“O Abu so-and-so! Have you fasted the last days of this month?”
(The narrator thought that he said, “the month of Ramadan”).
The man replied, “No, O Allah’s Apostle!” The Prophet said to him,
“When you finish your fasting (of Ramadan) fast two days (in Shawwal).”
Through another series of narrators ‘Imran said, “The Prophet said, ‘
(Have you fasted) the last days of Sha’ban?”
Abu DAWUD: Book 13, Number 2425:
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:
The month most liked by the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) for fasting was Sha’ban. He then joined it with Ramadan.
NOTE: There is no mention of a DAY. DAYS of SHABAN or the MONTH of SHABAN are mentioned.
REALIZE THE “NO AUTHENTIC REFERENCE OF QURAN & HADITH GIVEN” OR “WEAK REFERENCE GIVEN” WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT 15th SHABAN NIGHT OR SHAB-E-BARAAT..
Nothing firm and reliable have been established on the authority of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he held 15th shaban prayer and fasted during the day of the 15th of Sha`ban. So, the night of the 15th of Sha`ban is like any other night, and if someone regularly observes acts of worship during other nights, then he may hold the night of 15th shaban without assuming anything special
This is because specifying a time for any act of worship requires an authentic proof, so if there is no authentic proof then the act is regarded as an innovation and all innovations are misguidance. Likewise, regarding specifically fasting during the 15th day of Sha`ban, then no (authentic) proof has been established on the authority of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to indicate the legality of fasting on that particular day.
The well-known Saudi scholar, Sheikh ibn `Uthaymeen, said :
What is correct is that fasting on the 15th of Sha`ban or specifying it with reciting (the Qur’an) or making (particular) supplications on that day has no basis. So that day is like any other 15th day of other months. Something that is clear is that it has been made permissible for a person to fast on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every month. However, Sha`ban is somehow special (except for Ramadan) in the sense that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast more in the month of Sha`ban than any other month.
Therefore, as long as it does not involve any hardship, one can increase his fasting days during Sha`ban, emulating the example of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT 15th SHABAN NIGHT… WHAT DO THE PEOPLE SAY ????
1- it is a special night that someone HAS to spend on doing good deeds and if anyone misses such a night then they have missed a good night.
2- In other words, such a night has been made special as if this night was like the night of power
3- There are also some Muslims who think life and death decisions are made on this night
4- A tree exists that determines who will be born in the next year and who will die in the next year. But the hadith which this comes from is considered very weak indeed, or unreliable.
5- The 15th Shaban has been elevated to a special night when neither the QURAN or HADITHS have elevated this night into some special night of ibadah.
6- In the hadith reported by Imam At-Tabarani, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “Truly, there are nafahat (blessed seasons or days) in which your Lord vouchsafes plentiful mercy. So, make sure that you make the best use of such seasons!” People relate SHAB-E-BARAAT as such season too.
7- People say: On shab e barat, Prophet PBUH got married to HOORS in jannat…. No authentic reference was found for this information.
8- Some people believe that in Surat Ad-Dukhan (44:3-4) there is a reference to this night as Allah says, (We sent it (the Qur’an) down during a blessed night. We are truly Warners. In that night is made distinct every affair of wisdom.) But the night referred to here cannot be a Sha`ban night because it is said here clearly that the Qur’an was revealed in this night. We know from the Surat Al-Qadr (97) that the Qur’an was revealed in the Night of Qadr and we also know from the Qur’an (Al-Baqarah 2:185) that the Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan. So it is obvious that the night of the revelation of the Qur’an was in Ramadan, not Sha`ban, and that it was laylat ul-qadr (The Night of Power) not shab-e-barat. (Dr. Muzzamil Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America)
9- Some people believe that the spirits of the deceased visit their relatives during this night
10- These are many practices and customs common in some Muslim countries, such as making a sweet dish, setting off fireworks, etc. These things have no meaning and no reference in hadiths.
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