Shab e Baraa’t: The Night of Salvation and Forgiveness
By
Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
17 March
2022
Special Attributes and Significance of
Shab-e-Baraa’t in Islam
Key
Points
1.
Allah Almighty has endowed Shab-e-Baraa’t with
many special features.
2.
The Angels say ‘Glad Tidings to Those’ who
worship on this Night
3.
The Opinions of Jurists and Scholars About
Shab-e-Baraa’t
4.
Some recommended acts for Shab-e-Baraa’t
----
Shab-e-Baraa't
or the "Night of Salvation," is observed on the 15th night (the night
between the 14th and 15th) of Sha'ban, the 8th month of the Islamic calendar.
This beautiful night, which is associated with forgiveness and destiny, begins
at sunset on the 14th of Shaban and finishes at dawn on the 15th.
Allah
Almighty has bestowed numerous unique characteristics on this night. 1) Taqseem-e-Umur
(Passing of Orders), 2) Nuzul-e-Rahmat (Revelation of Blessings), 3)
Faizaan-e-Bakhshish (Granting of Forgiveness), 4) Qabool-e-Shifaat (Acceptance
of Intercession), and 5) Fazeelet-e-Ibaadat (Greatness of Worship) are five of
the most essential.
Shab-E-Baraa’t:
The Night of Taqseem-E-Umoor [The Passing of Orders]
Allah says
in the Quran: "By the manifest book that makes things clear. We sent it
(Quran) down on a blessed night. Verily!
We are ever warning of our fear. During this night, all decreed matters are
shared out by us." (Surah Duhaan,
Ayat 5)
Hazrat Ibn
Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “The meaning of 'the sharing of
matters' is that whatever happens throughout the year is written (wealth,
death, life, rain, even who is going to Hajj in that year). (Addur ul Manthur Fi Tafseeri Bilmaathuri, P.
25, volume 6, Beirut)
Hazrat
Ikrama (May Allah be pleased with him) and a group of commentators of the Quran
said, “In this verse, “Laila Mubaraka' or 'blessed night' is indicating that
the 15th of Sha'ban is Shab-e-Baraa’t”.
(Alfutoohaat Ilaahiya, P. 99)
It is
reported from Hazrat ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) that the prophet
(peace be upon him) asked her: “Do you know what happens on the 15th of
Sha’ban?” (Meaning the importance, blessings?). She replied: 'Oh Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him), Tell me.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
replied: “On that night every man whose child is to be born that year is
written down. Every person who is going
to die that year is written down. All the deeds of every person (good and bad) are
presented. The wealth of every person is written down. (Mishkaat-ul-Masabih, pg115, Gunya al-talibin
by Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani radi Allahu anhu, Page No. 447]
It is
narrated by Hazrat Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “From one Sha'ban to the next, a
person who is alive and is going to die in that time is written down. To the
point that a man marries and has children, but his name is written on the list
of the people who will die that year” (Addurrul Manthur, P. 26, volume 6)
Shab-e-Baraa’t:
The night of Forgiveness and Mercy
It was
narrated that ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: “I missed the
Prophet (peace be upon him) one night, so I went out looking for him. I found
him at Al-Baqi’ raising his head towards the sky. He said: ‘O ‘Aishah, were you
afraid that Allah and His Messenger would wrong you?’” She said: “I said: ‘No,
it is not that, but I thought that you had gone to one of your other wives.’ He
said: ‘Allah descends on the night of the middle of Sha’ban to the lowest
heaven, and He forgives more than the numbers of hairs on the sheep of Banu
Kalb.’” [Sunan Ibn Majah: Book 5, Hadith 1452, Jami’ Tirmidhi: the book of
Fasting, Musnad Ahmad: vol 6, p. 238, Mishkat: vol 1, p. 277, Musannaf Ibn Abi
Shaybah: Vol-1 page 237, Shu’bul Imaan: Vol-3, page 379)
According
to the scholars of Hadith, this hadith has been narrated with so many Isnad
[chains of authorities] that it has attained the rank of authenticity [Sehat].
It was narrated
from Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
“Allah looks down on the night of the middle of Sha’ban and forgives all His
creation, apart from the idolater and the Mushahin.” [Sunan Ibn Majah: Book 5,
Hadith 1390, Shu’bul Imaan: Vol-3, page 382, Mishkat: Vol-1 page 277]. There is
another chain from Abu Musa, from the Prophet (peace be upon him) with similar
wording.
Hazrat Abu
Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Most Beloved (peace
be upon him) of Allah Almighty often used to say in his sermon: “O people!
Lighten and cleanse your bodies by way of fasting during Shabaan, so that it
shall be easy and helpful to you for the fast during Ramadan. Whosoever fasts
for three days during Sha’ban, all his past sins are wiped off” (Baihaqi).
Fasting is recommended on the 13th, 14th and 15th of Shabaan.
Hazrat Abu
Bakr Siddiq – May Allah be pleased with him- narrated that the prophet (peace
be upon him) said: “Allah looks at His creation during the night of the middle
of Sha’ban and forgives His servants except two: 1) Mushahin (i.e. the person
who has hatred) and 2) a Qatil [i.e. murderer)
[Al-Amaal al- Mutlaqah by Ibn Hajar: Page 119-120, Al-Targheeb by Haafiz
al-Munzhiri: Vol. 3, Page 459, Kitab At-Tawheed wa Ithbat Sifat ar-Rabb by Imam
Ibn Khuzaymah: Section : Nuzool]
It is
reported that Hazrat Jibrael (Angel Gabriel) came to the prophet (peace be upon
him) on the 15th night of Sha’ban and said: ‘Raise your head towards the
sky.’ The prophet (peace be upon him)
asked, ‘which night is this?’ Jibrael replied: ‘it is that night in which Allah
opens thirty doors of forgiveness to his creation and he forgives all His
creation except for the non-believers and the polytheist. He does not forgive
magicians, fortune-tellers, alcoholics, gamblers, and adulterers because they
cannot be forgiven until they repent to Allah. When one-quarter of the night
had passed, Jibrael came down again and said ‘Lift your head up.’ The messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
raised his blessed head and saw that all the doors of Paradise were open.
1.
At the first door an Angel was saying ‘glad
tidings to those who bow in ruku on this night.’
2.
At the second door another Angel was saying
‘glad tidings to those who do sajdah (prostration) on this night.’
3.
At the third door an angel was saying ‘whoever
makes prayer on this night may they receive goodness from it’.
4.
At the fourth door an angel was saying ‘whoever
does dhikr (remembrance of Allah) may they receive blessings.’
5.
At the fifth door an angel was saying ‘whoever
cries due to fearing Allah may he be blessed.
6.
At the sixth door an angel was saying ‘is there
anybody who wants to ask for something? He will receive what he asks for.’
7.
At the seventh door an angel was saying ‘is
there anybody who wants to be forgiven, for he will be forgiven.’
The Prophet
(peace be upon him) asked, ‘O Jibrael! How long do these doors remain
open? Hazrat Jibrael (peace be upon him)
answered: ‘from the beginning of the night until the morning, twilight is
visible.’ He then said: ‘O praised
one! On this night, Allah frees the
people equal to the number of hairs on the goats from the tribe of Kalb from
the Hell.’ (Ghaniyatut Talibeen: Vol. 1,
page 169)
It is
narrated by Muadh bin Jabal – May Allah be pleased with him- that the Prophet
(peace be upon him) said: “Allah turns towards his creation during the night of
Middle of Sha’ban and forgives all of them except for a Mushrik and one who
hates other people.” [Majma Az Zawaid by Imam Ibn Hajr Haythmi: Hadith No.
12860, Sahih Ibn Hibban: Vol. 12, Page 481, Hadith No. 5665, Al-Tarikh by Ibn
Asakir: Vol. 15, Page 302, Al-Sunnah by Ibn Abi ‘Asim: Vol. 1, Page 224], Al
Muajamul Kabir, Vol. 20, Page 108-109, Shu’bul Iman by Al Bayhaqi: Vol. 2, Page
288, Al-Amali by Abulhasan Al-Qazwini:
Vol. 4, Page 2,)
Abu
Tha’laba – May Allah be pleased with him- narrated that the Blessed Prophet
(peace be upon him) said: “On the 15th night of Sha’ban, Allah looks over at his
creation and forgives all the believers except for the one who begrudges and
hates. He leaves them in their enmity.” (Weak) [Bayhaqi, Tafsir ad-Dar
al-Manthur, Under the Verse 44: 3]
Hazrat Ali
bin Abu Talib- May Allah be pleased with him- said: “The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said, ‘When it is the night of the middle of Sha’ban, spend
its night in prayer and observe a 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 forgiveness, that I may forgive him? 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?” [Ibn Majah,
Chapter 191. What Was Narrated Concerning The Night Of The Middle Of Sha’ban,
Hadith No. 1388] [Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti, Durre Manthur, Page 26]
It is
related from Ibn ‘Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Indeed
the supplication is not returned from five nights: the night of Jum’ah, the
night of the ‘Id al-Adha’, the night of ‘Idul Fitr’, the first night of Rajab
and the night of mid-Sha’ban.” [‘Abd al-Razzaq, Musannaf, Vol. 4, Page No. 317,
Hadith No. 7927-7928] [al-Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Page 319, Hadith No.
6087]
The prophet
– peace be upon him- said to Aishah –May Allah be pleased with her- on the
night of mid-Sha’ban: “This is the night of mid-Sha`ban! Verily Allah the
Glorious and
Majestic
look at His servants on the night of mid-Sha`ban, and He forgives those who ask
forgiveness, and He bestows mercy on those who ask mercy, and He gives a delay
to the people of envy and spite in their state.” (Sound hadith) [Bayhaqi,
Shu`ab al-iman, Vol. 3, Page 382, Hadith No. 3835]
Shab-e-Baraa’t: The Eid of Angels
In the same
manner, as Muslims around the globe celebrate two Eids, Eid ul Fitr and Eid
al-Adha, Angels in Heaven celebrate two Eids, Shab e Barat and Shab e Qadr.
Because angels do not sleep at night as humans do, they celebrate Eid at night.
Humans, on the other hand, celebrate Eid during the day. (From Guniyatut
Talibin, page 449.)
Virtues
of Worshipping during Shab-e-Baraa’t
Worshipping
during Shab-e-Baraa't reaps significantly larger rewards. According to several
Hadiths, worshipping on Shab e Baraa't is Sunnah [recommended], and we can do
plenty of good acts by doing so.
Hazrat
Aishah Siddiqa (May Allah be pleased with her) narrates that one night the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) started praying nafil prayer. He
lengthened his prostration so much that I started to worry that his blessed
soul had left his body. When I saw this state I went towards him and moved his big
toe and it started to move, so I went back. When he (peace be upon him) came
out of prostration and had completed his prayer, he said: 'Oh Aishah! Did you think that the beloved Messenger of
Allah would carry out injustice with you?'
She replied: 'Oh Messenger of Allah! By Allah! I didn't think so.
However, you staying in prostration for so long made me think that you had left
this world.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Do you know what night this
is?' She replied: 'Allah and His
Messenger know best.' He (peace be upon him) replied, 'this night is the 15th
of Sha'ban, indeed on this night Allah is attentive with his grace and
blessings, so He forgives the ones who ask for forgiveness. Those who request for mercy, Allah grants
them with mercy and kindness and the ones who hold grudges and have enmity
Allah does not shower his blessings upon them.'
(Addurr ul Manthur, P. 27, volume 6)
Hazrat Ali
(May Allah be pleased with him) has narrated that the Messenger of Allah said
when the 15th night of Sha'ban arrives, then do worship and fast during the
day, indeed Allah on this night, from when the day has gone down, showers the
world with His blessings:
“Is there
anyone in search of forgiveness that I should forgive them? Is there anyone in
search of Rizq that I provide them with this? Is there anyone captured in
misfortune that I guide him to safety? Is there anyone as such? (Meaning, today
blessings are open to everyone. Is there anyone in search of my blessings? That
I bless him with the best and most virtuous)”.
(Ibn Majah: page 100, Shu’bul Iman by al-Bayhaqi, Vol.3, P. 378,
Mishkatul Masabih Vol 1, Page 278)
The
Opinions of Jurists and Scholars about Shab-e-Baraa't
The
qualities of Shabe Baraa't have been recognised and spoken about by many intellectuals
and jurists in the past. Umar bin Abdul Aziz, Imaam Shaafi’i, Imaam al-Awzaa’i,
Attaa bin Yassaar, Ibn Rajab al-Hambali
and Hafiz ZaynuddIn al-Iraaqi (May Allah be pleased with them) are only a few
of them. [Lataiful Ma’aarif by Hafiz Ibn
Rajab, Page 263-264 and Faydhul Qadeer by Hafiz Zayuddin Iraqi Vol. 2 Page 317]
Imam
Shafi'i says: “according to various narrations that have reached us, Dua
[prayer] is accepted on five nights: the night of Juma’, the night of Eid
Al-Adha, the night of Eid Al-Fitr, the first night of Rajab, and the 15th night
of Sha’ban”. [Al-Umm by Imam Shafii, Vol. 1, Page 231]
Imam
Jalaluddin Suyuti: “As for the night of mid-Sha`ban, it has great merit and is
desirable (Mustahab) to spend part of it in supererogatory worship.”
[Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti, Haqiqat al-sunna wa al-bid`a aw al-amr bi al-ittiba`
wa al-nahi `an al-ibtida` Page. 58]
Imam
Shurunbulali Hanafi says: “It is desirable to revive the last ten nights of
Ramadan, two nights of Eids (Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha), ten nights of Zil
Hijjah, and the 15th night of Sha`ban”. [Imam Shurunbulali Hanafi, Noorul
Eidhah, Page No. 63]
Al-Mubarakpuri
says: You should know that a sufficient number of hadith has been narrated
confirming "the virtues of the 15th night of Sha`ban". All these
hadiths prove that it has a basis. [Al-Mubarakpuri, Tuhfa tl Ahwadhi (Sharah
Tirmidhi), Vol. 3, Page No. 380]. After relating many Ahadith about the
importance of this night of 15th Sha'ban he says: “The sum of all these Hadiths
is strong evidence against the one "who thinks there is no proof" of
the virtue of the 15th night of Sha`ban" and Allah knows best. [Al-Mubarakpuri, Tuhfa tl Ahwadhi (Sharah
Tirmidhi), Vol. 3, Page No. 365-367]
Some of the
Hadiths pertaining to Shab-e-Baraa't have a weak chain of narration. Some argue
that Shab-e-Baraa't has no virtue' on this premise. However, Hadith scholars
and jurists agree that if a Hadith is Daif [weak in narration] and there are
other weak Hadiths with distinct chains of narrations in the same context,
these weak Hadiths will be promoted to the status of 'Hasan Li Ghairihi' and
will support one another.
As
previously stated, the virtue of Shab-e-Baraa't has been narrated by more than
ten of the companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). As a result,
those who claim that “Shab-e-Baraa't has no virtue" are unable to provide
any counter-evidence.
In Hadith
Science, there is a rule that if a Hadith is Daif [weak], it will be allowed in
Fadail [merits] but not in Ahkam [rulings] if it is Daif [weak].
Muhammad
Nasiruddin Albani, a respected Salafi scholar, has also described various
Hadith relating to Shabe Baraa't as authentic [Sahih]. (See Zilalul Jannah Fi
Takhrijis Sunnah by Ibn Abi Asim, 1:223, Silsilatul Ahadees As Sahihah: Vol. 3,
Page 135).
He writes:
“Allah turns towards his creation in the Night of "Mid-Sha'ban" and
forgives all of them except for a Mushrik and one who hates other people”. He
says : (This is a) “Sahih Hadith” narrated by a group of companions [Sahaba]
with different routes (Isnaad) such as from Muadh bin Jabal, Abu Thalbah,
Abdullah bin Amr, Abu Musa al Ashari, Abu Huraira, Abu Bakr as Saddiq, Awf bin
Malik and Aishah (May Allah be pleased with all of them). The Hadith of Muadh
bin Jabal comes through Makhul from Malik bin Yakhamir and It is “Marfu”
narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in his As-Sunnah, Hadith No. 512.” [Nasiruddin Albani,
Silsilat as-Sahiha, Vol. 3, Page No. 135, Hadith No. 1144]
The
significance and merits of Sha'ban and the night of salvation (Shabe Baraa't)
are confirmed by the above-mentioned Hadiths and the opinions of Islamic
jurists and scholars, to the point that no man with even a smidgeon of
intelligence can contradict it. Knowing this, we should now devote this night
to the heartfelt worship of Allah.
We should
spend the entire night remembering Allah, requesting pardon and mercy for
ourselves and the entire Ummah, and cleaning our mind, heart, and soul of all
previous sins. The greatest advancement a Muslim may make in Allah's sight is
when his repentance [tauba] is accepted and he is forgiven. Because Dua
[prayer] is accepted and sins are forgiven on this night, we should repent and
make dua for our benefit in this world and the Hereafter on this night.
"And turn to Allah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you may
succeed," Allah Almighty says.
Some
Recommended Acts for Shab-e-Baraa’t
Seeking
forgiveness, reciting the holy Quran, performing nafil prayers, sending rewards
to the deceased [Isale Thawab], spending money and wealth in charity for the
needy people, doing remembrance of Allah Almighty, reciting tasbih [a form of
dhikr that involves the repetitive utterances of short sentences in the praise
and glorification of Allah] and sending greetings and salutations [Durud-O-Salaam]
on the prophet (peace be upon him) are some of the recommended acts of
Shab-e-Baraa’t. The prophet peace be upon him used to perform nafil prayers
more particularly on this night.
………..
A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam
Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar) with a
Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/shab-baraat-salvation-forgiveness/d/126593
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