Skip to main content

Celebrating the 15th Night of Shaban


Question:
Here in Bangladesh, people always celebrate the 15th night of the month of Shaban, which they call “the Night of Shabe-e-Barat”. What do you think of such a practice?

Answer:
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!” (At-Tabarani)

A true believer should purify himself from the fleshly inclinations and the earthly desires and make his aspirations so high and beseech Allah for mercy in such blessed seasons which witness the abundant mercy of Allah.

One point here to be stressed is that a true Muslim should consider his whole life a long-term season of obedience so as to show gratitude to the everlasting blessing of Allah.

The month of Shaban is the eighth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The fifteenth night of this month is known as laylatul-bara’ah (the Night of Innocence) or laylat un-nisf min Shaban (the Middle Night of Shaban) in the Arab world.

In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, etc., it is known as shab-e-barat.

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 Shaban 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 Shaban, and that it was laylat ul-qadr  (the Night of Power) not shab-e-barat.

Some people also say that in the 2nd year of Hijrah, the direction of the Qiblah was changed from Jerusalem to the Kabah in Makkah on the 15th day of Shaban. This report is also not confirmed by authentic hadiths.

According to most of the Qur’an commentators, the Qur’an has not mentioned anything about the Shaban night.

There are some hadiths that speak about the Middle of Shaban and its night. However, the scholars of hadith say that most of the hadiths concerning this night are not authentic. They are weak (da`if) according to the criteria of the narrators and scholars of Hadith.

These are the things that we learn from some hadiths about the significance of this night. However, there 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. There are also some superstitious beliefs about this night.

For example, some people believe that the spirits of the deceased visit their relatives during this night. Some believe that there is a special tree in Heaven upon whose leaves are the names of all human beings, and whatever leaves drop during this night, those people are destined to die in this year.

Some think that the decisions about the life and death of people are made during this night. All these beliefs and superstitions do not belong to the authentic teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

We must try to follow the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah of the blessed Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is our duty as Muslims to take advantage of all good occasions to revive our faith, to purify our souls, and to increase our love and devotion to Allah (glory be to Him), but we must follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). We must not do anything in our celebrations that is against his teachings.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

10 Oldest Manuscripts of The Quran

Allah said in Surah al-Hijr, Ayah 09: Indeed, it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed, We will be its Guardian. And undoubtedly, the present-day Quran is same as the Quran which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In this post, we take a look at some of the oldest manuscripts of the Quran, including ones that date back to the days of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. 10 Oldest Manuscripts of The Quran 1. Birmingham Quran Manuscript In 2015, at the University of Birmingham, scientists found an old Quranic manuscript on parchment, using clearly legible Arabic Hijazi script. It is said to be one of the oldest manuscripts, and it dates back to sometime between 568 and 645 CE, that is, probably sometime during the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself. 2. Sana’a Quran Manuscript The Sana’a Quran manuscript was found in Yemen in 1972 during the restoration of the Great Masjid of Sana’a. The manuscript is written on parchmen...

Why do Dogs start Barking (Howling) at the time of Azan ?

Q uestions: Why do dogs cry at the time of Fajr Azan? This is an incident that I’ve noticed very often. A nswer: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. There are many wonders of Allah in His Creation. Dogs are among His Creatures. It is confirmed in a Hadith that dogs see what human beings cannot see. Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan that Jabir Ibn Abdullah narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said:” If you hear the barking of dogs and the braying of donkeys by night, seek refuge in Allah, as they see what you cannot see”. Albani and others classified this Hadith as authentic. In Sahih Al Jamie’, following the above Hadith is stated: ..’And reduce going out when it is quiet( when everybody is indoors at night time) as Allah diffuses by night what He wishes among His Creation, and lock your doors and mention the Name of Allah on them as ...

Mumbai terror attacks: Nawaz Sharif admits Pakistan’s role

New Delhi: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has admitted that Pakistan played a role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. He told this in an interview given to Dawn. Stating that the terrorist organisations were thriving in Pakistan, he held them which he called “non-state actors” responsible for the series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai. It must be recalled that a series of attacks were carried out in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, which claimed over 160 lives. Sources quoted Sharif, who was ousted from power when the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office for life following his involvement in the Panama Papers case, as saying “Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai?” It must be noted that Pakistan had been denying involvement in Mumbai attacks despite evidence provided by the Indian government. This is the first time that former Pakistani PM Nawaz S...