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.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Duas to stop Masturbation?

Q uestions: Are there any duas to help with stopping masturbation A nswer: Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh Thank you for your question. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to say, “O Allah, I ask You for guidance, piety, dignified restraint, and freedom from need. (Allahumma inni as’aluka’l huda wa’t tuqa wa’l `afafa wa’l ghina)” [Sahih Muslim] (See also: Prophetic Supplication for Guidance, Piety, Restraint, and Freedom from Need Prophetic Example in Our Daily Relations) اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْهُدَى وَالتُّقَى وَالْعَفَافَ وَالْغِنَى The following supplication has been narrated by Qutb al-Din al-Hanafi in his Kitab Ad`iyat al-Hajj wa al-`Umra and is attributed to Hasan al-Basri. “O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness for every sin in which I gave preference to my base desire over Your obedience and my passion over Your command – thus I contented myself with Your wrath and subjected myself to Your...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dua to recite in second ten days of ramadan

Second Ashra – Days Of Forgiveness Forgiveness is to do Astaghfaar for all sins committed so far by Muslims especially in the second Ashra of Ramadan and to repent unto Allah. Do Astaghfaar, feel sorry, desist from committing it again, and make sure not to fall for the same sin again.Dua for the second Ashra is: Translation:   “I seek forgiveness from Allah, my Lord, from every sin I committed” –     Days Of Maghfirah These are the days of Maghfirah and in the mid of Ramadan Allah’s forgiveness is at peak. He forgives only those who prostrate in front of Him with ashamed spirit and pledge in heart not to do the same again ever. Do Tauba as Allah loves those who repent on their sins, verily He is the only forgiver. –     Be Kind – Forgive All While you are asking for Allah’s forgiveness in this Ashra make sure that you do the same to our fellow Muslims by adopting alike trait of your Lord and let forgive them for all th...
2 comments
Read more