SHABAAN 15TH NIGHT - VIRTUES AND ADVISE (With Scan Pages)

SHABAAN 15TH NIGHT - VIRTUES AND ADVISE

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This article is split into the following categories:

1)  PDF containing all the supporting evidences on the specific virtues of 15th Sha’baan;

2)  Narrations by leading Salafi authorities ibn Taymiyah and al-Albani with book and page scans;
3)  Where did the narrations for Night of Mid-Shabaan Come from?

4)  Opinions of Shaykh Abd-Al Qadir Jilani RadiAllahu Ta'ala Anhu with book and page scans;

5)  Answers to Objections raised.


Detailed Article Containing all Narrations on 15th Shabaan

The specific virtues of 15th Shabaan which makes that day and night special and distinguished, according to the Quran, Authentic Sunnah, and the Statements of the Imams of the Ummah..  Read detailed article listing all the narrations by clicking *PDF here*


 
Opinions of leading Salafi Authorities on 15th Shabaan

The below are some of the narrations by leading Salafi authorities.
1)  Two followers of Ibn Taymiyah and Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Al Najdi, are Hafidhh Abdullah Rawpari and Thanaa’ullah Amritsari, both state that to worship on the 15th night of Shabaan is not Bid’ah and the person who does Ibada (Worship) on this night will obtain reward for it. The narrations concerning this night are weak but this does not matter since weak Ahadith are acceptable for virtuous actions.
[Fatawa Ahl-e-Hadith by Hafidhh Rawpari and Fatawa Thanaa’iya by Thana’ullahAmritsari, chapter on fasting]

2) Ibn Tayymiya writes:
The excellency regarding the 15th of Shabaan is an area of dispute between the Scholars, some of them say that there is no significance of this night, but Imam Ahmed recognises the excellency of this night, our other Hanbli Scholars also agree with Imam Ahmed. There are Ahadith on this night being significant, some of them are from Sunnan (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah) and the other Ahadeeth books as well.
[Iqtidah Siratul Mustaqeem page 203 by Ibn Taymiyah]

Ibn-Taimiyyah was also asked about praying in the 15th night of Sha’ban. He replied:

وأما ليلة النصف فقد روى في فضلها أحاديث وآثار ونقل عن طائفة من السلف أنهم كانوا يصلون فيها، فصلاة الرجل فيها وحده قد تقدمه فيه سلف وله فيه حجة فلا ينكر مثل هذا

Translation: As for the 15th night of Shabaan, there are many narrations and Athar (quotes from the Sahabah) regarding its virtue. It has been reported of the salaf that they prayed in this night. Therefore, praying alone on this night, having precedence in the salaf, is sufficient evidence and something of this kind surely cannot be denied.[Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmua al Fatawa, Volume No. 23, Page No. 132]
See Scan 01 at the bottom of this page

Ibn-Taimiyyah in another place was asked the same question and he replied:

وسنل عن صلاة نصف شعبان فاجاب ازا صلئ الانسان ليلة النصف وحده اوفئ جماعته خاصته كما كان يفل جماعته خاصته كما كان يفعل طوانف من السلف فهواحسن

Translation: If one prays on this night alone or in a select company of people as many groups amongst the salaf did, "then it is good". [Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmua al Fatawa, Volume 23, Page 131]
See Scan 01 at the bottom of this page

3)  The Salafi Scholar Al-Mubarakpuri, the author of famous Sharah of Tirimdhi i.e. Tuhfa tul Ahwadi says

اعلم أنه قد ورد في فضيلة ليلة النصف من شعبان عدة أحاديث مجموعها يدل على أن لها أصلا

Translation: You should know that a sufficient number of hadith has been narrated confirming "the virtues of the 15th night of Sha`ban". All these ahaadith prove that it has a basis.[Tuhfa tl Ahwadhi (3/380)]

After relating many Ahadith about the importance of this night he says:

فهذه الأحاديث بمجموعها حجة على من زعم أنه لم يثبت في فضيلة ليلة النصف من شعبان شيء والله تعالى أعلم

Translation: The sum of all these ahadith 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. [Tuhfatul Ahwadhi Volume 003: Page. 365-367]

4)  Now here is "Decisive" Proof from “Nasir ud din Albani” the Chief Muhadith of Salafis

" يطلع الله تبارك و تعالى إلى خلقه ليلة النصف من شعبان , فيغفر لجميع خلقه
إلا لمشرك أو مشاحن " .

قال الألباني في " السلسلة الصحيحة " 3 / 135 :

حديث صحيح , روي عن جماعة من الصحابة من طرق مختلفة يشد بعضها بعضا و هم # معاذ ابن جبل و أبو ثعلبة الخشني و عبد الله بن عمرو و أبي موسى الأشعري و أبي هريرة و أبي بكر الصديق و عوف ابن مالك و عائشة # .

1 - أما حديث معاذ فيرويه مكحول عن مالك بن يخامر عنه مرفوعا به . أخرجه ابن
أبي عاصم في " السنة " رقم ( 512 - بتحقيقي )

Translation: Allah turns towards his creation in the Night of "MID-SHABAN" and He forgives all of them except for a Mushrik and one who hates other people

Albani says in his “Silsilat as Sahiha”:(This is a) “SAHIH HADITH” narrated by group of Sahaba with different routes (Isnaad) such as from Muadh bin Jabal (ra), Abu Thalbah (ra) Abdullah bin Amr (ra), Abu Musa al Ashari (ra), Abu Hurraira (ra), Abu Bakr as Saddiq (ra), Awf bin Malik (ra) and Aisha (ra).The Hadith of Muadh bin Jabal (ra) comes through Makhul from Malik bin Yakhamir and It is “MARFU” narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in his As-Sunnah Hadith #512 [Nasir ud din Albani in Silsilat as Sahiha, Volume No. 3, Page No. 135 #1144]
See Scan 02 at the bottom of this page

Albani further declares 2 more ahadith to be “Hassan” and 1 to be “Mursil Jayyid”

Scan 01
Front Cover Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah, Volume 23


Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah, Volume 23, Page 131


Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah, Volume 23, Page 132


Scan 02
Nasir ud din Albani in Silsilat as Sahiha, Volume 3, Page No. 135, Hadith Number 1144




Where did the narrations for Night of Mid-Shabaan Come from?

“AS FOR THE NIGHT OF MID-SHA’BAN, THE TABI’EEN IN SHĀM, LIKE KHALID IBN MA’DAN, MAKHUL, LUQMAN IBN ‘AMIR, AND OTHERS, USED TO HONOR THIS NIGHT AND STRIVE HARD IN THEIR WORSHIP IN IT. IT IS FROM THEM THAT THE PEOPLE LEARNED THE VIRTUE OF THIS NIGHT AND LEARNED TO HONOR IT.”
– IBN RAJAB AL-HANBALI, LATA’IF AL-MA’ARIF (1)


“AS FOR THE NIGHT OF MID-SHA’BAN, HADITHS AND EARLY REPORTS HAVE BEEN TRANSMITTED ABOUT ITS VIRTUE, AND IT HAS BEEN TRANSMITTED THAT A GROUP OF THE SALAF (RIGHTEOUS PREDECESSORS) USED TO DO EXTRA PRAYERS IN IT.”
– IBN TAYMIYYA, MAJMU’ AL-FATAWA (2)

The passages above show us that in the first century of Islam, it was the people of Shām who were known to celebrate the the Night of Mid-Sha’ban. Those who taught them that the Night of Mid-Sha’ban was a special night, and taught them to do extra prayers in this night, were scholars from the generation of the Tabi’een, those who studied under the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

Now the question is, why was it in particular the Tabi’een of Shām that taught this?
Because they took it from the great Companion Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) who used to teach in Damascus. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) spread to different parts of the world, and took with them the teachings that they heard from the Messenger of Allah. Because of this, in the first century of Islam, different regions within the Muslim world had different practices and fiqh, based on the different Companions that they learned from.
When the caliph Harun al-Rashid asked Imam Malik if he may force all the people of Islam to follow Malik’s book the Muwatta, Imam Malik refused this strongly, telling him that the different Companions of the Messenger of Allah had dispersed to different lands, each carrying different hadiths and different teachings; the people of each region followed the way of the Companions who went to them, and they were all correct. After some while, the hadiths of all the different regions would be brought together and shared with the entire Muslim community.

Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him)
The most prominent Companion to teach in Damascus was Mu’adh ibn Jabal. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “The most knowledgeable person in my Ummah of what is Halal and what is Haram is Mu’adh ibn Jabal.” He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also said, “Muadh will be at the forefront of all the scholars on the Day of Judgment.” Many hadiths describe Muadh as the leader of the scholars of Islam on the Day of Judgement.
When he came to Shām, the other Companions there used to have such respect for him that they would always turn to him to solve any problem. Even though he was the youngest of the Companions there, they would all look at him with awe. He always sat quietly and silently, but stood out with his radiant face. When a disagreement arose they would go ask him, and hover around him. People said that a love for him would fall on their hearts upon seeing him and they said that when he spoke it was as if light and pearls were coming out of his mouth. The other Companions likened him to the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him).
It was Muadh, this most outstanding of scholars from among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who taught to the people of Shām the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) about the virtues of the Night of Mid-Sha’ban.
There, in Shām, Mu’adh ibn Jabal narrated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:
‘God looks at His creation during the Night of Mid-Sha‘ban and forgives all of them, except an idolator and one who harbours rancour.’
This above hadith was narrated on the authority of Mu’adh by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih. It was also narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in al-Sunna and al-Tabarani in al-Kabir and al-Awsat. (3)
If we look at the chain of this hadith, we see that the Syrian Malik b. Yukhamir (from the city of Homs) took this hadith from Mu’adh ibn Jabal, and through him it reached Makhul. As we saw above, Ibn Rajab stated that Makhul was one of those who taught people the virtue of this blessed night and used to strive to do extra worship on this night.
According to Imam Zuhri and other great scholars of that age, Makhul was the greatest scholar of Shām in his age, and one of the four greatest scholars amongst that entire blessed generation of young Tabi’een. Makhul taught this hadith to the Damascene Thawban, who taught it to two people mentioned in this chain: his son Ibn Thawban, and the Imam of Shām, al-Awza’i. Al-Awza’i was the imam of Shām of his time in terms of Jurisprudence, like Malik in Medina, Abu Hanifa in Kufa, or Ibn Hanbal in Baghdad. The Awza’i school of jurisprudence became the main school of jurisprudence in Shām and spread from there to the Andalus, where it was the most widespread school of jurisprudence there for a time.
As you can see, the people in this chain are all from Shām. That is why the hadith master al-Tabarani, himself from Palestine in Shām, narrated this hadith in his book Musnad al-Shāmiyyeen, a collection of hadiths narrated by Tabi’een who lived in Shām and their students. Al-Tabarani took the hadith from Muhammad ibn Abi Zur’a of Damascus, with his chain back to Imam Awza’i and Ibn Thawban. (4)
Makhul also received this same hadith from Kathir ibn Murra al-Hadrami, a Tabi’i who lived in Homs. Kathir reported the hadith as a mursal report directly from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), meaning that he did not specify which Companion he took it from. Al-Bayhaqi narrated the hadith through this chain in Shu’ab al-Iman and stated that it was a mursal jayyid (strong hadith, despite being mursal). (5) Kathir was known for often leaving out the name of the Companion from whom he took prophetic traditions, but we do know that one of his main teachers was Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him).

Others Who Brought Hadiths About this Night to Shām
The people of Shām did not only learn this hadith from Muadh ibn Jabal, but from another Companion: Abu Musa al-Ash’ari. Who narrated this hadith from him? Al-Dahhak ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Shām. This chain continues being narrated by scholars from Shām until Rashid b. Sa’id al-Ramli of Palestine, Shām, who taught this hadith to Ibn Majah, who narrated it in his Sunan. (6)
Ibn Majah also narrated the following hadith on the authority of Ali ibn Abu Talib:
“If it is the Night of Mid-Shaʿbān then stand in prayer during its night and fast its day. For God descends to the heavens of the earth when the sun sets and says, ‘Is there anyone who seeks forgiveness so that I may forgive him? Is there anyone who seeks provision so that I may grant him provision? Is there anyone afflicted so that I may remove his affliction? Is there not such and such,’ until the dawn breaks.”
Who narrated this hadith from Ali? His nephew Abdullah ibn Ja’far, who used to travel every year to Damascus. He passed on the hadith to his son Mu’awiya, who was born in Damascus. (7)
As you can see, the people of Shām gave great importance to this night and paid special attention to narrating the hadiths about it, and it all would have started with the Prophet’s great Companion Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him). There were other hadiths of course about this night that were spread by people of different lands. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, for example, narrated a hadith similar to that of Mu’adh ibn Jabal about the virtue of that night (with some difference in wording) through a chain made up of Egyptians, on the authority of Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him), the Companion whose father opened Egypt to Islam. (8)

The Early Scholars of Shām
Now if we return to the hadith of Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) and the scholars of Shām who narrated it, we see those very same narrators are the ones from whom we have received explanations of this hadith. Thus these scholars used to not only narrate this hadith but comment upon it and explain it.
Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said:
I heard al-Awza’i explain the mushāhin (one who harbours rancour) as: every person of innovation, who has left the jamā’a (majority) and the Ummah. (9)
Umar ibn Hani’ said: I asked Ibn Thawban about the meaning of mushāhin (one who harbours rancour).  He said,
“He is the one who has left the Sunna of his Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who speaks ill of his Ummah, and spills their blood.” (10)
As we have seen above, those two figures, Imam Awza’i and Ibn Thawban, are the ones who narrated the hadith of Muadh from Thawban, and passed it on to other scholars of Shām.

Conclusion
We learn from the above the importance that the people of the blessed land of Shām gave to the Night of Mid-Sha’ban and its day, and we learn that its origin is with the great Companion, the leader of all the scholars of Islam, Muadh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him). The people of Shām took this hadith from him and taught it to others and explained it. We also know that they learned from this hadith (and others) that one should strive to do extra worship on this night. This was the guidance of the Tabi’een which they took from the Companions who came to Shām and instilled in them the love and veneration of this blessed night.
To repeat the words of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali:
“The Tabi’een in Shām, like Khalid ibn Ma’dan, Makhul, Luqman ibn ‘Amir, and others, used to honor this night and strive hard in their worship in it. It is from them that the people learned the virtue of this night and learned to honor it.”
According to Ibn Rajab, Khalid ibn Ma’dan, Luqman ibn ‘Amir and other notable Tabi’een from Shām recommended for people to congregate in the mosques in this night to perform extra worship together. They would wear their best clothes, put kohl on their eyes, perfume themselves using incense and then spend that night in the mosque. He further stated that the great Imam in Khorasan, Ishaq ibn Rahwayh was asked about this practice of the people of Shām. Ibn Rahwayh was known as the “Imam of the East” and the “Master of Hadith Memorizers.” He was a colleague of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal who called Ibn Rahwayh one of the imams of the Muslims. He was a teacher of Imam Bukhari and was one of the leading figures of the Ahl al-Hadith movement. Imam Ibn Rahwayh supported the practice and responded that praying extra prayers in the mosque in congregation on that night is not an innovation. Imam al-Awza’i on the other hand, while also advocating spending that night in extra worship, was of the opinion that it was preferable not to do it in the mosque. (11)
May Allah bless and reward all the Companions and their Followers, and all those hadith narrators and scholars who have preserved for us the Sunna of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), so that it could reach us centuries later, in all corners of the world, in order for us to be able to implement it and act upon it.
References
1) Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Lata’if al-Ma’arif, Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm, 2004, p. 137.
2) He continues to say: “If a person performs extra prayers on the night of the middle of Sha’ban on his own or in a private congregation, as groups of the salafused to do, that is best.” However, he disapproved of a congregation of an entire town in the main mosque praying an innovated prayer with a set number, for example, one hundred cycles with one thousand Sura Ikhlas, calling that an innovation. (See Ibn Taymiyya, Majmu’ al-Fatawa, vol. 23, p. 132). An almost identical statement is repeated in his workIqtida’ al-sirat al-mustaqim where he added that despite the fact that some scholars from Hijaz denied the virtue of this night, the majority of the people of knowledge from among the Hanbali scholars and others believe in its special virtues, and the texts of Ahmad ibn Hanbal are evidence for that, as well as the many prophetic traditions and practices of the salaf (See Ibn Taymiyya, Iqtida’ al-sirat al-mustaqim, Beirut: Dar ‘Alam al-Kitab, 1999, vol. 2, pp. 136-7). It should be noted in this regard that Shām was always one of the main centers of the Hanbali school.
(3) Sahih Ibn Hibban, vol. 12, p. 481. Its men are all trustworthy.
After evaluating eight different chains for this hadith, al-Albani concludes: ‘The hadith, with its collective chains of transmission, is authentic (sahih) without doubt.’ Al-Albani, Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah,Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma‘arif, 1979, vol. 3, p. 138.
(4) Al-Tabarani, Musnad al-Shāmiyyeen, Beirut: Mu’assassat al-Risala, 1984, vol. 1, p. 128.
(5) Al-Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman, Riyadh: Maktabat al-Rushd, 2003, vol. 5, p. 349.
(6) Sunan Ibn Majah, Cairo: Dar Ihya’ al-Kutub al-Arabiyya, Vol. 1, p. 445.
(7) Sunan Ibn Majah, Cairo: Dar Ihya’ al-Kutub al-Arabiyya, Vol. 1, p. 444. However it should be noted that the chain of this particular narration contains one person who is considered weak. Though Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali considered this tradition to be weak, he narrated it in Lata’if al-Ma’arif in support of fasting the day of the 15th of Sha’ban. He further stated that in either case, it is one of the three middle days of every month known as the ‘Days of the White Nights’ in which fasting is recommended. These are the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every lunar month (see Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Lata’if al-Ma’arif, Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm, 2004, p. 136).
(8) Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Beirut: Mu’assassat al-Risala, 2001, vol. 11, pp. 216-7.
(9), (10) Shaykh Salih al-Ja’fari (ed.), Risalat al-Kashf wal Bayaan ‘an Fadaail Laylat an-Nisf min Sha’banby al-hafiz Shaykh Salim al-Sanhouri, who was summarizing the teachings of his teacher, the Seal of the Hadith Masters of his age, Shaykh Najm al-Din al-Ghayti. Cairo: Dar Jawami’ al-Kalim, pp. 14-5.
Ishaq ibn Rahwayh likewise said in his Musnad: Al-Awza’i explained the word mushāhin (in this hadith) as the innovator who parts ways with the rest of the ummah.
(11) Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Lata’if al-Ma’arif, Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm, 2004, p. 137.
By Brother Samer Dajani




Opinion of Shaykh Abd-Al Qadir Jilani RadiAllahu Ta'ala Anhu

Now lets take a look at the belief of Imam ul Awliya : Mahboob-e-Subhani Shaykh Abd-Al Qadir Jilani RadiAllahu Ta'ala Anhu.  Below is a short article taken from his magnificent book "Al Gunyah tu Talibeen,".  This is a translation in Urdu.

Front Cover of Al-Ghunya li-Talibi Tariq al-Haqq, also known in the Indian sub-continent as Al-Ghunya li-Talibin.
(Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth) by Shaykh Abd-Al Qadir Jilani RadiAllahu Ta'ala Anhu


Page 01
Translation of Page 01 Above:
Akrama bin Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) se Allah ta'ala ke qaul (Aur us raat me tamaam mazboot kaam juda kiye jate hai) ki tafseer me ye kaha jata hai ke is aayat me jis raat ka zikr aaya hai wo shaban ki darmiyani raat hai. Is raat me Allah saal bhar ke murdon ki tadbeer karta hai. Marne wale log zinda logon se alag kardiye jate hai (See foot note:1) Jo log Haj-e-Baitullah karne wale hote hai unke naam bhi alag kar diye jate hain. Is me...... Contd to page 2

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Foot Note 1: Yani jin logon ne is saal marna hota hai, un ke naam alag kar diye jate hain, goyah unki fahreest is raat me tayar karli jati hai.

Page 02
Translation of Page 02 Above:
(contd. from page 1)..Hakeem bin Kaisan ka kahna hai ke Shaban ki darmiyani raat me Allah ta'ala apni maqlookh par nigah karta hai aur is raat me jise paak karta hai wo agle saal ki wahi raat aane tak isi tarah paak rahta hai.

Ataar bin Yasaar r.a se riwayat hai ke Shaban ki darmiyani raat me logon ke saal bhar ke amaal Allah ke huzoor me pesh hote hain aur ek shaks safar ke liye nikalta hai, ya ek shaks nikah karta hai, halanke wo zindon ki jamaat se nikal kar murdon ki jamaat me likhdiya jata hai (See foot Note:2)

Abu Naseer apne walid se, wo malik bin anas r.a se, wo hisham bin arwah se, aur woh Hazrat aaisha r.a se riwayat karte hain, Hazrat aaisha r.a ne farmaya, Main ne Aan Hazrat Sallahualihiwasallam ko ye farmate suna hai char ratein aisi hain ke un me Allah ta'ala sab logon par nekiyon ke darwaze khol deta hai. Eid-Ul-Adha, Eid-Ul-Fitr, Wusat-e-Shaban (15th shaban), aur Arfah ki raat. Un me Allah ta'ala logon ko umarein (age), un ke rizqh aur un ke Haj ke bare mein ahkam likh deta hai.

Saeed ne Ibrahim bin Abi Baqeeh se riwayat ki hai ke panch (5) ratein hai, panchwi (5th) raat Jummah ki hai. Abu Hurairah r.a farmate hai ke Aan Hazrat sallahualihiwasallam ne farmaya Shaban ki darmiyani raat me Jibreel a.s mere paas tashreef laye aur kaha Aye Muhammad! Apna sar aasman ki taraf uthao kyun ke ye barkat ki raat hai, Mein ne pucha isme kaisi barkat hai? Jibreel a.s ne farmaya is raat me Allah ta'ala apni rahmat ke 300 darwaze khol deta hai aur jo log Allah je saath shirk nahi karte, un sab ko baksh deta hai. Sahir, Kahin, Hamesha sharab pine wale, Sood khor aur Zani logon ko us waqt tak nahi bakhashta jab tak wo tauba na karle.

Bahist (Heaven) ke darwaze aur Farishton ki pukar:
Aan Hazrat sallahualihiwasallam ne farmaya raat ka 4th hissa guzarne ke baad jibreel a.s phir aaye aur kaha aye Muhammad! Apna sar utha. Mai ne sar uthaya (Aasman ki taraf dekha) to bahist (heaven) ke sab darwazon ko khula hua paya. Pahle darwaze par ek farishta khada (standing) pukar raha tha ke jo shaks is raat me ruku karta hai use khush khabri ho. 2nd darwaze par farishta kah raha tha ke jo shaks is raat me sajda karta hai use khush qabri ho. 3rd darwaze par ek farishta kah raha tha jis ne is raat me dua ki use khush qabri ho. 4th darwaze par farishta kah raha tha ke jisne is raat me zikr kiya use khush qabri ho. 5th darwaze par farishta kahraha tha jis ne is raat me khuda ke khauf se zari ki (maafi or cry) ki use khush qabri ho.6th darwaze par farishta kah raha tha is raat me tamaam musalmano ko khush qabri ho. 7th darwaze par farishta pukar raha tha ke agar kise ne koi sawal karna hai to kare, us ka sawal pura kiya jayega. 8th darwaze par farishta kahraha tha koi hai jo bakshish ki darkhwast kare, uski darkhwast qubul ki jayegi.

Aan Hazrat Sallahu alihiwasallam ne farmaya - Mai ne jibreel a.s se pucha , ye darwaze kab tak khule rahenge? unho ne jawab diya pahli raat se subah hone tak (Means after maghrib till Fajar) khule rahenge. Pjir Farmaya Aye Muhammad sallahualihiwasallam ! Is raat me dozakh (Hell) ki aag se itne bandon ko nijaat ....... Contd. t page 3
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Foot Note 2: Baaz admi ka irada kuch hota hai. Magar Allah ke haan uski maut likhi hoti hai

Page 03
Translation of Page 03 Above:
 (Contd from page 2) deta hai , jitne kabila Qalb ki bakriyon (goats) ke baal hain.


Concerning the Prayer of Benefits (Salat al-Khair) performed on night of mid-Shabaan

Front Cover of Al-Ghunya li-Talibi Tariq al-Haqq (Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth) by Shaykh Abd-Al Qadir Jilani RadiAllahu Ta'ala Anhu






Page 01

Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth, Volume 3, Page 69



We pray to Allah to grant us the knowledge and enlighten our hearts through the sadqah of the Author of this book Sayyedena Shaykh Abd-Al Qadir Jilani RadiAllahu ta'ala anhu. Ameen Bijahin nabbiyil mursaleen sallahualihiwasallam.




 Answers to the Objections

After presenting so many evidences and discussion on this topic including narrations of leading Salafi authorities it really should have been enough and there should not have been a need for an Objections section. However to help our Sunni brothers who are often bombarded with absurd questions and accusations we shall In Sha'Allah provide answers to objections often raised.  We share below a screenshot of a comment someone left on our Facebook page.  This person challenged us to present evidence that ibn Taymiyah, the leading Salafi authority ever considered 15th Shabaan to be virtuous night.  Once we provided the scans as can be found in the article above, this person was dumbstruck and instead of accepting the truth, left the following comment and disappeared.

 

So lets take each of these points one at a time.  Firstly within the general comments the person has made a huge blunder.  At one point he is saying the quotes of ibn taymiyah are indeed true and then straight away goes onto say it is biddah.  So this person is refusing to accept the beliefs of their own leading salafi authority.  Oh beloved readers - wake up, these guys only want to follow their own whim.  Lets just repeat here what ibn taymiyah has said:

The excellency regarding the 15th of Shabaan is an area of dispute between the Scholars, some of them say that there is no significance of this night, but Imam Ahmad bin Humble (rah) recognises the excellency of this night, our other Hanbli Scholars also agree with Imam Ahmad (rah). There are Ahadith on this night being significant, some of them are from Sunnan (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah) and the other Ahdeeth books as well [Iqtidah Siratul Mustaqeem page 203 by Ibn Taymiyah]

Ibn-Taimiyyah in another place was asked the same question and he replied:

وسنل عن صلاة نصف شعبان فاجاب ازا صلئ الانسان ليلة النصف وحده اوفئ جماعته خاصته كما كان يفل جماعته خاصته كما كان يفعل طوانف من السلف فهواحسن

Translation: If one prays on this night alone or in a select company of people as many groups amongst the salaf did, "then it is good". [Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmua al Fatawa, Volume 23, Page 131]

You can see the scans of these above.  Below we will provide answers to each of the 9 points raised by the wobbler. 

Answer 1

1) No disputes with this statement for the beloved Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) indeed used to fast most of the year round abundantly.  

Though there is caution for those who are not regular keepers of fasting to abstain from fasting in the second half of the month to avoid becoming weak for Ramadan:

The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “When Sha’baan is half over, do not fast.” [Sunan Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi and others]

Answer 2 
There is one night in the year when Allah Almighty gives the knowledge to the Angels, about what is going to happen in the following year, for example, who is going to die, who will be born, who will be ill and how much food people will have in the year, etc.
"Ha, Meem.  By the clear Book,  Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Surely, We are the Warner.  In that night is made distinct every precise matter.  By Our command; surely, it is We Who send." [Surah Dukhan 44, Verses 1-5]

The Majority of the scholars of Islam say:
That night is Laila-tul-Qadar in the month of Ramadan but the other scholars like Ikramah who is student of Abdullah bin Abbas (Radi allahu anho) says that night is 15th of Shabaan. There is a Hadith which Imam Tabari (Radi allahu anho) writes: Holy Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘From Shabaan to Shabaan there is a decision made of who is going to die, be married and some people get married but their names are written in the death
program. [Tafsir Tabari, under Surah Dukhan, verse 1 by Imam Tabari]

This narration is Ikrama’s, the other scholar’s statements are proven that 15th night of Shabaan is a holy night but there is no doubt that Allah Almighty gives the full knowledge to the Angels in the night of Laila-tul-Qadar, which is in the month of Ramadan.

If we read all the narration's regarding Laila-tul-Qadar and the 15th night of Shabaan we can reach the conclusion that the yearly program started on the 15th night of Shabaan and completed on Laila-tul-Qadar. There might be a suspicion as to ‘why does a year program take so long from Shabaan to Ramadan? The answer is Allah knows the best. No one can understand for sure the philosophy of Allah’s work. He made the worlds in six days. Who knows why He took six days to make the worlds. The main point is, to simply say there is no Quranic evidence for the excellence of 15th Shabaan is an injustice and gross accusation.  Earlier in the article we have shown that 15th Shabaan was considered a virtuous and meritorious night by some of the Sahaba and Tabieen.  To examine all of the above statements consult these books:

“Tafsir Tabari, Fathul Qadeer by Qadi Shawkani, Tafsir Qurtabi, Tafsir Bagawi, Tafsir Mazhari, Tafsir Ma’ah riyful Qur’an, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Zia-ul-Qur’an under the verse of Surah Al- Dukhan verse 1 to 5”

Answer 3 
As stated in Answer 2 above, some Tafsir Masters have written that the first few verses of Surah Dukhan is referring to the night of 15th Shabaan:
"Ha, Meem.  By the clear Book,  Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Surely, We are the Warner.  In that night is made distinct every precise matter.  By Our command; surely, it is We Who send." [Surah Dukhan 44, Verses 1-5]
It is based on this surah that some scholars have written that on the night of 15th Shabaan Allah Almighty gives the knowledge to the Angels, about what is going to happen in the following year, for example, who is going to die, who will be born, who will be ill and how much food and sustenance people will have in the year, etc.  Furthermore, the Holy Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘From Shabaan to Shabaan there is a decision made of who is going to die, be married and some people get married but their names are written in the death program. [Tafsir Tabari, under Surah Dukhan, verse 1 by Imam Tabari]

Answer 4 
The article we have provided shows the authenticity of all the various narrations on 15th Shabaan.  One can read them all here.  It is a deception to state that most are weak.  We suggest all brothers and sisters to read the narrations themselves here.

 Answer 5 
This sounds like a partial statement of Ibn Taymiyah.  The complete statement is:  "The fact that some scholars from Hijaz denied the virtue of this night, the majority of the people of knowledge from among the Hanbali scholars and others believe in its special virtues, and the texts of Ahmad ibn Hanbal are evidence for that, as well as the many prophetic traditions and practices of the salaf (See Ibn Taymiyya, Iqtida’ al-sirat al-mustaqim, Beirut: Dar ‘Alam al-Kitab, 1999, vol. 2, pp. 136-7)."   We suggest you also read the section of this article titled "Where did the narrations for Night of Mid-Shabaan Come from?" 

Answer 6
Ibn Majah (rah) narrated the following hadith on the authority of Ali ibn Abu Talib:

    “If it is the Night of Mid-Shaʿbān then stand in prayer during its night and fast its day. For God descends to the heavens of the earth when the sun sets and says, ‘Is there anyone who seeks forgiveness so that I may forgive him? Is there anyone who seeks provision so that I may grant him provision? Is there anyone afflicted so that I may remove his affliction? Is there not such and such,’ until the dawn breaks.” [Sunan Ibn Majah, Cairo: Dar Ihya’ al-Kutub al-Arabiyya, Vol. 1, p. 444]

Who narrated this hadith from Ali? His nephew Abdullah ibn Ja’far, who used to travel every year to Damascus. He passed on the hadith to his son Mu’awiya, who was born in Damascus.  We have already shown in the article above the connection between night of mid-Shabaan and the Salaf-as-saliheen of Damascus.
However it should be noted that the chain of this particular narration contains one person who is considered weak. Though Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali considered this tradition to be weak, he narrated it in Lata’if al-Ma’arif in support of fasting the day of the 15th of Sha’ban. He further stated that in either case, it is one of the three middle days of every month known as the ‘Days of the White Nights’ in which fasting is recommended. These are the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every lunar month (see Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Lata’if al-Ma’arif, Beirut: Dar Ibn Hazm, 2004, p. 136). 


Answer 7
Significant evidence has been provided of the virtuous merits of this night to debunk any suggestion of the prayers recommended to be performed on this night are not fabrications or innovations.  The night of the 15th Sha’ban, is a very blessed night, this is proven from the Holy Qur’an and Ahadith. In this night Allah ﷻ turns specially attentive towards His servants and forgives a great deal of them. Allah ﷻ fulfils their supplications for sustenance and a pleasant life in this World and the next. Allah ﷻ fulfils the requests of the callers in this night. Due to the virtues and blessings of this night, we should supplicate for the forgiveness of the Ummah, our beloved ones and ourselves. There are narrations from approximately 17 Companions of the Prophet ﷺ with respect to the blessings of this night.
Above we have also provided scans of the opinions of Sayyedena Shaykh Abd-Al Qadir Jilani RadiAllahu ta'ala anhu who is a mighty Auliyah-Allah.  The special prayers and supplications to Almighty Allah are approved by the great Auliyah of the past who received significant spiritual enlightment and blessings from Allah Almighty.  Besides we would like to remind you of the statements of two leading salafi authorities:  "Hafidhh Abdullah Rawpari and Thanaa’ullah Amritsari, both state that to worship on the 15th night of Shabaan is not Bid’ah and the person who does Ibada (Worship) on this night will obtain reward for it. The narrations concerning this night are weak but this does not matter since weak Ahadith are acceptable for virtuous actions."

Answer 8 
This is once again a gross accusation by the deviant salafis against the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).  Here is a reminder of at least one authentic narration of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):  Mu’adh ibn Jabal narrated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:
‘God looks at His creation during the Night of Mid-Sha‘ban and forgives all of them, except an idolator and one who harbours rancour.’

This above hadith was narrated on the authority of Mu’adh by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih (Sahih Ibn Hibban, vol. 12, p. 481. Its men are all trustworthy). It was also narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in al-Sunna and al-Tabarani in al-Kabir and al-Awsat.  Also there are countless narrations recorded in our article that can be found here.

Answer 9 
This is a typical reaction of the shirk brigade and biddah bandwagon.  When they are refuted from all directions and completely debunked, they are quick to change the topic and begin their rant.  We will simply present one hadith about remembering the deceased and praying for their forgiveness to show it was the sunnah of the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
It is narrated that Ummul-Mu'mineen `A'ishah awoke one night to find the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his Household) missing, and so she went out to look for him. She found him in the Baqee` cemetery, with his head raised to the Heavens [it is recommended in general to visit cemeteries for the purpose of reminding ourselves of death, and to ask Allah to forgive the deceased Muslims]. After helping to further reassure her, it is reported that he said, "Surely Allah, the Possessor of Blessings, the Exalted, descends to the lowest heaven [with a meaning appropriate to Allah's majesty; not to be likened to the descending of finite, spatial, created things] on the night of mid-Sha`ban, and forgives more [people] than the the hairs on the sheep of [the tribe of] Kalb." 
 [Narrated by Tirmidhi, who points out that its chain of narration is discontiguous, altough we may note that such discontiguity is not detrimental to authenticity according to some scholars. Also narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Majah and others. Ibn Rajab describes this narration as one of the best on the subject.]   So once again we find a narration which mentions the virtues of mid-Shabaan.