The night of the middle of Sha`ban was venerated by the followers of the people of the Levant and were diligent in worship (Pixels)
The righteous predecessors were very careful about the times, especially the deeds that God Almighty endowed with greater favor and reward over other closeness.
From prayer, fasting, remembrance, standing, and other blessings, God - Glory be to Him - has designated each time of them with one of the functions that are performed in the months, days, and hours.
Among these days and nights;
The night and day of the middle of Sha`ban, which corresponds to Sunday, February 25 of this year 2024, has hadiths and narrations regarding the virtue of standing in prayer and fasting during the day. In this article, I will mention the hadiths in terms of soundness and weakness, and the rulings on virtuous deeds in them, guided by the sayings of eminent scholars who are well-established in knowledge.
It was reported from him, peace and blessings of God be upon him, that he said: This is the night of the middle of Sha’ban. God Almighty looks upon His servants on the night of the middle of Sha’ban and forgives those who seek forgiveness and has mercy on those who ask for mercy, and delays the people of hatred as they are.
First: What was stated about the virtues of the night of the middle of Sha`ban and what the scholars said about it
Al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab said in his precious book, “Lata’if al-Ma’rif regarding the Jobs for the Seasons of the Year”: It was stated in the hadith that God, Blessed and Most High, descends on the night of the middle of Sha’ban to the heaven of the world and forgives more than the number of hairs from a dog’s sheep. Narrated by Imam Ahmad, Al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah, and Al-Tirmidhi mentioned it. On the authority of Al-Bukhari, it is weak.
Ibn Majah narrated from the hadith of Abu Musa, on the authority of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, who said: “God will rise on the night of the middle of Sha’ban and forgive all of His creation, except for the polytheist or the quarrel.”
Imam Ahmad narrated from the hadith of Abdullah bin Amr, on the authority of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, who said: “God looks at His creation on the night of the middle of Sha’ban and forgives His servants except two: a quarrel and a murderer.”
Ibn Hibban narrated it in his “Sahih” from the hadith of Muadh with a chain of transmission traceable to the Prophet.
It is narrated from the hadith of Othman bin Abi Al-Aas with a chain of transmission traceable to the Prophet: “If it was the night of the middle of Sha’ban, a caller would call out: Is there anyone seeking forgiveness that I may forgive him?”
Is there anyone who asks that I may give him?
No one asks for anything but I give it to him, except an adulteress with her private parts or a polytheist.”
There are other hadiths in this chapter that are weak.
It was reported from him, peace and blessings of God be upon him, that he said: This is the night of the middle of Sha’ban. God Almighty looks upon His servants on the night of the middle of Sha’ban and forgives those who seek forgiveness and has mercy on those who ask for mercy and delays the people of hatred as they are.
Al-Bayhaqi narrated it on the authority of Al-Ala’ bin Al-Harith on the authority of her, and he said: This is a good mursal, meaning that Al-Ala’ did not hear from Aisha, and God Almighty knows best.
It was narrated on the authority of Ali, may God be pleased with him, on the authority of the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, who said, “If it is the night of the middle of Sha’ban, then rise up that night and fast that day, for God, Blessed and Most High, descends during it at sunset to the lower heaven and says: ‘There is none who seeks forgiveness, so forgive him. ‘There is none who seeks forgiveness, so forgive him. ‘There is none who asks for forgiveness, so I will provide for him. ‘There is none who is afflicted, so I will grant him relief. ‘There is none who is afflicted, so I will pardon him. ‘Except such and such.’” Except that until dawn comes. Narrated by Ibn Majah.
Abu Al-Abbas Al-Busiri said: This is a chain of narration in which Ibn Abi Sabrah is mentioned, and his name is Abu Bakr bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abi Sabrah. Ahmad and Ibn Ma’in said that he fabricates the hadith.
It is narrated on the authority of Nawf al-Bikali that Ali, may God be pleased with him, went out on the night of the middle of Sha`ban, and he usually went out during that period, looking at the sky, and he said: David, peace be upon him, went out one night at this hour and looked at the sky, and said: At this hour, God has not called anyone except that he answered him. No one asked for his forgiveness on this night except that he was forgiven, unless he was a tax collector, a magician, a poet, or a priest.
On the night of the middle of Sha`ban, the followers of the Levant - such as Khalid bin Maadan, Makhoul, Luqman bin Amer and others - used to venerate it and strive to worship it, and from them people learned its merit and glorified it. It has been said: They were informed of that by Israeli traces, and when that became known about them in the countries, people disagreed about it. that;
Some of them accepted it and agreed with them to glorify it.
Among them are a group of worshipers from the people of Basra and others.
Most scholars from the people of Hijaz denied this.
Among them is Ata and Ibn Abi Malika, and Abd al-Rahman bin Zaid bin Aslam reported it on the authority of the jurists of the people of Medina, and it is the opinion of Malik’s companions and others, and they said: This is all heresy.
Ibn Thawban said: The bicker is the one who abandons the Sunnah of his Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, the one who attacks his nation, the one who sheds their blood.
This ugliness - I mean the ugliness of heresy - necessitates attacking the Muslim community
Second: The ruling on fasting half of Sha’ban
The hadith about fasting in the middle of Sha`ban and commemorating its night is a controversial hadith among the scholars, ancient and modern, some of whom are objectionable and those who are permissible. This is all due to the tension between the narrated narrations, whether they are true or weak, on the one hand, and between knowledge and evidence, on the other hand. The investigation of Imam Ibn Rajab has concluded in this council. To the following matters: The saying in the hadith, “When the middle of Sha`ban is over, do not fast until Ramadan” is a narration and evidence.
As for the narration: It is an objectionable hadith, and this is what the greatest imams of hadith scholars said, including Al-Rahman bin Al-Mahdi, Imam Ahmad, Abu Zar’ah Al-Razi, and Al-Athram.
B - As for its meaning and implementation:
Al-Tahawi said: It is abrogated, and he mentioned the consensus on not acting on it, and most scholars are of the opinion that it should not be acted upon.
Others, including Al-Shafi’i and his companions, took this view and forbade beginning voluntary fasting after half of Sha’ban for those who do not have a habit.
Then they differed regarding the reason for the prohibition:
Some of them said: For fear that what is not part of the month of Ramadan will be added to it, and this is very far from what comes after the middle of the month, but this is likely to happen in advance by a day or two.
Among them are those who said: It is forbidden to fast Ramadan for the sake of piety out of fear that this will make him weak from fasting Ramadan. This refers to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, fasting all or most of Sha’ban and connecting it to all of this Ramadan by fasting after half of Sha’ban.
- Fasting on the middle of Sha`ban is not forbidden, as it is among the days of the white days that are recommended to be fasted every month.
Sheikh Fadl Murad said: “...and from this is fasting half of Sha’ban without confirming its Sunnah to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. You see that the issue does not contain a text that specifically forbids, does not specifically forbid, does not specifically command, or recommends, so it is included in the generality of good deeds and the generality of virtue.” Fasting in particular. Seven hadiths were mentioned about it, none of which is devoid of weakness, which is what made some people consider it good as a whole.”
Third: The description of commemorating the night of the middle of Sha`ban for those scholars who say so
Imam Ibn Rajab, may God have mercy on him, said: The scholars of the people of the Levant differed regarding the nature of its revival, based on two opinions:
One of them: that it is desirable to hold it in congregation in the mosques. Khalid bin Maadan, Luqman bin Amer and others used to wear their best clothes, use incense, apply kohl, and stand in the mosque that night. Ishaq bin Rahawayh agreed with them on that, and he said about performing it in the mosques in congregation: This is not an innovation. Harb quoted him. Al-Kirmani in his issues.
The second: He dislikes gathering in mosques there for prayer, stories, and supplications, and he does not dislike a man praying there in private. This is the saying of Al-Azawa’i, the imam, jurist, and scholar of the people of the Levant, and this is the closest, God Almighty willing.
Al-Awza’i explained this obstructive resentment by the one in whose heart was resentment towards the companions of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and there is no doubt that this resentment is a greater crime than peers quarreling with one another.
Fourth: Actions that are recommended and actions that are disliked or forbidden on the night of midnight
A Muslim must avoid sins that prevent forgiveness and acceptance of supplications on that night.
It has been narrated that they are: polytheism, self-murder, and adultery.
These three are the greatest sins in the eyes of God, as in the hadith of Ibn Masoud, whose authenticity is agreed upon, “He asked the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace: Which sin is the greatest?”
He said: To make a rival to God, and He created you.
He said: Then what?
He said: To kill your son for fear that he will feed with you.
He said: Then what?
He said: That you commit adultery with your neighbor’s wife, so God revealed the confirmation of that: “And those who call upon not with God any other god, nor kill the soul which God has forbidden, except with justice, and do not commit adultery.” [Al-Furqan: 68]” Among the sins that prevent forgiveness is also resentment, which is a Muslim’s hatred for his brother. hatred for him;
Because of his own desires, this also prevents forgiveness in most times of forgiveness and mercy.
As in “Sahih Muslim” on the authority of Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, with a chain of transmission traceable to the Prophet:
“The gates of Paradise will be opened on Mondays and Thursdays, and every servant who does not associate anything with God will be forgiven, except for a man who has a grudge with his brother, and it will be said: Wait for these two until they are reconciled.”
Al-Awza’i explained this obstructive resentment by the one in whose heart was resentment towards the companions of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and there is no doubt that this resentment is a greater crime than peers quarreling with one another.
On the authority of Al-Awza’i, he said: The quarrel is every one who has an innovation that has deviated from the nation.
Likewise, Ibn Thawban said: The quarrel is the one who abandons the Sunnah of his Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, the one who attacks his nation, and the one who sheds their blood.
This ugliness - I mean the ugliness of heresy - necessitates criticizing the group of Muslims, and deeming their blood, money, and honor permissible, like the heresies of the Kharijites, the Shiites, and the like.
The best deeds are: being safe from all types of resentment, and the best of them is being safe from the resentful people of whims and heresies that require slandering the predecessors of the nation, hating them and holding grudges against them, and believing them to be infidels or innovators and misleading them.
Then follows this by purifying the heart from the resentment of all the believers, wanting good for them, advising them, and loving for them what he loves for himself. God Almighty described the believers in general as saying: {Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and do not place in our hearts hatred for those who believe. Our Lord, indeed, You are Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. } [Al-Hashr: 10].
It was narrated on the authority of Ikrimah and other commentators in the Almighty’s saying: “In it every matter is decided by a wise man” [Al-Dukhan: 4].
It is the night of the middle of Sha`ban.
The majority consider it to be Laylat al-Qadr, which is correct
Some of the predecessors said: The best deeds are sound hearts, generosity of souls, and sincere advice to the nation. With these qualities he attained maturity, not with much diligence in fasting and prayer.
It is worth noting that on the night of the middle of Sha`ban there is no prayer called the Bara’ah Prayer, and some of them call it the Millennium Prayer, because in it they recite Surah al-Ikhlas a thousand times in a hundred rak’ahs, and it is an invented prayer in an invented way that God did not permit, and the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, did not guide us to it. Rather, some people invented it and narrated a false hadith about it, and some ignorant people, who do not know the Sunnah and accept innovations, approved of it.
Imam Al-Nawawi, may God Almighty have mercy on him, said: The prayer known as the Ragha’ib prayer, which is twelve rak’ahs, is prayed between Maghrib and Isha’ on the night of the first Friday in Rajab, and the prayer on the night of the middle of Sha’ban is one hundred rak’ahs. These two prayers are disgusting innovations and reprehensible things, and one should not be deceived by mentioning them in the book Qut al-Qulub and Ihya’ Ulum al-Din, or by the hadith mentioned in them. All of this is false, and do not be deceived by some of the imams who have doubts about their ruling and wrote papers declaring their desirability, for he is mistaken in that. The Sheikh Imam Abu Muhammad Abd al-Rahman ibn Ismail al-Maqdisi wrote a valuable book declaring their invalidation, and he did well in it and was successful, may God have mercy on him.
Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami, may God Almighty have mercy on him, was asked: Is it permissible to perform the prayers of desires and innocence in congregation or not?
He replied by saying: As for the prayer of desires, it is like the well-known prayer on the night of the middle of Sha`ban. They are two reprehensible and reprehensible innovations, and their conversation is fabricated, so it is disliked to do them individually or in a group. As for the prayer of innocence, what is meant by it is what is reported from many people of Yemen of praying the five obligatory prayers after the last Friday of Ramadan, believing that it expiates what happened in the month of Ramadan. The general rule of the Sunnah is negligence in prayer. It is strictly forbidden, and they must be prevented from it for reasons such as the fact that it is forbidden to repeat the prayer after the end of its time, even in a group, as well as at its time without a group, and there is no reason that requires that. Among them is that this has become a reason for the common people to be negligent in performing the obligatory prayers due to their belief that doing it is that way. This will atone for them, and God Almighty knows best what is right.
Al-Bahuti Al-Hanbali said: (As for the Ragha’ib prayer and the millennium prayer on the night of the middle of Sha’ban, they are an innovation with no basis for them, said the Sheikh. He said: As for the night of the middle of Sha’ban, there is virtue in it, and among the predecessors there were those who prayed it, but gathering in it to revive it in the mosques is an innovation.
Whoever says that the night in which deadlines are written and livelihoods are divided has no evidence for that, and the Qur’an confirms that the Night of Destiny on which the Qur’an was revealed is the night in which deadlines are written and livelihoods are divided. And whoever says that it is the night of the middle of Sha’ban is mistaken, and the truth is. Contrary to what he said
Fifth: Is the night of the middle of Sha`ban the night in which every wise matter is decided?
It was narrated on the authority of Ikrimah and other commentators in the Almighty’s saying: “In it every matter is decided by a wise man” [Al-Dukhan: 4].
It is the night of the middle of Sha`ban.
The majority consider it to be Laylat al-Qadr, which is correct.
Some of them said, due to his excessive veneration of the night of the middle of Sha`ban, that it is the blessed night in which the Qur’an was revealed, and in it every wise matter is differentiated, and they made that an explanation for the Almighty’s saying: {Indeed, We sent it down on a blessed night. Indeed, we are warners} {in it every wise matter is differentiated} and this is wrong. It is clear, and from distorting the Qur’an from its places, that what is meant by the blessed night in the verse is the Night of Destiny, according to the Almighty’s saying: {Indeed, We sent it down on the Night of Destiny} and the Night of Destiny in the month of Ramadan, according to the hadiths mentioned in that;
According to the Almighty’s saying: {The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion}.
From the above sayings of scholars, we know that whoever said that the night in which deadlines are written and livelihoods are divided has no evidence for that, and that the Qur’an confirms that the Night of Destiny in which the Qur’an was revealed is the night in which deadlines are written and livelihoods are divided, and whoever says that it is a night The middle of Sha`ban is wrong, and the truth is contrary to what he said.
Reference:
The article relied for much of its material on the book: “Lata’if al-Ma’rif fima Fata’if al-Ma’rif fi al-Mu’sa’ib al-Mu’afa’il,” by Al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Al-Maktab Al-Islami, Beirut, first edition, 1428 AH/2007 AD.
Encouragement and intimidation from the Noble Hadith, Abdul-Azim Al-Mundhiri, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, first edition, 1417 AH.
Al-Fatawa Al-Fiqhi Al-Kubra, Ibn Hajar Al-Haytami, Al-Kutbah Al-Islamiyya, first edition, undated.
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.