The month of Sha`ban 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-nisfe min
Sha`ban (the Middle Night of Sha`ban) 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 Sha`ban 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 Sha`ban, 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 Ka`bah in
Makkah on the 15th day of Sha`ban. This report is also
not confirmed by authentic hadiths. According to most of
the exegetes, the Qur�an has not mentioned anything
about the Sha`ban night.
There are some hadiths
that speak about the Middle of Sha`ban 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. Imam Al-Mundhiri (died
in 656 A.H.) in his famous book At-Targhib wat-Tarhib
(vol. 2, pp. 116-120) reported fourteen hadiths on the
subject of this night. The following points can be
summarized from those hadiths:
1. The month of
Sha`ban is a great month.
2. In this month
Allah takes the account of His creation.
3. Because this
month occurs between two other important months, viz.
Rajab and Ramadan, many people do not pay enough
attention to it.
4. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) loved to fast during this month. He
used to fast most of the month of Sha`ban.
5. After sunset
on the night of Middle of Sha`ban, Allah in His great
mercy and kindness turns towards His creation and asks, "Is
there anyone who would seek My forgiveness and I forgive
him (or her)? Is there anyone who is in need to ask Me
and I provide for his (or her) needs. Is there anyone
who is in pain and seeks My help and I help him (or
her)? Is there�? Is there�?� until the time of
Dawn."
6. The Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) is said to have
recommended prayers during this night and fasting during
the following day.
7. It reported
that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used
to visit the Muslim cemetery on this evening and he used
to pray for the deceased Muslims.
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.�
