Mid Sha'ban (Shab - e - Barat) !!!

Subject: Mid Sha'ban (Shab - e - Barat) !!! Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:38 pm

Mid-Sha'ban

is the 15th day of the Muslim month of Sha'ban. Laylatul Bara'ah is the night preceding the 15th day of Shaban.
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 or Laylatun Nisfe min Sha’ban in the Arab world. In India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, etc., it is known as
Shab-e-barat.

Other names

Lailatul Baraat
Lailatul Dua
Nim Sha'ban in Afghanistan and Iran.
Nisf Sha'ban in Arabic speaking countries.
Nisfu Sya'ban in Malay speaking countries.
Shab e Bara'at in South Asia meaning the 'Night of Emancipation'.
Berat Kandili in Turkish

Muslimz observe Mid-Sha'ban as a night of worship and salvation, commemorating
when God saved Noah's followers from the deluge. According to Sunni
tradition, ALLAH
determines the destiny of all people, including whether a person lives
or dies, in the coming year. For this reason it is sometimes called the
"Night of Emancipation".
Imam Nawawi mentioned in his Majmu`, where he also quoted Imam
al-Shafi`i from the latters al-Umm that it has reached him that there
are 5 nights when dua is answered, one of them being the night of the
15th of Sha`ban.
Note, of course, that the night of the 15th is the night before it.
It is reported from Sayyiduna `Ali that the Prophet said: "Let all
of you spend the night of mid-Sha`ban in worship (i.e. partly) and its
day in fasting. Allah descends to the nearest heaven during this night,
beginning with sunset, and says: Is there no one asking forgiveness
that I may forgive them? Is there no one asking sustenance that I may
grant them sustenance? Is there no one under trial that I may relieve
them? Is there not such-and-such, is there not such-and-such, and so
forth until until dawn rises. [Narrated by Ibn Majah.]
There are many other narrations from the Companions and early
Muslims confirming this matter, as mentioned by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali in
his Lataif al-Ma`arif, and others.
There is general consensus that weak hadiths may be acted upon for
virtuous acts, such as voluntary fasting and prayer, as long as the
hadith is not excessively weak, returns to a general basis in the
Shariah, and one is not convinced that the Prophet specifically
prescribed it.
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah was asked about the importance of the 15th night of Sha’ban. He replied:
As for the 15th night of Shabaan, there are many narrations and
Athar (quotes from the Sahabah image) 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.
Sheikhul Hadith Fazlur Rahman A'azami (a Hanafi scholar) writes in
his balanced book titled, "Shabe Baraat: The fifteenth of Sha'ban in
light of the Qur'an and Hadith": "Ibnu-Taymiyyah, a scholar famous for
refuting such things, also accepts the virtue of the night of Baraat.
He says: 'So many Ahaadith and reports exist regarding the excellence
of the fifteenth night of Sha'ban that one is compelled to accept that
this night does possess some virtue.' Some of the pious predecessors
used to specially devote this night for Salat." only Salafis contend that the day is a bidah and should not have any special status.

Ruling

It is the special night of seeking forgiveness and repenting to God,
remembering past sins and sincerely settling the mind that one will
never commits sins in the future. All the deeds that are against
Shari’ah must be totally avoided so that our Du’a and Istighfaar,
hopefully, will be accepted.

Dr. Muhammad al – Jibaly said:
The hadeeth indicates that this night surely has a special merit