The Virtue of Shab-e-Barat is Established from Hadith
ِAuthor: Mohammad Hahsim Bastawi
If someone claims that the night of Shab-e-Barat is not special and has no virtue, their statement should be rejected. This is because many hadiths highlight the importance and virtue of this night. Below, we present some hadiths along with their translations.
Hadith on the Virtue of Shab-e-Barat
- Hadith from Ali ibn Abi Talib
Narrated by Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” إِذَا كَانَتْ لَيْلَةُ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ، فَقُومُوا لَيْلَهَا وَصُومُوا نَهَارَهَا، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَنْزِلُ فِيهَا لِغُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَى سَمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، فَيَقُولُ: أَلَا مِنْ مُسْتَغْفِرٍ لِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ أَلَا مُسْتَرْزِقٌ فَأَرْزُقَهُ أَلَا مُبْتَلًى فَأُعَافِيَهُ أَلَا كَذَا أَلَا كَذَا، حَتَّى يَطْلُعَ الْفَجْرُ”. (رواه ابن ماجه في سننه: 1388، والبيهقي في فضائل الأوقات: 22)
Translation: Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: On the fifteenth night of Sha’ban, worship Allah and fast on its day. Indeed, Allah descends to the lowest heaven and says: “Is there anyone seeking forgiveness so that I may forgive them? Is there anyone asking for sustenance so that I may grant it to them? Is there anyone suffering from an illness so that I may cure them?” And this continues until dawn. (Narrated by Ibn Majah in his Sunan: 1388, and al-Bayhaqi in Fada’il al-Awqat: 22)
- Hadith from Abdullah ibn Amr
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: ” يَطَّلِعُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَى خَلْقِهِ لَيْلَةَ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ فَيَغْفِرُ لِعِبَادِهِ إِلَّا لِاثْنَيْنِ: مُشَاحِنٍ، وَقَاتِلِ نَفْسٍ”. رواه أحمد في مسنده. (6642)
Translation: Abdullah ibn Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: On the fifteenth night of Sha’ban, Allah turns His attention to His creation and forgives all except two: those who hold grudges and those who commit murder. (Narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad: 6642)
- Hadith from Abu Bakr As-Siddiq
Narrated by Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ، رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «يَنْزِلُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى لَيْلَةَ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، فَيَغْفِرُ لِكُلِّ نَفْسٍ؛ إِلَّا إِنْسَانٍ فِي قَلْبِهِ شَحْنَاءٌ، أَوْ مُشْرِكٍ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ». (رواه ابن أبي الأعصم في السنة: 509)
Translation: Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: On the fifteenth night of Sha’ban, Allah descends to the lowest heaven and forgives all, except those who hold grudges and those who commit shirk (associate partners with Allah) (Narrated by Ibn Abi Asam in As-Sunnah: 509)
- Hadith from Abu Musa
Narrated by Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him): I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:
عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى إِلَى سَمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا لَيْلَةَ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ، فَيَغْفِرُ لِأَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ؛ إِلَّا مُشْرِكٍ أَوْ مُشَاحِنٍ». (رواه ابن أبي الأعصم في السنة: 510)
Translation: Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: On the fifteenth night of Sha’ban, Allah descends to the lowest heaven and forgives all people, except those who associate partners with Him and those who hold grudges. (Narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in As-Sunnah: 510)
Even though most of the hadiths above have weak chains of transmission, they are narrated from the Companions of the Prophet and, when taken together, they are sufficient to establish the virtue of Shab-e-Barat.
The History of Worship on Shab-e-Barat
As you have learned, this is a virtuous night, and it has been reported that the Companions of the Prophet and their successors (Tabi’yeen) used to engage in worship during this night. They also utilized this night for prayers and seeking forgiveness. Therefore, we should take advantage of this opportunity and worship Allah abundantly so that He may forgive us.
However, no specific type of worship is prescribed for this night. Some may choose to recite the Quran, while others may perform voluntary (Nafl) prayers. If someone claims that a particular act of worship is superior or more rewarding, then they are mistaken, as such claims have no basis.
Visiting Graveyards on Shab-e-Barat
Narrated by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ: فَقَدْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَيْلَةً فَخَرَجْتُ، فَإِذَا هُوَ بِالبَقِيعِ، فَقَالَ: «أَكُنْتِ تَخَافِينَ أَنْ يَحِيفَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكِ وَرَسُولُهُ»، قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنِّي ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّكَ أَتَيْتَ بَعْضَ نِسَائِكَ، فَقَالَ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَنْزِلُ لَيْلَةَ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، فَيَغْفِرُ لِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ عَدَدِ شَعْرِ غَنَمِ كَلْبٍ». (رواه الترمذي في سننه: 739)
Translation: “I once did not find the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in bed, so I went out looking for him. I found him in the cemetery of Al-Baqi’. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Were you afraid that Allah and His Messenger would wrong you?’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I thought you had gone to one of your other wives.’ He (peace be upon him) then said: ‘Indeed, Allah descends on the fifteenth night of Sha’ban to the lowest heaven and forgives more people than the number of hairs on the sheep. (Narrated by Tirmidhi in his Sunan: 739)
This hadith indicates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) visited the cemetery on this night. However, he did so only once in his lifetime. Therefore, occasionally visiting the graveyard on this night is not an issue, but making it a ritual or a necessary practice every year is not established from hadith and is considered an innovation (Bid’ah).
Fasting on the Fifteenth of Sha’ban
The only narration regarding fasting on the fifteenth of Sha’ban comes from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and as mentioned earlier, this hadith is weak. Some scholars do not consider it appropriate to fast on this day specifically as a Sunnah or recommended act.
However, many hadiths confirm the virtue of staying up and worshiping on this night, as mentioned above.
Thus, if someone fasts on this day without considering it a Sunnah or obligatory, there is no harm in doing so. The general recommendation is to fast throughout the month of Sha’ban, except for the 28th and 29th, as fasting in Sha’ban has been highly encouraged in various hadiths.
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