There are many misconceptions in the Muslim Ummah regarding the month of Shaban, especially regarding its fifteenth night. In this short article, I want to enlighten the reality of this month from perspective of Qur’an and Authentic ahadeeth, so that those who want to understand the true religion will understand it. The truth should be made clear, and at the same time people who are unknowingly suffering from innovations and myths can be informed about the reality of Sha’ban by presenting evidence to them.
In the following lines, I will try to summarize the facts of Sha’ban in ten points, through these points, almost all aspects will be highlighted briefly and it will be easy for a common reader to understand the real reality of this month.
First point: The excellence of the month of Shaban
Sha’ban is a month of excellence and distinction due to fasting. There are many authentic hadiths about fasting in this month, including the traditions of Bukhari and Muslim. In Bukhari Sharif, there is a tradition of Hazrat Aisha (May Allaah be pleased with her):
Aisha, may Allaah be pleased with her, narrated that she said :
أن عائشةَ رضي الله عنها حدَّثَتْه قالتْ : لم يكنِ النبيُّ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم يصومُ شهرًا أكثرَ من شَعبانَ، فإنه كان يصومُ شعبانَ كلَّه
(صحيح البخاري:1970))
The Prophet (may Allaah bless him and grant him peace) did not fast in any month more than Sha’ban, for he used to fast in the whole of Sha’ban.
(Sahih Al-Bukhari: 1970).
And it is narrated in Muslim Sharif on the authority of Umm Salama, may Allaah be pleased with her:
سألتُ عائشةَ رضي اللهُ عنها عن صيامِ رسولِ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّمَ فقالت : كان يصومُ حتى نقول : قد صام . ويفطر حتى نقول : قد أفطر . ولم أرَه صائمًا من شهرٍ قطُّ أكثرَ من صيامِه من شعبانَ . كان يصومُ شعبانَ كلَّه . كان يصومُ شعبانَ إلا قليلًا .
(صحيح مسلم:1156)
I asked Aisha (RA) about the fasts of the Prophet (PBUH), and she said: When the Prophet (PBUH) used to fast, we would say that he was fasting, and when he (PBUH) would break the fast, we would say, ‘We will not fast.’ , I did not see the Prophet ﷺ fasting more in any other month than the month of Sha’ban. He used to fast all through Sha’ban.
(Saheeh Muslim: 1156)
There is a hadith in Tirmidhi Sharif from Umm Salamah, may Allaah bless her and grant her peace:
ما رأيتُ النَّبيَّ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ يصومُ شَهرينِ متتابعينِ إلَّا شعبانَ ورمضانَ
(صحيح الترمذي:736)
I did not see the Prophet, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace, fasting two consecutive months except Sha’ban and Ramadan.
(Sahih al-Tirmidhi: 736)
The same hadith is in Nasa’i with these words:
ما رأيتُ رسولَ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ علَيهِ وسلَّمَ يصومُ شهرينِ متتابعينِ ، إلَّا أنَّه كان يصِلُ شعبانَ برمضانَ
(صحيح النسائي:2174)
I did not see the Messenger of Allaah, may Allaah’s blessings and peace be upon him, fast the two consecutive months, except that he used to combine Sha’ban with Ramadan
(Sahih al-Nasa’i: 2174)
From all these ahadiths, there is an evidence of fasting only, i.e. fasting most of Sha’ban, and the traditions that mention fasting the whole of Sha’ban also mean fasting most of Sha’ban.
On the wisdom of fasting abundantly in this month, it was narrated from Usama bin Zayd, may Allah be pleased with him:
يا رسولَ اللَّهِ ! لم ارك تَصومُ شَهْرًا منَ الشُّهورِ ما تصومُ من شعبانَ ؟ ! قالَ : ذلِكَ شَهْرٌ يَغفُلُ النَّاسُ عنهُ بينَ رجبٍ ورمضانَ ، وَهوَ شَهْرٌ تُرفَعُ فيهِ الأعمالُ إلى ربِّ العالمينَ ، فأحبُّ أن يُرفَعَ عمَلي وأَنا صائمٌ
(صحيح النسائي:2356)
I asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace, that you do not fast as much in any other month as you do in Sha’ban? The Prophet (PBUH) replied: This is a month in which people become negligent, which is between Rajab and Ramadan. This is the month where (our) deeds are elevated (and presented) to our Lord of the Worlds (Allaah), and I like that my deeds are elevated (to Allaah) whilst I am fasting.
(Sahih al-Nasa’i: 2356)
In summary, following the example of the Prophet ﷺ, we should fast (only) in the month of Shaban, and that is in abundance, and we should not perform any actions for which there is no evidence.
Second point: Fasting after half of Sha’ban
From the above hadiths, it is known that it is permissible to fast most of Sha’ban, but there are also some traditions in which fasting after half of Sha’ban is prohibited.
Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
إذا بقيَ نِصفٌ من شعبانَ فلا تصوموا(صحيح الترمذي:738)
If half of Sha’ban remains, then do not fast.
(Sahih al-Tirmidhi: 738)
There are many narrations of this meaning which have been narrated by Abu Dawood, Nasa’i, Bayhaqi, Ahmad, Ibn Abi Shaiba and Ibn Hibban etc. with the difference of words. There is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding the authenticity of this hadith. Imam Tirmidhi, Imam Ibn Habban, Imam Tahawi, Abu Awana, Imam Ibn Abdul Bar, Imam Ibn Hazm, Allama Ahmad Shakir, Allama Albani, Allama Ibn Baz and Allama Shoaib Arnaut etc. Ibn Mahdi, Imam Ahmad, Abu Zareah Razi, Imam Ashram, Ibn Al-Jawzi, Bayhaqi, Ibn Moin and Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen etc.
Ibn Rajab said that there is a difference of opinion regarding the validity of this hadith. Those who corrected it are Tirmidhi, Ibn Hibban, Hakim, Tahawi and Ibn Abdul Burah, and those who spoke on this hadith are more senior and knowledgeable than these people. These people have denied the hadith, they are Abd al-Rahman bin Mahdi, Imam Ahmad, Abu Zareah Razi, Athiram (Lataif al-Maarif p. 135).
For this reason, this hadith is negative and unproven. Exceptions are the following people:
- He who is in the habit of fasting, for example a person who is used to fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, then he will fast even after half of Shaban.
- He who started fasting before half of Sha’ban and mixed the first half of Sha’ban with the latter.
- The person who fasts during Ramadan will also be exempted from this.
- In following the Prophet ﷺ, one can fast Sha’ban as often as he wants, so long as he does not become weak for the fast of Ramadan.
The third point: Fasting half of Sha’ban
There is not a valid hadith which provides an argument for fasting on the 15th of Sha’ban. Sahih hadiths provide an argument for fasting most of Sha’ban as mentioned above. Those who fix the 15th of Sha’ban for fasting commit innovation in religion and innovation leads to hell. If someone says that there is a hadith related to fasting on the fifteenth of Sha’ban, then I will say that such a tradition has been created and fabricated. Whoever ascribes the ascribed tradition to the Prophet ﷺ will have his abode in Hell (as per the hadeeth of Prophet (PBUH)).
The fourth point: Staying the night of half of Sha’ban
Different types of special worship are performed on the night of half of Sha’ban based on false and false traditions. It is narrated by Ibn Majah:
إذا كانت ليلةُ النِّصفِ من شعبانَ فقوموا ليلَها ، وصوموا نَهارَها
(ضعيف ابن ماجه:261)
When the night of the half of Sha’ban comes, then perform Qayam (Night prayers) and fast during the day.
(Da’if Ibn Majah: 261).
This tradition has been created because there was a narrator in it, Abu Bakrban Muhammad, who fabricated the traditions. On this night, Salat al-Fiyah, that is, a special way of praying with one thousand rakats, some people pray 100 rakats, some people fourteen rakats and some even twelve rakats. There is no specific worship of this type reported from the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions. Similarly, there is no evidence of collective dhikr, collective prayer, collective Quran reading and collective action on this night.
The fifth point: The concept of Shab Barat
It is called the night of the fifteenth of Sha’ban by different names. For example, Lailat al-Mubarakah (the night of blessings), Lailat al-Saq (the night of division of affairs), Lailat al-Rahma (the night of the descent of mercy). There is also a name Shab-e-Barat (night of deliverance from Hell) which is very common. In fact, these names have no legal status.
Lailat al-Mubaraka is not performed on the night of half of Sha’ban, but on the night of Qadr, Allah says:
إِنَّ أَنزْلْنَاحُ فَيْلَةٍ مُُّبَارَكَةٍ إِنَّ كَنَّة المنزِرِينَ
Verily, We have sent down this (Qur’an) in a blessed night, for We are a warner.
{Al-Dukhan: 3}
Allah Ta’ala revealed the Qur’an in Lailat al-Mubaraka, i.e. Lailat al-Qadr, as Allah says in another place:
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
[القدر:1]
We sent it (the Qur’an) down in the Night of Decree.
The division of affairs is only done on the night of Qadr and not on the night of half of Sha’ban, and there is no reason to call it “Lailalu-ur-Rahmah”. As far as Shab-e-Barat is concerned, that too is not proven, the argument given for it is weak. This hadith will be explained later.
Sixth point: Visiting the graveyard on the night of half of Sha’ban
In Tirmidhi, there is a hadith on the authority of Aisha, may Allaah be pleased with her:
فقَدتُ رسولَ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ ليلةً فخرجتُ فإذا هوَ في البقيعِ۔
One night I found the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) missing from my side .
This tradition is related to the half of Sha’ban, based on this hadith, the cemetery is cleaned on the night of the fifteenth of Sha’ban, the graves are cleaned, electricity and lamps are installed there, and men and women visit the cemetery together on this night, while the above hadith is graded weak and hence, it will not be implemented. Visiting graves is always Masnoon (Sunnah), so it is an innovation to set a date for it, and it is never permissible to visit graves with a mixture of men and women, and to set up fairs on graves.
Seventh Point: Fireworks
As much money is spent on performing innovation and superstitions in Sha’ban, if charity were given in this way in Ramadan, many poor people would be relieved and reserves for the Hereafter would also be provided. However, the one who loves to spend extravagantly (Israaf) which is a devilish act, there is no hope in him to spend in charity. As soon as the month of Sha’ban begins, firecrackers start to be released. Just imagine how much waste there will be during the whole of Sha’ban from that time onwards. And it is observed there is no limit to this deed on the night of half-Sha’ban which leads to both bodily harm and financial waste.
Eighth Point: Arrival of certain dishes and spirits
One of the innovations of half of Sha’ban is to prepare different kinds of food, Halwa Puri (Sweet dish) and different kinds of dinner, they distribute it among the poor and the needy and they believe that spirits come, for this reason, Al-Fatiha is recited for them. They also believe that if Halwa Puri is not made today, spirits will lick the walls. How much of this deed is similar in concept to the western festival of Halloween, Subhan Allaaah.
Fixing a date for cooking food and distributing it to the poor on the specified date, reciting the Fatiha on this food, giving reward to the men for the Fatiha are all bad deeds. And know that the soul does not return to the world after death, there are many verses in the Qur’an as Allah says:
کَلاَّ إِنَّها کَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قائِلُها وَ مِنْ وَرائِهِمْ بَرْزَخٌ إِلي يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ(المومنون: 100)
Never! It is only a useless appeal they make. And there is a barrier behind them until the Day they are resurrected.
{Al-Muminoon: 100}
Ninth point: On the half of Sha’ban, Allah descends from the sky to the world.
A tradition is presented with great vehemence:
ان الله ليطلع في ليلة النصف من شعبان فيغفر لجميع خلقه إلا لمشرك أو مشاحن
(سنن ابن ماجه :1390 )
Allah looks down (on His servants) in the half of Sha’ban night, then He forgives all creation except the polytheist and the one who has enmity (to the Muslim brother).
[Sunan Ibn Maja: 1390]
This hadith has been graded as Hasan by al-Albani, while it has a famous weak narrator, Ibn Lahiyyah, and it is also weak in all other ways. This tradition has also come through Aisha (May Allaah be pleased with her):
إنَّ اللَّهَ تعالى ينزِلُ ليلةَ النِّصفِ من شعبانَ إلى السَّماءِ الدُّنيا ، فيغفرُ لأكْثرَ من عددِ شَعرِ غنَمِ كلبٍ
(ضعيف ابن ماجه:262)
Allaah, the Almighty, descends on the night of the middle of Sha’ban to the lowest heaven, and forgives (people) more than the number of hairs from the sheep of Banu Kalb (Tribe).
(Da’if Ibn Majah: 262).
Sheikh Al-Albani has graded this hadeeth as weak; Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) has also mentioned a break in the chain of transmission due to which it is weak.
Anyway! There is no specific proof of Allah’s descent on the lowest heaven on the night of half of Sha’ban ONLY, but it is included in the generality of another hadith in which it is mentioned that Allah Almighty descends on the sky in the third part of every night. Hence, explicit mentioning of Allah’s descent on this night ONLY does not make any sense.
Tenth point: The order of hadiths related to the fifteenth of Sha’ban
In the last point, let me make it clear that there is no authentic hadith related to the day of half of Sha’ban or its night. The hadith of deciding life and death, the hadith of the forgiveness of previous sins sixty years after fasting on this day, the hadith of reading twelve-fourteen-hundred and one thousand rakats of Nafil, and any of the hadiths related to fasting and fasting on Shaban and the rewards are not valid.
For this reason, it is not permissible to perform any specific action on the day of the fifteenth of Sha’ban or perform any specific worship on the night of the fifteenth of Sha’ban. In the month of Sha’ban, there is evidence that the Prophet ﷺ fasted abundantly, so Muslims should limit themselves to this act and not waste the good deeds they have already accumulated by committing innovations and superstitions.
~ Written by Ustaadh Maqbool Ahmed
[Translated from Urdu, edited and compiled by HasbunAllaah]