Issues Relating to the Month of Sha'abaan

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious the Most Merciful

The Best of Praises belong to Allah. The Best Praises belong to Allah, the Originator of the Universe and the Forgiver of the sins of the most evil person if he seeks His forgiveness. We praise Him, we seek His Help and we seek His Forgiveness. We seek His protection from the evil of ourselves and our wrong doings. He whom Allah guides, no one can lead astray and he whom Allah misguides, no one can grant guidance. I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad SAW is his servant and Messenger. May the salutations, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his household, his companions and the entire Ummah till clouds stop coming before rain and thunder stops coming after lightening.

Servants of Allah, may Allah guide us and forgive us our sins. We have been blessed by Allah for being able to witness this day in the month Sha’ban. Alhamdu-liLlah, a few days of this month has passed and we are getting nearer to its end. May Allah make us beneficiaries of the favours associated with this month. Indeed, as servants of Allah, due to the love we have for our Lord and His messenger, we develop some kind of zeal and eagerness to express this love. In the process of doing that we err instead of actually exhibiting this love we have. This is because we engage in certain acts which we think will please Allah and thus make them acts of worship but in actual sense we are only drawing the wrath of Allah towards ourselves. In order to gain the blessings that are associated with the month of Sha’aban some Muslims engage in certain things which are not part of the religion. It is as a result of this that our Noble Faqeeh and Scholar, Muhammad bin Salih al Uthaymeen compiled some issues that are related to the month of sha’aban within which he mentions some of these acts we engage which might lead us to the wrath of Allah instead of His Blessings and Favours. May Allah have mercy of Shaykh Muhammad bin Salih. Aameen

It has been reported in Sunan ibn Maajah(1388) on the authority of Aliyy bin Abi-Talib, may Allah be pleased with him that the Messenger of Allah, SAW, said, “when the middle night(the night in the middle of that month) of sha’aban is due then observe[salah in] its night, and fast[during] its day for Allah descends to the first heaven from the setting of the sun, and says is there one to seek My Forgiveness so I’ll Forgive him, is there one to seek for my sustenance so I’ll grant him sustenance, isn’t the one faced with calamity so I’ll ease it for him and so on and so on”

Servant of Allah, we might come across this hadith when we draw near the middle of Sha’ban telling us to wake up during its night to perform tahajjud and to also fast during its day. It has been said concerning this hadith that it is a fabricated hadith. It is a weak hadith as stated in the Majmoo’ Fataawaa of Muhammad Rasheed Ridaa that, “in it chain of narrations you can find Abaa Bakr bin Abdu-Llah bin Muhammad, commonly known as ibn Sibrah. Imam Ahmad and Yahya said about him that he used to fabricate hadith.”

Thus, singling out the middle day of Shaban and fasting on that day is not part of the sunnah of the Prophet SAW because no Sharee’ah ruling can be based upon an evidence that is fabricated or weak. Therefore, if fasting specifically on this day is not from the sunnah, then it is an innovation because fasting is an act of worship and if there is no evidence for it then it is an innovation and the Prophet SAW has said, “every innovation is a misguidance”

The next issue we shall discuss in shaa Allah is in relation with observing night prayer in the middle of Sha’baan. This issue can be put into three different folds:

The first is that one will pray on this night as he prays in any other night. For example, someone who has a habit of praying in the night(tahajjud) and thus, prays on the night in the middle of sha’baan as he prays in any other night without specifically singling out this night to perform this night prayer or having any conviction that this night is different or comes with something special the other nights do no come with. This person has no sin on him because he has not innovated anything in the religion of Allah. 

The second category is that of a person who prays only on this night, without praying in any other night. This act is an act of innovation because nothing of this sort has been transmitted from the Prophet SAW or his companions.

Shaykh Abdul-Azeez bin Baaz may Allah have mercy on him said, “It has not been narrated concerning the virtue of this night all the narrations on it are fabricated.

The third category is about the one who prays on this night every year and has made it a habit and a celebration or an outstanding event. This type is more serious than the second category and is further away from the sunnah of the Prophet SAW. All hadith that have been narrated on this are fabricated and weak as said by as-Shawkaaniy in al-Fawaaid al-Majmoo’ah page 15: and it has been narrated concerning this night, the middle night of sha’baan, numerous narrations. All of them are fabricated and false.

The next issue to be made mention of in this discussion of ours, is that it has become very common among a lot of people that on this night, the middle of sha’baan, the destiny of people for the following year is decided. Thus, you might come across messages and statements about this issue especially on our social media platforms. This is a very fallacious belief. The only night in which the destiny of the qadr of the following year is decided is the night of decree which is the month of Ramadhan as Allah SWA has said, “Ha-Meem, By the clear Book, Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [Mankind]. On that night is made distinct every precise matter, [Every] matter [proceeding] from Us. Indeed, We were to send [a messenger]. As mercy from your Lord. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.” Ad-Dukhan 1-6. This is the night in which the Qur’an was revealed. The night of Decree as Allah said, “Indeed, We sent it down in the night of decree” and that is in the month of Ramadhan. Allah said, “Month of Ramadhan in which the Qur’an was sent down.” therefore whoever believes or has a conviction in his heart that the decree of the following is passed or decided then he has gone against what the Qur’an has stated.

The next and final issue which we shall discussed is with regards to what some people do by organizing a feast on this night, that is the middle night of the month of Shaban. This again is not part of the sunnah of the Prophet SAW. Rather it is an innovation, that which the Prophet SAW warned us against in his statement, “Every innovation is a misguidance…”

Servants of Allah, these are some of the issues that are related to this month which we have to be very wary of. Let us do that which Allah has commanded us and Hi Messenger SAW has taught and let us stay away from innovation.

May the Salutations, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger SAW.

As-salamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatu-Llah