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.