Knowledge Every Muslim Should Know (Book One)

Lailat alBaraa'ah: Sunnah or Bid'ah?

LAILAT ALBARAA’AH: SUNNAH OR BID’AH?

Article I: What is Lailat alBaraa’ah?

Some Muslims celebrate the middle of Sha’baan, fasting on that day and spending that night in prayer (qiyaam). There is a hadeeth concerning that which is not saheeh, hence the scholars regarded celebrating this day as an innovation (bid’ah). 

Muhammad ’Abd al-Salaam al-Shuqayri said: Imam al-Fatni said in Tadhkirat al-Mawdhoo’aat: Among the innovations that have been introduced on “Laylat an-Nusf”  (mid-Sha’baan) is al-Salaat al-Alfiyyah, which is one hundred rak’aat in which Soorat al-Ikhlaas is recited ten times in each rak’ah, offered in congregation; they pay more attention to this than to Jumu’ah and Eid prayers, although there is no report concerning it, except dha’eef (weak) and mawdhoo’ (fabricated) reports, and we should not be deceived by the fact that these reports were quoted by the authors of al-Qoot and al-Ihya’ and others, nor should we be deceived by what was mentioned in Tafseer al-Tha‘labi, that it is Laylat al-Qadr. End quote. 

Al-’Iraaqi said: The hadeeth about the prayer on Laylat al-Nisf (mid-Sha’baan) is false. Ibn al-Jawzi narrated it in al-Mawdhoo’aat (which is a compilation of fabricated ahadeeth): 

Chapter on the hadeeth, prayer and supplication on Laylat al-Nisf:

The hadeeth, “When the night of ‘nisf Sha’baan’ (mid-Sha’baan) comes, spend the night in prayer and fast on that day” was narrated by Ibn Maajah from ‘Ali. Muhashiyyah said: (It was also narrated) in al-Zawaa’id. Its isnaad is dha’eef (weak) because of the weakness of Ibn Abi Basrah, of whom Ahmad and Ibn Ma‘een said: He fabricates hadeeth. End quote. 

Praying six rak’aat on Laylat al-Nisf with the intention of warding off calamity, having a long life and being independent of people, and reciting Ya-Seen and offering du’aa’ in between that—there is no doubt that this is something that has been introduced into the religion and is contrary to the sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The commentator on al-Ihya’ said: This prayer is well known in the books of later Sufi masters, but I have not seen any saheeh report in the sunnah to support it and the connected du’aa’. Rather this is the action of some shayookh. Our companions said: It is makrooh to gather on any of the nights mentioned in the mosques or elsewhere. Al-Najm al-Ghayti said, describing spending the night of al-Nisf min Sha’baan (mid-Sha’baan) praying in congregation: That was denounced by most of the scholars of the Hijaz, including ’Ata’ and Ibn Abi Mulaykah, the fuqaha’ of Madinah and the companions of Maalik. They said: All of that is an innovation (bid’ah) and there is no report to suggest that the Prophet spent that night in praying in congregation or that his Companions did that either. Al-Nawawi said: The prayers of Rajab and Sha’baan are two reprehensible innovations. End quote from al-Sunan wa’l-Mubtada‘aat, p. 144 

Al-Fatni (may Allah have mercy on him) said, after the comments quoted above: The common folk are so infatuated with this prayer that they stored up a lot of fuel for it and many evils resulted from it, and many transgressions are committed which we do no need to describe. (It is so bad that) the close friends of Allah feared His punishment and fled into the wilderness. The first time this prayer occurred was in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) in 448 AH. Zayd ibn Aslam said: We never saw any of our shayookh or fuqaha’ saying that Laylat al-Baraa’ah (15 Sha’baan) had any superiority over other nights. Ibn Dihyah said: The ahadeeth about the prayer on Laylat al-Baraa’ah are fabricated and one has an interruption in the isnaad. Anyone who acts upon a report which is known to be false is a servant of the Shaytaan. End quote from Tadhkirat al-Mawdhoo’aat by al-Fatni, p. 45