The Night of Forgiveness Lailat ul-Baraat

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The Night of Forgiveness

Lailat ul-Baraat

 

Sura ad- Dukhan 44: Verse 1-6

Ha-Mim. By the Book that makes things clear; We sent it down during a blessed night: for We (ever) wish to warn (against Evil). In that (night) is made distinct every affair of Wisdom, By command, from Our Presence. For We (ever) send (revelations), As a Mercy from thy Lord: for He hears and knows (all things);

 The letters HA MIM are called ‘abbreviated letters’ (Hurfe Mukatiat) in Qur’aanic Terminology. Allah and his Rasul (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) know the meaning and it is revealed to the Urafa (special servants of Allah), who have deep knowledge. The commentators (Mufassireen) among the Urafa therefore say HA MEEM is one of the blessed names of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) i.e. "My Beloved".  HA refers to Allah's Beloved, Rasul (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) one of whose blessed names is  "Haamid" -the one who praises Allah. "MEEM" refers to Allah, whose Blessed attribute is "Mahmood" - "The Praised".

                                         By the Qur’aan that makes everything clear                                        

                      Which was revealed during a blessed night as a warning against evil                     

                                                 This night all affairs are decided.                                                

 

Our commands descend. This is your Lords Mercy (rahmah) (Muhammad’s Rab ).

With reference to the "Blessed Night"- from the time of the Sahaba to the present their has been 3 interpretations i.e.

 1)      The Night of Ascension (Meraj) – as mentioned in Sura Najm 53: Verse 10

   So did (Allah) convey the inspiration to His Servant; (conveyed) what He (meant) to convey.  

2)      The Night of Power  (Qadr) – This is a majority view majority view deduced from a narration by Abdullah ibn Abbas (radiallahu anhu) 

3)      The Night of Forgiveness (Shabe Baraat)- that is also deduced from a narration by Abdullah ibn Abbas (radiallahu anhu)        

 

‘The Night of Forgiveness’ (Shabe Baraat)- is also called ‘The Night of Prayer’ (Shabe Dua), ‘The Night of Acceptance of Prayer’ (Shabe Qabooliat) and ‘The Night of Spiritual Plenty’ (Shabe Barakah[1]). It is narrated that Allah forgives all His creation on this night except for an idolater, one who harbours hatred and one who commits murder: as mentioned in the following Ahadith.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 1307        Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As (radiallahu anhu)

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious looks down on the middle night of Shabaan and forgives all His creation except two people, the innovator and the murderer.

Transmitted by Ahmad.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith1306         Narrated by AbuMusa al-Ash'ari (radiallahu anhu)

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious looks down on the middle night of Shabaan and forgives all His creation except a polytheist or one who is mushahin (innovator in religion and out of the main stream of the community.

Transmitted by Ibn Majah.

  On this night Allah makes all decisions, which is the job of angels to execute. There is a connection between Qadr and Baraat both of which were referred to by Hazrath Abdullah ibn Abbas (Radiallahu anha) whom The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) called, "Tarjuman ul Qur’aan" - commentator of The Holy Qur'aan".

Some scholars accept one night and reject any reference to the other, but Abdullah ibn Abbas (Radiallahu anha) accepts Qadr and Baraat as being true.

What connection does this night have with Qadr and Baraat?

On the night of Baraat the decision for each individual for the whole year is given i.e. happiness, sadness, birth, death, illness etc. is given. On the night of Qadr the angels execute these orders. A Hadith that says that Allah will change decisions as long as it is not given to angels to execute supports this.    Bayhaqi relates from `Aisha (Radiallahu anha) in Shu`ab al-iman with his chain of transmission that she said,

 

"The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)  stood up in prayer during part of the night and made his prostration so lengthy that I thought his soul had been taken back. When I saw this I got up and went to move his big toe, whereupon he moved, so I drew back. When he raised his head from prostration and finished praying, he said: "O `Aisha, O fair little one (humayra')! Did you think that the Prophet had broken his agreement with you?" She replied: "No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, but I thought that your soul had been taken back because you stayed in prostration for so long." He said: "Do you know what night this is?" She said: "Allah and His Prophet know best." He said: "This is the night of mid-Sha`ban! Verily Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) look at His servants on the night of mid-Sha`ban, and He forgives those who ask forgiveness, and He bestows mercy on those who ask mercy, and He gives a delay to the people of envy and spite in their state."

 

Believers are granted forgiveness on this Blessed night, except

1.      Those who commit shirk by attributing a partner to God,

2.      Those who keep a grudge in their hearts, who severe the relationship with their relatives and friends,

3.      Those who practice sorcery, who drink alcohol, who indulges in interest (riba), and who “sell” their honor.

 

 Therefore between Baraat and Qadr is the time between DECISION and EXECUTION - Allah's door of Mercy (rahmah) is open. One can submit ones appeal by means of Optional Devotion (nafil), Fasting (roza), crying, seeking forgiveness (taubah), vows, etc. In a Hadith in ibn Majah it is stated that Ali (Radiallahu anhu) reports that Rasul (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said,

'Spend the night of mid-Shabaan in prayer and the day in fasting, for Allah descends to the nearest heaven during that night and says, "Is anyone asking forgiveness that I may forgive them? is anyone asking sustenance that I may grant them sustenance?, is anyone in difficulty that I may relieve them and so forth."

 This is similar to a court of law, where one is given leave to appeal and the court reviews the decision. Here Allah is giving us tidings of instant reprieve and he also Allah gives us about 1 month and 10 days (+_ 40 days) to appeal to Him to review decisions before they are executed. The review petition should contain vows, tears, prayers , obedient worship (ibadah), remembrance of Allah (Zikrullah), tasbih, gifts to the needy (sadaqa and qairaat), etc. which should reach Him by Qadr.

 It is The Holy Prophet’s compassion (sadaqa) that the nights of both EXECUTION and DECISION are told to us. Qadr is the greater night because it is the last time for appeal. Allah in His infinite mercy, through His blessed Rasul (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has given us numerous opportunities to repent, may we all take heed.

 IRSHAD SOOFI 1997.

Revised 1999-11-18

And 2003-09-29

 

 

 

 

[1] Barakah is a subtle spiritual energy, which flows through everything, but is strongest within the human. The more purified the human becomes, the greater the flow of barakah. Overpowering barakah can be experienced in sacred places, on sacred days and in sanctified people..

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The best age is my age and The virtues of Shabaan (Sab sy Afzal mera Zamana hy + Shab e Barat ki Ahmiyyat o Fazeelat )

786/92

The best age is my age and The virtues of Shabaan

Sab sy Afzal mera Zamana hy + Shab e Barat ki Ahmiyyat o Fazeelat

short

Today, through the grace of Allah Y we will speak on importance and virtues of the 15 Shabaan or laylatul nisf min Shabaan (The night of mid-Shabaan) commonly called Shabe Baraat. Before speaking on its virtues I would like to dispel some doubts that have crept into the Ummah. There is a tendency that some of us with limited knowledge of the Holy Qur’aan and Sunnah proclaim that we have a comprehensive knowledge of the deen. This results in us rejecting important events; instead of enhancing our limited knowledge concerning certain acts and events. This results in simple people, without the intellectual capacity of researching for themselves, on hearing conflicting views getting confused. They become the targets whereby the very foundations of faith are being attacked and thereby shaken.

Islam undoubtedly is a deen that ushers in balance and equality. However in every aspect, despite the ideal being equality and dealing with  people equitably. People have different qualities, cultures, intellectual capacities, regional differences etc.

Let’s begin by differentiating ages. The Holy Prophet Muhammad e stated:

Khairul qurune qarni

"The best of you is my generation. Then the time which is next to mine then those after them and then those after them. After that people will come who give testimony without being asked to do so, who will be treacherous and are not trustworthy, who promise and don’t fulfill. They will tend to be corpulent (plump).’

We regard the age of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e, physical era as the best age on the basis of righteousness, guidance, virtuousness and blessings as the best age. This is because of the physical contact (hayaate zaahiri) with the Holy Prophet e.

Then we have the era of the companions (sahaba) who ushered in their righteousness, guidance, virtuousness and blessings received from contact with the Holy Prophet Muhammad e.

Then we have the era of the companions of the companions (ta’bieen) who received and disseminated these blessings.

Similarly the Holy Qur’aan has blessed certain areas (makaan). Bayt al Maqdis , al-Quds , Palestine and Canaan. Allah Y says in the Holy Qur’aan , in the 5^th Sura, al-Maida الْمَآئِدَة , verse 21:

ادْخُلُوا الْأَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ الَّتِي كَتَبَ اللّهُ لَكُمْ

(ملکِ شام یا بیت المقدس کی) اس مقدس سرزمین میں داخل ہو جاؤ جو اﷲ نے تمہارے لئے لکھ دی ہے

Go into the Blessed Land which Allah Y hath ordained for you

Allah Y orders the Bani Israel to enter the land which He called الْمُقَدَّسَةَ (the blessed land). There is no time to go into details but Allah Y has called a certain piece of land blessed, compared to other lands. This land is blessed due to thit being the bplace of birth of prophets (mawlid) and place of burial (madfan). Then in reference to the Mi’raaj Allah Y says in the 17^th sura سُورة الْإِسْرَاء / بَنِيْ إِسْرَآءِيْل, verse 1:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ

وہ ذات (ہر نقص اور کمزوری سے) پاک ہے جو رات کے تھوڑے سے حصہ میں اپنے (محبوب اور مقرّب) بندے کو مسجدِ حرام سے (اس) مسجدِ اقصٰی تک لے گئی جس کے گرد و نواح کو ہم نے بابرکت بنا دیا ہے

Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far distant place of worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed

Allah Y has blessed the neighborhood of al-Masjid al-Aqsa. This area has been blessed due to its connection with prophets. The area is blessed, the acceptance of duas is increased here, and there is an overflow of divine blessings, mercy and gifts.

Similarly Makkah, the Ennobled, due to the presence of the Kaaba Shareef is called sacred ground (Haram Shareef) and Madinah the Illuminated is made sacred due to the Holy Prophet Muhammad e residing there. This sacredness is not only restricted to the area of the Kaaba Shareef or the area where the Holy Prophet Muhammad e   lies buried but its sacredness stretches for kilometers. The tress has even become sacred, so much so that they cannot be cut.

So one can gauge that eras have excellence over eras; cities have excellence over cities; certain pieces of ground have excellence over other pieces of ground. Similarly of the twelve months of the Islamic Calendar, the Month of Ramadaan has been given excellence.  The Holy Qur’aan says in the 2^nd Sura سُورة الْبَقَرَة : verse 125:

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيْ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ

رمضان کا مہینہ (وہ ہے) جس میں قرآن اتارا گیا ہے

The month of Ramadan is that in which the Qur’an was revealed,

Due to the descent of the Holy Qur’aan this month has become the most excellent over all the rest. Within the month of Ramadaan, one night has been given preference over all the rest of the days and nights. Holy Qur’aan says in the 97^th Sura, سُورة الْقَدْر , verse 1:

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ

بیشک ہم نے اس (قرآن) کو شبِ قدر میں اتارا ہے

Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Predestination

So the night of لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ due to the revelation of the Holy Qur’aan has become the most excellent night. Allah Y describes its excellence in the 97^th Sura, سُورة الْقَدْر , verse 3:

. لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ

شبِ قدر (فضیلت و برکت اور اَجر و ثواب میں) ہزار مہینوں سے بہتر ہے

The grand night is better than a thousand months

The root concept I am instilling into your mentality is that nights, months, years, eras, ages, place space, time has all been created by Allah Y but He has given some excellence over others. These nights, months, years, eras, ages, place space, time possess extra barakah[1], fazilah[2] and ni’mah[3]. 

Other days have also been given preference and excellence over other day. Friday has more virtue over any other day. It is known as the Day of I’d for it is the day of the divinely ordained birth or creation of Adam u.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad e   has stated regarding Yawmul Jumuah as narrated by Hazrath Abdullah ibn Abbas t:

اِبن ماجہ (209۔ 273ھ) حضرت عبد اللہ بن عباس رضی اﷲ عنہما سے روایت کرتے ہیں کہ حضور نبی اکرم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم نے فرمایا :

إن هذا يُوْمُ عِيْدٍ، جَعَلَهُ اﷲُ لِلْمُسْلِمِيْن، فمن جاء إلي الجمعة فليغتسل، وإن کان طيب فليمس منه، وعليکم بالسواک.

Undoubtedly, this (i.e. Jumu’ah) is the Day of Eid which was created by Allah Y for the Muslims. Whosoever comes for the Jumu’ah Prayer should perform Ghusl and if he can he should put on fragrance. Also to clean the teeth (miswaak) is necessary.   

بے شک یہ عید کا دن ہے جسے اللہ تعالیٰ نے مسلمانوں کے لیے بنایا ہے۔ پس جو کوئی جمعہ کی نماز کے لیے آئے تو غسل کر کے آئے، اور اگر ہوسکے تو خوشبو لگا کر آئے۔ اور تم پر مسواک کرنا لازمی ہے۔

1. ابن ماجه، السنن، کتاب إقامة الصلٰوة، باب في الزينة يوم الجمعة،  : 349، رقم : 1098

2. طبراني، المعجم الأوسط، 7 : 230، رقم : 7355

3. منذري، الترغيب والترهيب من الحديث الشريف، 1 : 286، رقم : 1058

Monday is considered as a day of excellence because it is the Day of the Physical Birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e and the Holy Prophet Muhammad e fasted on this Dayn out of thankfulness for his birth. Thursday is also a day of excellence due to the Holy Prophet Muhammad e    fasting on this day.   Every week has seven days and three days have excellence over the other four days.

I quote a hadith from the Sahih collection of Imam Muslim from the Chapter called ‘The Book of Virtue, Good Manners and Joining of the Ties of Relationship’ (Kitab Al-Birr was-Salat-I-wal-Adab)'. narrated by Hazrath Abu Hurraira t:

Abu Hurraira t reported Allah's Messenger e as saying: The gates of Paradise are not opened but on two days, Monday and Thursday. and then every servant (of Allah) is granted pardon who does not associate anything with Allah except the person in whose (heart) there is ill feeling against his brother. And it would be said: Look towards both of them until there is reconciliation; look toward both of them until there is reconciliation; look towards both of them until there is reconciliation. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Suhail who narrated it on the authority of his father with the chain of transmitters of MaIik, but with this variation of wording:, (Those would not be granted pardon) who boycott each other."  (Book #032, Hadith #6222)

 

In another hadith in Shaih Muslim it is stated:

Abu Huraim reported Allah's Messenger e as saying The deeds of people would be presented every week on two days, viz. Monday and Thursday, and every believing servant would be granted pardon except the one in whose (heart) there is rancour against his brother and it would he said: Leave them and put them off until they are turned to reconciliation.  (Book #032, Hadith #6224)

From this you can gather that in every week there are day’s wherein deeds are presented, forgiveness is announced and gifts are presented from Allah Y.

Similarly nights have a special status. From Maghrib to the disappearance of the sun tall nights seem equal. The last portion of the night prior to the time of Sehri Allah Y , in accordance with His Majesty comes down to the lowest samawaat in accordance with His Majesty, incomprehensible to us. He calls out to us:

Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness; Is there anyone wanting to ask Me something; Is there anyone to lift their hands in supplication to Me; Is there anyone seeking sustenance from Me;

So one can see the last portion of the night has been made more excellent than the first portion.

So I pray I have cleared the misconception that there are no special nights except the Night of Qadr. Every special night has its own virtues, status and excellence.

Let us know discuss what the excellence of the month of Shabaan is and the excellence of Mid Shabaan (nisf Shabaan). These are proven from Sahih Hadith and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e. To doubt this is an expose of lack of knowledge.

I present to you a hadith from Sahih Bukhari Kitaab as Saum: This is the very chapter that the Holy Prophet Muhammad e   forbid the Companions from imitating his manner of fasting continuously without Sehri or iftaar.

Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, "Do not practice Al-Wisal (fasting continuously without breaking one's fast in the evening or eating before the following dawn)." The people said to the Prophet, "But you practice Al-Wisal?" The Prophet replied, "I am not like any of you, for I am given food and drink (by Allah) during the night."  (Book #31, Hadith #182)

In this chapter is the hadith also on the fast of Shabaan. Besides the compulsory fasts of Ramadaan, the Holy Prophet Muhammad e   fasted most in the month of Shabaan:

(47) Narrated 'Aisha: Allah's Apostle used to fast till one would say that he would never stop fasting, and he would abandon fasting till one would say that he would never fast. I never saw Allah's Apostle fasting for a whole month except the month of Ramadan, and did not see him fasting in any month more than in the month of Sha'ban.  (Book #31, Hadith #190)

Thus it is made clear that the Holy Prophet Muhammad e   gave special significance to the month of Shabaan. This hadith is also quoted by Imam Muslim. The barakah , fazilah  and ni’mah had been expounded by the actions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad e.

If the month of Shabaan has been so emphasized from Sahih Hadith, then most surely some special day and night is also contained in this month.   I Quote a hadith from the Sunan Nisa’I one of the books of the Six Most authentic Books of Hadith (sihah sittah):

The most beloved month after Ramadaan to the Holy Prophet Muhammad e   was Shabaan.

Imam Tirmidhi reports two hadith to the same effect from both Hazrath Aisha y and also from Umm Salama y. Also from Usama bin Zayd t. Imam Nisa’i r also quotes a hadith wherein the Holy Prophet Muhammad e was asked as to why he fasted so much in the month of Shabaan, loved this month so after Ramadaan  and he answered: 

“…it (Shabaan) is a month in which deeds are lifted up to the Lord of the Worlds. I love for my deeds to be lifted up when I am fasting.'” [an-Nisa'ee, see Saheeh al-Targheeb wa'l-Tarheeb, p. 425]

 

Also, it is reported in Bayhaqee, Ibn Hibban and Tabaranee with authentic (Saheeh) chain of narrators that Allah's Messenger e said: “On the 15th night of Shabaan, Allah, the Exalted, looks upon His slaves (with Mercy) and forgives everybody except the disbeliever and he, who holds malice for anybody.”

From a lecture by Allama Dr. Tahir al-Qadri in urdu

Translated by Irshad Soofi

 

     [1] barakah: Barakah is a subtle spiritual energy which flows through everything, but is strongest within the human. The more purified the human becomes, the greater the flow of barakah. Overpowering barakah can be experienced in sacred places, in sacred art and in sanctified people, all of which are theophanies, revealing and manifesting the Divinity - here on earth.

[2] Fazl: Bounty or Gift

[3] An-ni’mah- The Grace of Allah Y . His Grace is an aspect of His Mercy (rahma). Ultimately, every ‘unveiling’ (kashf), every ‘tasting’ (zawq), every ‘drinking’ (shurb) and every ‘quenching’ (ri) is through Divine Grace. Without Allah Y ’s Grace man can do nothing.

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