What is reported regarding the virtue of the middle of Sha'ban

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

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The second question of Fatwa No. ( 884 ):
Q2: Some scholars say that hadiths have been reported regarding the virtue of the middle of Sha'ban, fasting on it, and keeping the night of the middle of it awake. Are these hadiths authentic or not? If there is an authentic one, please explain it to us in a satisfactory manner. If not, I ask you to clarify, may Allah reward you?
A2: Authentic hadiths have been reported regarding the virtue of fasting many days in Sha'ban, but they did not single out some of its days over others. Among them is what is in the two Sahihs that A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said:

I never saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fast a complete month except in Ramadan, and I never saw his fast more in any month than in Sha'ban.

ما رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم استكمل صيام شهر قط إلاَّ رمضان، وما رأيته في شهر أكثر صيامًا منه في شعبان، فكان يصوم شعبان كله إلاَّ قليلاً

Sunan Abi Dawud 2434Sahih (Al-Albani)

, and in the hadith of Usamah ibn Zayd he said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):

I have not seen you fast from the months as you fast in Sha'ban. He said: That is a month that people overlook between Rajab and Ramadan, and it is a month in which the deeds are raised to the Lord of the Worlds, so I love that my deed be raised while I am fasting.

لم أرك تصوم من الشهور ما تصوم من شعبان، قال: ذاك شهر يغفل الناس عنه بين رجب ورمضان، وهو شهر ترفع الأعمال فيه إلى رب العالمين، فأحب أن يرفع عملي وأنا صائم

It was narrated by the Imam Ahmad , and al-Nasa'i. No hadith is authentic that he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to specifically seek to fast a particular day of Sha'ban, or that he used to single out days of it for fasting. However, weak hadiths have been reported regarding keeping the night of the middle of Sha'ban awake and fasting its day. Among them is what Ibn Majah narrated in his Sunan, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:

When the night of the middle of Sha'ban comes, stand in prayer during its night and fast its day, for Allah the Exalted descends in it at the setting of the sun to the lowest heaven, and He says: Is there anyone seeking forgiveness so I forgive him? Is there anyone seeking provision so I provide for him? Is there anyone afflicted so I cure him? Is there anyone such and such until the dawn breaks.

إذا كان ليلة نصف شعبان فقوموا ليلها وصوموا نهارها، فإن الله تعالى ينزل فيها لغروب الشمس إلى سماء الدنيا، فيقول: ألا مستغفر فأغفر له، ألا مسترزق فأرزقه، ألا مبتلى فأعافيه ألا كذا حتى يطلع الفجر

, and Ibn Hibban authenticated some of what was reported of hadiths regarding the virtue of keeping the night of the middle of Sha'ban awake. Among them is what he narrated in his Sahih, from A'ishah that she said:

I missed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so I went out and found him in al-Baqi' with his head raised. He said: Did you fear that Allah and His Messenger would be unjust to you? I said: O Messenger of Allah, I thought you had come to one of your wives. He said: Indeed, Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, descends on the night of the middle of Sha'ban to the lowest heaven and forgives more than the number of the hair of the Kalb tribe's sheep.

فقدت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فخرجت فإذا هو في البقيع رافع رأسه، فقال: أكنت تخافين أن يحيف الله عليك ورسوله؟ فقلت: يا رسول الله، ظننت أنك أتيت بعض نسائك، فقال: إن الله تبارك وتعالى ينزل ليلة النصف من شعبان إلى سماء الدنيا فيغفر لأكثر من عدد شعر غنم كلب

, and al-Bukhari and others weakened this hadith. Most scholars consider weak what was reported regarding the virtue of the night of the middle of Sha'ban and fasting its day. It is known among hadith scholars that Ibn Hibban was lenient in authenticating hadiths. In summary, nothing of the hadiths reported regarding the virtue of keeping the night of the middle of Sha'ban awake and fasting its day is authentic according to the meticulous scholars of hadith. Therefore, they disapproved of keeping it awake and singling out its day for fasting, and they said: That is a religious innovation. A group of the worshippers exalted that night relying on the weak hadiths that were reported, and this became well-known among them, so the people followed them in it, to improve their opinion of them. In fact, some of them, due to their extreme exaltation of the night of the middle of Sha'ban, said: It is the blessed night in which the Qur'an was revealed, and that
every wise matter is decreed in it, and they made that an interpretation of His saying, the Exalted:

⁽³⁾ Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind]. ⁽⁴⁾ On that night is made distinct every precise matter -

إِنَّا أَنْـزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنْذِرِينَ (3) فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ

[Ad-Dukhan 44:3-4]

, and this is a clear error, and a distortion of the Qur'an from its places. For the intended meaning of the blessed night in the verse is the Night of Decree, due to His saying, the Exalted:

Indeed, We sent the Qur'an down during the Night of Decree.

إِنَّا أَنْـزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ

[Al-Qadr 97:1]

, and the Night of Decree is in the month of Ramadan due to the hadiths reported regarding that; due to His saying, the Exalted:

The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْـزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ

[Al-Baqarah 2:185]

. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.

Source www.alifta.gov.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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