The Blessed Month of Sha‘ban and the Night of Bara’ah

Articles

The Blessed Month of Sha‘ban and the Night of Bara’ah

27
Mar

Allah Almighty, the Creator and sole Master of time, created the months as He created everything else, upon a particular nature, and made certain periods more blessed and virtuous than others. The source of the virtues and blessings ordained for specific periods lies in the religiously significant events and developments tied to those days and nights.

The months referred to in the Holy Qur’an as the “Sacred Months”[1] are among the foremost of these blessed and virtuous periods. We have left behind one of these blessed months, Rajab, together with the Nights of Raghaib and Mi‘raj. Following Rajab, we have now been honored to reach Sha‘ban, the eighth month of the Hijri calendar, an exceptional month that holds many virtues within it.

Looking at the name of this blessed month in terms of its origin and history, we see that it was a month held sacred by the Arabs even before Islam, and that after being called by different names in certain periods, it came to be known as “Sha‘ban.” It is understood that our Prophet (peace be upon him) also approved of calling this month “Sha‘ban,” that it was recorded in the calendar under this name when the Hijri calendar took shape, and that it has been passed down to us in this form.[2]

Many historically significant events took place in this blessed month, whose virtues we will address in a separate section. The marriage of our Prophet (peace be upon him) to our mother Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her), the birth of Hazrat Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him), and the expedition of Banu Mustaliq all occurred in this blessed month. After the Age of Happiness as well, many other important events have coincided with this month.

The Importance and Virtues of the Blessed Month of Sha‘ban

Since Sha‘ban is the month immediately before Ramadan in the Hijri calendar, it serves as a kind of preparation for that blessed season. The fasts and other voluntary acts of worship should be increased starting from this month, so that preparations to benefit from Ramadan in the best possible way may be completed.

Because of the importance of this blessed month in reaching Ramadan, our Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed: “O Allah! Bless Rajab and Sha‘ban for us, and let us reach Ramadan.”[3] This supplication is also among the proofs that it is permissible to regard the season known as the “three months” as sacred and to engage in certain activities to revive its nights.

When he was asked about it, our Prophet (peace be upon him) explained that, apart from Ramadan, the most virtuous fast is the one observed in Sha‘ban, saying: “It is the fast observed in Sha‘ban out of reverence for Ramadan.”[4]

It has also been narrated that our Prophet (peace be upon him), having conveyed the virtues of this month to his community, described it as his own month: “Rajab is the month of Allah, Sha‘ban is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my community.”[5]

The Blessed Month of Sha‘ban Is the Season When Deeds Are Presented

One of the most important things that makes the blessed month of Sha‘ban significant is that it is the month in which deeds are presented to Allah. This is narrated from our Prophet (peace be upon him): “It is a month that people overlook, in which deeds are presented to Allah; I wish for my deeds to be presented while I am fasting, so I fast in this month.”[6]

Regarding fasting in Sha‘ban, our mother Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) described the importance our Prophet (peace be upon him) gave to this month as follows:

“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would fast so much in some months that we thought he would never break his fast in that month. In other months he would go so long without fasting that we thought he would never fast in that month. I never saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) complete the fast of any month other than Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more in any month than he did in Sha‘ban.”[7]

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not fast in any month of the year, other than Ramadan, more than he did in Sha‘ban, and he said: “Do as many good deeds as you are able. For Allah does not grow weary until you grow weary. The most beloved deed in the sight of Allah is the one that is done regularly, even if it is small.”[8]

Concerning our Prophet’s (peace be upon him) fasting in Sha‘ban, Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) also said: “He (the Noble Messenger) would spend the whole month of Sha‘ban fasting, and so join Sha‘ban to Ramadan.”[9]

Of course, fasting is not the only way to revive the blessed month of Sha‘ban. The rewards and recompense gained from acceptable acts of worship and conduct that earn reward in this blessed month will be multiplied many times over.

One Should Not Fall into Laziness in the Month of Sha‘ban

It seems it was noticed that some people who aim to spend Ramadan to the fullest make an intense effort in Rajab to benefit from its virtues, but then grow slack in Sha‘ban, spending especially the second half of this month as a period of rest. For this reason, our Prophet (peace be upon him) and the scholars who follow his Sunnah felt the need to give certain warnings on the matter.

It is narrated that our Prophet (peace be upon him) warned his community, saying: “This month of Sha‘ban, which lies between Rajab and Ramadan, is a month that people neglect. Yet Sha‘ban is a month in which deeds are raised to the Lord of the worlds…” It is also narrated that our Prophet (peace be upon him) asked his Companions how they spent the month of Sha‘ban, and that he warned and reminded them about it and followed up with them.[10]

The Night of Bara’ah, in Which Salvation and Forgiveness Find Their Meaning

In Arabic, the word “bara’ah” carries the meanings of ‘being free of blame,’ ‘being released from an obligation,’ ‘being forgiven,’ ‘being saved,’ ‘having one’s innocence proven,’ ‘being cleansed,’ and ‘being acquitted.’ In religious terminology it expresses ‘the servant being forgiven by Allah’ and ‘sins being shed.’ It is also called ‘Sakk’ (the document of release), because it is a mercy and a certificate of acquittal for the servants who revive the night.

In Arabic sources and classical works this night is recorded as ‘the middle night of Sha‘ban,’ and in Turkish it is known as the ‘Night of Bara’ah’ (Berat Gecesi), and is called by this name among the people.[11]

The Night of Bara’ah Is a Night of Established Virtue

Among the evidences for the establishment and virtue of the Night of Bara’ah, some commentators, foremost among them Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him), a student of Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and one of the leading commentators of the Tabi‘un, cited the first five verses of Surah ad-Dukhan.[12]

The virtue of this night is clearly understood from the hadith recorded by Imam Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on them): when the fifteenth night of Sha‘ban came, our Prophet (peace be upon him) went out to the Jannat al-Baqi cemetery to pray to Allah Almighty, and when our mother Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked him about it, he replied: “On this night Allah Almighty forgives more people than the number of hairs on the sheep of the tribe of Banu Kalb.”[13]

That the Night of Bara’ah is a night of pardon and forgiveness is expressed in another hadith: “When the middle night of Sha‘ban (the fifteenth) comes, stand in worship during its night and fast during its day. For from sunset, Allah Almighty descends with His mercy to the lowest heaven and calls out: Is there anyone seeking forgiveness, that I may forgive him? Is there anyone seeking provision, that I may provide for him? Is there anyone in distress, that I may relieve him? This call continues until dawn.”[14]

The Night of Bara’ah is also mentioned among the times whose nights and days are both most virtuous.[15] It is also narrated that the change of the qiblah from Masjid al-Aqsa to the Holy Ka‘bah took place in the middle of Sha‘ban.[16]

The Blessed Night on Which Our Destinies Are Determined

Commentators who took the first verses of Surah ad-Dukhan as their starting point, and scholars who have written on the sciences of the Qur’an, interpreted these blessed verses together with the verses of Surah al-Qadr, which declare that the Qur’an was revealed on the Night of Qadr. They explained that the Qur’an has two kinds of revelation, one all at once and the other gradually: its sending down in full to the lowest heaven (inzal) took place on the Night of Bara’ah, while its gradual revelation (tanzil) took place on the Night of Qadr.

On the Night of Bara’ah, everything for the coming year is determined for all creation: whether one will remain alive, the blessings that will be bestowed, the provisions that will be distributed, and one’s worldly and otherworldly states, such as being honored or abased. This knowledge, which already exists in Allah Almighty’s eternal knowledge, is conveyed on the Night of Bara’ah to the appointed angels who will carry out their duties: the portion concerning provisions to Mika’il (peace be upon him), the portion concerning calamities to Azra’il (peace be upon him), and the portion concerning events such as war and earthquakes to Jibra’il (peace be upon him).[17]

Because of these characteristics, some of which we have tried to mention, reviving the Night of Bara’ah is of vital importance. That this night has been revived since the Age of Happiness is clearly understood both from the reports coming from the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) and from the works of the scholars of the Tabi‘un.

The Righteous Predecessors Honored This Night

The Night of Bara’ah was held in high regard by the great scholars of the Tabi‘un, foremost among them the scholars of Damascus, as well as Imam Makhul, Khalid ibn Ma‘dan, and Luqman ibn Amir (may Allah have mercy on them).

This blessed night was also received with acceptance by scholars in various lands of the Islamic world, and it is noted that they revived it by perfuming themselves, going to the mosques, and devoting themselves to worship.[18] According to the well-known historian al-Fakihi, the Night of Bara’ah was also met with importance and enthusiasm in Makkah al-Mukarramah.[19]

Another important record on this subject is found in Imam Shafi‘i’s (may Allah have mercy on him) work “al-Umm”: “There are five nights on which supplications are not turned away: the first Friday night of Rajab, the middle night of Sha‘ban (the Night of Bara’ah), the night of Friday, and the nights of the two Eids, Ramadan and Eid al-Adha.”[20]

Ways to Revive the Night

We should not be among those transient people who neglect the acts of worship we are responsible for throughout the year and confine Islam to certain periods; we should strive to be among those who perform their worship constantly. Since Sha‘ban is a month closely associated with fasting, the conduct most fitting to the meaning of the night is to greet the Night of Bara’ah, which falls within this month, while fasting, to spend its day fasting as well, to carry out our self-reckoning with great seriousness, to repent and seek forgiveness abundantly, and to make the night an occasion for a new beginning. Indeed, our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Faith wears out in the heart of each of you just as clothes wear out. So ask Allah to renew the faith in your hearts.”[21] Accordingly, occupying ourselves with the declaration of divine oneness (kalimat at-tawhid), the fortress of faith, and renewing our faith is an attitude consistent with what the texts announcing the glad tidings of this night require.[22]

Informing our relatives about the virtues of the night before it arrives and exchanging greetings with them fulfills the duty of maintaining family ties. And if those we remind revive the night, we will share in the reward of their deeds and increase our own reward.

Reciting the Holy Qur’an, engaging in litanies, remembrance and supplication, making good wishes, and sending abundant blessings upon the Prophet are among the basic acts for reviving the night. Attending gatherings of spiritual discourse, visiting cemeteries during the day following the night to remember our relatives who have passed on to the eternal abode, looking after the poor and needy, orphans and the fatherless, giving special importance to ongoing charity (sadaqah jariyah), and giving as much as our means allow are also deeds that will help us benefit from the blessings of this night.

On this night, we must pay special attention to prayer, the pillar of our religion, and be more careful about performing our prayers in congregation. Those who owe make-up prayers should turn this blessed night into a serious opportunity to make up a significant portion of them. In the independent works written on the merits of good deeds, certain supplications, acts of worship, and formulas specific to this night are mentioned; those who have no make-up prayers to perform will benefit by turning to such special acts.

Those Who Will Be Deprived of the General Pardon on This Night

Despairing of the mercy of Allah Almighty is counted among the greatest sins, and even among the causes of losing the blessing of faith. Allah Almighty says: “(O My Beloved!) Say: ‘What would my Lord care for you if it were not for your supplication (and worship)?’”[23] thereby commanding us not to hold back from supplication. Not despairing of Allah Almighty is also incompatible with an attitude that finds it acceptable to carry on sinning heedlessly. Although the Night of Bara’ah is a night when the doors of forgiveness are opened wide, there are certain groups who will be left outside the scope of the general pardon.

In the independent works written on virtuous days and nights, among the groups who will be excluded from pardon on the Night of Bara’ah, those who fall into shirk, the greatest of wrongdoings and sins, are mentioned first. Those who harbor grudges, those who persist in adultery, those who sever family ties, highway bandits, those who disobey their mothers and fathers, those who deliberately kill a believer, and sorcerers are counted among the groups who will be deprived of the general pardon on this night unless they repent of these sins and mend their ways.[24]

May Allah Almighty grant the Ummah of Muhammad, on this blessed night, deliverance from oppression and every kind of evil in this world, and certificates of deliverance from Hellfire in the Hereafter!

Footnotes

source: ismailaga.org.tr