THREE MISCONCEPTION OF INNOVATION OF THE MONTH OF SHA'BAAN

THESE THREE ARE INNOVATIONS... PLEASE TAKE
NOTE!
The three Bid`aat regarding the month of
Sha`baan
Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Saaleh al-
`Uthaymeen said:
“I would like to warn against the three
things which are done in the middle of
Sha`baan:
The First issue:
Amongst the general mass, there are many
people who think that the night of the middle
of Sha`baan (i.e. the 15th of
Sha`baan) is Laylatul-Qadr (the Night of
Decree) and that one (who prays in this
night) gets the reward that has been
mentioned in the Sunnah (i.e. his previous
sins would be forgiven). But what is known is
that Laylatul-Qadr occurs in the month of
Ramadhaan and the evidence for that is the
saying of Allaah ﻭ in the Qur’aan:
﴿ ﺇِﻧَّﺎ ﺃَﻧﺰَﻟْﻨَﺎﻩُ ﻓِﻲ ﻟَﻴْﻠَﺔِ ﺍﻟْﻘَﺪْﺭِ ﴾
{Verily! We have sent it (this Qur’aan) down in
the night of Al-Qadr} [Surah al-Qadr (97): 1]
And in the saying of Allaah
ﻢﺣ﴿ * ﻭَﺍﻟْﻜِﺘَﺎﺏِ ﺍﻟْﻤُﺒِﻴﻦِ * ﺇِﻧَّﺎ ﺃَﻧﺰَﻟْﻨَﺎﻩُ ﻓِﻲ
ﻟَﻴْﻠَﺔٍ
ﻣُّﺒَﺎﺭَﻛَﺔٍ ۚ ﺇِﻧَّﺎ ﻛُﻨَّﺎ ﻣُﻨﺬِﺭِﻳﻦَ * ﻓِﻴﻬَﺎ ﻳُﻔْﺮَﻕُ ﻛُﻞُّ ﺃَﻣْﺮٍ
﴾
ﺣَﻜِﻴﻢٍ
{Haa-Meem. By the manifest Book (this
Qur’aan) that makes things clear, We sent it
(this Qur’aan) down on a blessed night.
Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that
Our Torment will reach those who
disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and
in Our Oneness of worship]. Therein (that
night) is decreed every matter of
ordainments.} [Surah al-Dhukhaan (44):
1-4]
This is the Text which is clear that the
Qur’aan was sent down on Laylatul-Qadr,
in which matters of ordainment are
decreed. Then Allaah also says:
﴿ ﺷَﻬْﺮُ ﺭَﻣَﻀَﺎﻥَ ﺍﻟَّﺬِﻱ ﺃُﻧﺰِﻝَ ﻓِﻴﻪِ ﺍﻟْﻘُﺮْﺁﻥُ ﻫُﺪًﻯ
ﻟِّﻠﻨَّﺎﺱِ
ﻭَﺑَﻴِّﻨَﺎﺕٍ ﻣِّﻦَ ﺍﻟْﻬُﺪَﻯٰ ﻭَﺍﻟْﻔُﺮْﻗَﺎﻥِ ﴾
{The month of Ramadhaan in which was
revealed the Qur’aan, a guidance for
mankind and clear proofs for the guidance
and the criterion (between right and
wrong).} [Surah al-Baqarah (2): 185]
This is sure, clear and certain proof that
Laylatul-Qadr occurs in the month of
Ramadhaan, rather it occurs in the last ten
(nights) of Ramadhaan.
The Second issue:
Some people specially mark this night (of
the middle of Sha`baan) by establishing
prayers in the night and Fasting in the day,
based upon the Weak Ahaadeeth. Since
these Ahaadeeth are not authentic, then
specially marking out the middle of
Sha`baan for establishing night prayers
should not be done.
But if a person is in the habit of getting up
for night prayers, then he should pray in
the night of the middle of Sha`baan like he
prays in any other night without marking it
as a special occasion. Similarly, one should not
make it a special occasion to Fast only in the
middle of Sha`baan because nothing such has
been reported from the Prophet .
But if one Fasts for three days of al-Beedh
(i.e. the night when the Moon is full) and
they are the thirteenth, the fourteenth and
the fifteenth day (of the Lunar calendar); so if
one Fasts on these three days, then his Fasting
will be in accordance with the
Sunnah. But one should not believe that
this (Fasting these three days in Sha`baan) is
better than Fasting in any other month, even
though the Prophet used to Fast much in this
month
Sha`baan, more than any other month,
sometimes he would Fast for almost the
complete month except for a few days.
The Third issue:
Some people specially prepare food on the
15th of Sha`baan and invite others over it or
they distribute it to the neighbors and relatives
believing that there is more virtue if one does
it specially on this night. But I say: The matter
is not like (how they
perceive). Nothing has been legislated that one
should mark this night by specially preparing
food or inviting people for food or giving out
Sadaqah (charity). It is like any other day, one
should prepare food on this day like the way
he does on any other day of the year.
These are the three Bid`aat which some
people have fallen into, which I wanted to
warn against.”
[Majmoo` al-Fataawa of Shaikh Ibn al-
`Uthaymeen (7/279-281)]