Fasting the 15th of Sha^ban

The 15th of the Month Sha^ban

The month of Sha^ban is the eighth month of the lunar year in the Islamic calendar and the month immediately preceding the month of Ramadan. For Muslims all around the world, the month of Sha^ban is a special time in which they try to do more good deeds than usual and fast more optional fasts than they do in other months. The Prophet used to fast a lot during this month. It is the habit of the Muslims to celebrate the 15th night of the month of Sha^ban by praying, reciting Qur’an, praising Allah, and making a great deal of supplication to Allah during that night. Ibn Majah narrated that the Prophet said:

“قال رسول الله: “اذا كانت ليلة النصف من شعبان فقوموا ليلها وصوموا نهارها” رواه ابن ماجة.

which means: <> The acts of obedience meant in this hadith are reciting the Qur’an, making supplication (du^a’) to Allah, and praying optional prayers. Even though there is a difference in opinion among the top scholars of hadith about the degree of confirmation of this hadith, acting in accordance with its orders (on that particular night, i.e., the 15th night of Sha^ban) is a good practice. This is so because the matters it orders with (i.e., reciting Qur’an, making supplication, praising Allah) are, in general, recommended matters in the Religion.

Although making supplication, in general, is a recommended matter, one needs to be cautious about what he is asking for in his supplication. It must be understood that when one supplicates to Allah (asks Allah for things) one is not asking Allah to change His Will. It is among the essentials of the belief of Muslims that Allah’s Will is eternal and does not change. Rather, one would be asking Allah to change the person’s situation from a difficult situation to an easier one, from a good situation to a better one, or the like. Knowing this, one needs to be cautious in his understanding of a supplication which some people recite on the night of the 15th day of Sha^ban:

يقولون: اللهم إن كنت كتبتني عندك في أم الكتاب شقياً أو محروماً أو مقتراً علي في الرزق فامحُ اللهم شقاوتي وحرماني وتقتير رزقي واكتبني من السعداء. وهذا الدعاء غير ثابت.

It should be noted that this particular supplication was not confirmed from the Prophet nor from ^Umar or Ibn Mas^ud (as explicitly clarified by al-Bayhaqiyy in his book, Al-Qadar).

When reciting this (aforementioned) supplication, some people erroneously understand that they are asking Allah to change His Will. That is, they understand the words they recite to mean: “O Allah, if you willed for me to be miserable, poor, and deprived of the good things, change Your Will and make me happy and solvent.” This is a dangerous situation. The Will of Allah does not change. This is among the basics of the beliefs of the Muslims. Change is among the very obvious signs that thing is a creation. Imam Abu Hanifah said: “Change occurs only in the creations.”

Allah is not attributed with change. This matter is clarified in the Book of Allah and in the hadith of the Prophet (Some understand that the meaning of Verse #39 of Surat ar-Ra^d is: “Allah changes His Will”. Truly, this is not the meaning of this verse as interpreted by the famous companion, Ibn ^Abbas. Al-Bayhaqiyy narrated from Ibn ^Abbas that this verse refers to the abrogations, that is, Allah willed for some verses of the Qur’an to be abrogated, and not for others to be abrogated. This interpretation of Ibn ^Abbas reconfirms that the Will of Allah does not change. ). In Surat Qaf, Ayah 29, Allah ta^ala said:

قال الله تعالى: (ما يبدل القول لدي).
* أي مشيئة الله لا تتغير، الله منزّه عن التغير والحدوث.

which means: [My Will does not change.].

That is the will of Allah does not change, Allah is clear from change and devolpment.

Ibn Mardawayh narrated from the Prophet that Prophet Muhammad asked his Lord for four (4) matters:
1. That his nation would not be destroyed by famine;
2. That his nation would not be completely destroyed by any enemy;
3. That his nation would not be completely destroyed by a torture similar to the torture which destroyed the previous nations; and
4. That the people of his nation would not fight one against the other.

(*There’s another narration to this hadith saying: I asked my lord three matters)

The Prophet said that Allah granted him the first three matters but did not grant him the fourth one. So, although it was Prophet Muhammad, the best of the creations, who made that supplication, Allah did not grant him all what he asked. This is because Allah willed in eternity there would be fighting between the Muslims in the different eras–and the Will of Allah does not change.
That Allah’s Will does not change was more specifically clarified in Imam Muslim’s narration of this hadith in his Sahih. Imam Muslim narrated that after the Prophet asked Allah for matters, Allah revealed to him: which means: <<[O Muhammad], if I willed for something to happen, My Will would not change.>>

In conclusion, it is rewardable and recommended to recite the Qur’an, pray, and make supplication during the 15th night of Sha^ban. However, it is blasphemy to make any supplication with the understanding that Allah changes His Will because of this supplication or with the understanding that it is possible that the will of Allah changes. Reciting the aforementioned supplication with the understanding that one is asking Allah to change the bad situation to become a better one (and not to change what Allah eternally Willed) is not sinful.

* Important Note:

The mind has a value in the Religion, that is why Allah ordered us to ponder in more than one verse. Pondering is to think with one’s mind, those ignorant ones were deprived from knowing the intellectual proofs, which identify what is valid and what is invalid. An example which proves the silliness of those who believe that Allah occupies the place, and ascribe to Him the boundary and the size, is that they misinterpret the hadith: “. ينزل ربنا (أي يُنزِل ملائكة بأمره) كل ليلة إلى السماء الدنيا في النصف الأخير “Yanzilu (or Yunzilu) Rabuna Kulla Laylatin ilas-Sama’id-Duniya fin-Nisfil-Akhir”.

This hadith is classified as sahih, and it has another narration too, which is:
“في الثلث الأخير فيقول هل من داع استجيب له وهل من مستغفر فأغفر له وهل من سائل فأعطيَه حتى ينفجرَ الفجر”

Those who interpreted this hadith according to its apparent meaning say that Allah keeps on saying these words in the last third of the night. Their comprehension of this hadith is a proof about the silliness of their minds, this is because night differs from one country to another. When it is nighttime in one land, it is daytime in another land, midnight in another land, the beginning of the day in another land, and so on. So according to their saying, they imply that Allah tabaraka wa ta^ala will be going up from the lower sky to the ^Arsh every moment during day and night. This is what is called: “Silliness of the mind”.

However, the interpretation of Ahlus-Sunnah– who clear Allah from occupying the place, the direction, and the boundary—of the hadith is that the “descent” mentioned in this hadith means that the Angels of Mercy descend by the order of Allah to the lower sky according to the night time of every land. The Angels would say: Your Lord says: “Is there any one who is making supplication so that I will answer his supplication? Is there anyone who is asking me for forgiveness so that I will forgive him? Is there any one who is asking for things so that I will give him?”

The Angels convey just what Allah ordered them to convey. This is the meaning of the hadith; this meaning is valid and it is intellectually acceptable. However according to what those ignorant ones say is that Allah descends from top to bottom; it is silliness of the mind which is not accepted intellectually or Religiously. The saying that the angels descend in obedience to the order of Allah to convey what He had ordered them agrees with the mind and the Religion. Allah is clear from bodily parts, organs, movements, and change. Allah exists without a beginning, without a place and direction. Imam Abu Ja^far at-Tahawiy as-Salafiy said: “Allah is supremely clear of all boundaries, extremes, sides, organs and instruments. The six directions do not contain Him–these are attributed to all created things.” And Imam Dhun-Nun al-Misriy, and Imam Ahmad said: “Whatever you imagine in your mind, Allah is different from that”.

Beneficial Information

It is a good matter to recite the following supplication on the 15th night of Sha^ban:

“اللهمّ يا الله يا حيّ يا قيوم يا غفور يا تواب يا هادي يا فتاح يا رزاق يا وهاب يا كريم يا أرحم الراحمين يا ذا المنّ والإنعام أسألك بحق أسمائك الحسنى أن تصلِ وتسلم على سيدنا محمد وأن تجعلنا موفقين للخير والأذكار مستغنين بفضلك عمّن سواك، وأن ترزقنا كمال الإيمانِ وقوةَ اليقين، وأن تحشرنا مع الأنبياء والشهداء والصالحينَ بجاه سيّد المرسلين ومحبوب رب العالمين، والحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وسلم”.

“Allahumma Ya Allah, Ya Haiy, Ya Qaiyum, Ya Ghafoor, ya tawwab, ya hadi, ya Fattah, Ya Razzaq, ya Wahhab, ya Karim, ya ArHamar-RaHimin, Ya dhal-Manni wal-In^am, ‘as’aluka BiHaqi Asma’ikal-Husna, An Tusalliy wa Tusallim ^ala Sayidina Muhammad wa anta taj^alana muwaffaqina lilkhayri wal-‘Adhkar, mustaghneena bifadlika ^amman siwak, wa ‘an tarzuqana kamalal-Iman wa quwatal-Yaqeen wa ‘an TaHshurana ma^ al-‘Anbiya’i wash-Shuhada’i was-SaliHeena, Bijahi Sayidil-Mursalina, wa MaHbubi Rabil-^Alamina, wal-Hamdulillahi Rabil-^Alamin, Wa Sallallahu ^Ala Sayidina Muhammad wa Sallam”.

which means: <