The night of barat/ shob-e-barat '1435

Dear brothers! This is the month of Sha’ban. This month is the month to get ready for the greatest month of Ramadan mentally and physically. The month of Ramadan is the greatest month than any other months. The month of Ramadan comes to strengthen our relationship with Allah swt. The month of Ramadan where we can be blessed and forgiven and freed from the hellfire and this is the month the month of Sha’ban we have to get ready for those significant rewards.

Since last week we are talking the Virtues of Sha’ban. Today, we were talking how to build a strong relationship with Allah swt. and the 15^th night of Sha’ban which is more familiar as shab-e-barat.

Dear brothers! The Time and the society where we are passing, it’s quite difficult to save ourselves from the Satan and stay steadfast on the Deen of Allah swt. The Satan attacks us in every second from every corner of our life to make us away from the Deen. There is only way to remain safe from the plotting of Satan against our eeman is to build a strong relationship with Allah swt. What he saying 3:31”Proclaim, o Mohammad sw. “O mankind! If you love Allah, follow me – Allah will love you and forgive you your sins”; and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.” He saying follow my prophet if you want to have love of mine, ill love you.

1. Serving the fundamental worships exactly the way prophet sw. showed us to do and avoiding Haram. 2. Increasing the optional worships.3. Studying the Qur’an and Sunnah.

4. Doing Zikir/the remembrance of Allah swt:
This is very simple we remember our loved ones in every second and that’s the sign someone truly loves someone. The Zikir/remembrance of Allah is the sign of our love to him.  2:152 “So remember Me; I will remember you” . Zikir is the food of our heart. The zikir is the medicine of our heart. Without zikir the hearts are like a death hearts.  Prophet sw saying Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari ra. reported: "The similitude of one who remembers his Rubb and one who does not remember Him, is like that of the living and the dead. Bukhari, Muslim.

So, a true believer 3:191 He remember Allah while standing or sitting or lying and think the creation of the sky and the earth, only then he can turn back to Allah swt. and will say "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; and then he will ask protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
This is the month where we can start to rebuild a strong relationship to Allah swt.
Dear brothers! We were talking in our bangle khutbah about the nisfe sha’ban/the lailatul barah. Briefly, I would like to say few words about it. In according to the Arabic calendar on 15^th of the month of Sha’ban I mean the coming Thursday night is the lailatun nisf which is more familiar as known as shob-e barat in the Indian sub continents. The word Shob is a farsi means night and the word barat means salvation. The night of Salvation.

As we know in our community there are a lot’s of opinions on this night. Some are saying it’s quite similar to lailatul Qadar and some are saying there is nothing in this night.

Now, what should we know or what should we believe?

This is very simple when we are confused about anything we have to go to the Quran and ahaadeth of prophet sw. this is the character of a true Muslim. 24:51   “The only statement of the [true] believers when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say, "We hear and we obey." And those are the successful.”

Quranic dalil: In the Quran there is no any single verse which is saying clearly anything about this night. Some those who are saying the night of barat something very special night as like the night of Qadar. Their dalil is: 44:2, 3 “By the clear Book, Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind].”
They try to say in this verse the blessed night means the night of Barat which is completely wrong as Allah swt. mentioned the revealing the Qur’an in the month of Ramadan. 2:182 “The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an”

Hadith: In the hadith of prophet sw. we find there are at least 11 hadith and 8 of them are dayeef and rest are fabricated. I will just mention famous two of them one is from Ali ibn abu talib he said “Prophet sw said when the nisfe shaban comes do Qiam in the night and keep fasting on the day because, in this night Allah swt comes to the sky of the Earth and keep say o you who wants forgiveness I’ll forgive you, o you who seeking riziq/sustenance, I’ll give you and he continues until the sunrise” (ibne majah,1388) Now, the muhaddiseen saying about this hadith 1. Imam bukhari saying this is a dayeef and his ustaz Imam ahmad saying this is a made up/fabricated hadith.

Among all of these hadith one of the hadith which is narrated by 8 sahabi in difference sanad and muhaddiseen proved it as a Hasan hadith means not dayeef. Narrated by abu musa al ash ari prophet sw. said “in the night of 15^th sha’ban Allah swt. looks down on his creation and he forgives all his creation except those who are Mushriq and has enmity, hatred in their mind”( ibn majah, 1390)

Now what we have to say that, the night of nisfe Sh’abn is blessed night according the numbers of Hadith and as we should know the dayeef hadiths can be practiced on following conditions:

1. It can’t be against the hadeeth of Sahih hadith or Qura’n.
2. It can’t be practiced with any Ahkaam/ sharia rules.
3. Imam hajar askalani said weak hadith can be used to encourage to do good deeds.
Dear brothers! This is the month one of the blessed month. We will do Ibdah in the night of shaban without any exaggerations. Let’s not make it only on this night but increase our Ibadah in the full month of Sha’ban as a preparation for the greatest month of Ramadan. The greatest month of Ramadan is Very closed to us, just one month away from us. We should take it seriously and be prepared physically, mentally, and also, we should make our family prepared for the month of Ramadan.