Shab-e-Baraat

The 15th night of Shabaan is a very blessed night. According to the Hadith Shareef, the name of this Mubarak night is "Nisf Shabaan" which means 15th night of Shabaan. The reason for this special night to attain its name of Laylatul Baraa'ah, meaning the Night of Salvation, Seeking Freedom from Azaab and Calamity, is that in this night the Barkaat and acceptance of repentance may be accomplished. Laylatul Baraa'ah in Persian, as well as in Urdu, is called Shabbe Baraat.

Allah's beloved prophet Hadrat MUHAMMAD{peace be upon him}said: "Sha'ban is my month,Rajab is Allah's month and Ramadan is the month of my Ummah[Community] 
 

Sha'ban is expiator,while Ramadan is the prufier." 

Sha'ban is a month between Rajab and Ramadan.People tend to neglcet it,but that is when the deeds of His servants ascend to  the Lord of all the Worlds,so I would rather mine rose up while i am fasting." 

 " The excellence of Rajab over other months is like the excellence of the Quran over all  other books, while the excellence of Sha'ban over other months is like my excellence over the rest of the prophets,and the  excellence of Ramadan over other months is like the excellence of Allah[Exalted is He]over all His creatures.

FASTING OF HADRAT MUHAMMAD{peace be upon him}IN THE MONTH OF SHA'BAN    
Hadrat Aisha,the wife of  our prophet hadrat MUHAMMAD{peace be upon him}is reported,having said: "Allah's Messenger{peace be upon him}used to fast until we would say he was never going to stop fasting,  and he would go so long without fasting thet we would say he was never going to fast,but i never saw  Allah's Messenger{peace be upon him}continue a fast from the begning to the end of any month except  the month of Ramadan and i never saw do more fasting in any month than he did in Sha'ban.So i a sked him    "how is it i always see you fasting in Sha'ban?" and he{peace be upon him}said:  "O' Aisha,it is the month in which the angel of death has to note down the name of anyone whose soul he must take before the year is out,so i would rather he did not record my name except while i am fasting." Hadrat Aisha{may Allah be pleased with her}said:  " The dearest of months to our Prophet hadrat MUHAMMAD{peace be upon him} was Sha'ban,  which he would link to  Ramadan."

LAILAT-UL-BARA'T{THE NIGHT OF ABSOLUTION},ITS SPECIAL MERCY, GRACE AND MERITS.
Allah almighty said:"Ha-Mim.By this luminous Book. Undoubtedly we sent it down in a blessed night,verily We are to warn.Therein every affair of wisdom is divided."[44:1-3]  Hadrat Ibn-e- Abbas{may Allah be pleased with him}said,"Ha-Mim means that Allah has predetermined everything in existance till the day of  Resurrection. Book means AL-QURAN,which is a mercy from Allah and provid guidance and was revealed in "blessed night".The 'blessed night' is the night of mid-Sha'ban  in which every wise and important work is decided and is made distinct.Mid of Sha'ban is the nightof  absolution." 

THE SPECIAL [IBADA] WORSHIP OF OUR PROPHET HADRAT  MUHAMMAD{peace be upon him}IN THIS BLESSED NIGHT.
Hadrat Aisha{may Allah be pleased with her}said,once Allah's Messenger{peace be upon him}asked me, "O Aisha,what night is this?"She replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best."Then he said: This is the night of the middle of Sha'ban,during which worldly actions and the deeds of mankind are carried aloft.In this night as numerous as the wool of the flocks of the tribe of Kalb,are the slaves of Allah, emancipated from the fire  of hell.  So will you excuse me tonight?"  She said :" I said yes,So he performed his prayer like this : He held the upright position only briefly,and recited AL-Hamd and a short Sura then he stayed in prostration till middle of night .then he stood upto begin the second rak'at[cycle] with a recitation similar to the first,and then his prostration lasted untill dawn."     


OUR PROPHET{peace be upon him} WENT TO JANNA-TUL-BAQQI   [the blessed cemetry of  the city of Madinah-tul-Munwwara]. 
 Hadrat Aisha{may Allah be pleased with her}once said:" I could not find Allah's Messenger{peace be upon him}one night,So i went outside there he was in Jannat-ul-baqqi{the blessed cemetry},his hand turned up toward the sky.Then he said to me: 'Were you  afraid that Allah and His Messenger would treat you unfairly?' I replied: 'O Messenger of Allah, I thought  that you had gone to one of your[other] wives.'He{peace be upon him}said:'On the night of mid-Sha'ban,Allah{Exalted is He}descends to the lowest heaven and forgives more than the number of woolly hairs on the   flocks and herds of [the tribe of Kalb]."   
 Hadrat Ibn-e-Abbas{may Allah be pleased with him and his father}said: "In the night of mid Sha'ban,Allah[Exalted is He] arranges the affairs of the year.He transfers[some of]  the living to the list of dead,and records those who will make pilgrimage to the house of Allah,neither adding one too many nor leaving a single one of them out."  


THREE HUNDRED GATES OF MERCY ARE OPENED IN THE NIGHT OF MID SHA'BAN: 
Hadrat Abu Huraira{may Allah be pleased with him}reported that Rasullullah{salallahu alaihi wassallam}said:  "Gabriel{peace be upon him}came to me on the night of mid Sha'ban and said to me:"Ya RasulAllah,raise your   head heavenwards!" I asked him: "What night is this?"and he replied: "This is night when Allah{Glorified is He}opens three hundred of the gates of mercy, forgiving all who do not make anything His partner. The only  exceptions are those who practice sorcery or divination, are addicted to wine, or persist in usuary  and illict sex; these He does not forgive untill they repent." At a quarter of the night, Gabriel {peace be upon him}came down and said: Ya RasulAllah, raise your head!" So i looked up, to behold the gates of Paradise wide open. At the first gate an angel was calling: "Good news for those who bow in worship this night!" At the second gate an angel was calling: Good news for those who prostrate themselves in worship this night!" At the third gate an angel was calling: "Good news for those who offer supplication this night!" At the fourth gate an angel was calling: "Good news for those who make remembrance this night!" At the fifth gate an angel was calling: "Good news for those who weep this night from the fear of Allah!" At the sixth gate an angel was calling:" Good news for those who submit this night!" At the seventh gate an angel was calling: "Will anyone ask, hat his request may be granted?" At the eight    gate an angel  was calling:" Will anyone seeks forgiveness, that he may be forgiven?"   Rasullullah{salsllahu alaihi wassallam}said: "O Gabriel,how long will these gates remain open?"  He replied: From the beginning of the night until the break of dawn." Then he said: "YarasulAllah,  tonight Allah has as many slaves emancipated from the fire of hell as the number of wooly hairs on the flocks  and herds of tribe Kalb."   

SALAAT, DUA AND WAZEEFA IN SHAB-E-BARAAT

THE FIFTEENTH NIGHT OF SHA’BAN


WAZEEFA FOR  FORGIVENESS: 
On the fourteenth day  of Sha’ban after Asr  prayer  
at the time of sun setting, if anybody recites 40times this Dua,his or her 40 years sins will be forgiven.

 
SALAT FOR INCREMENT OF {RIZK}SUBSISTANCE:
In the  fifteenth night of  Sha’ban,perform two raka’at[cycle]prayer,in each raka’at  after Sura-tul-Fatiha recite once Aya-tul-kursi and fifteenth times Sura-tul-Ikhlas.After salam recite 100 times Salat And Salam upon Prophet Muhammad{peace be upon him}.Make Dua for the increment of [rizk]subsistence,Insha Allah,Allah ta’ala will increase his subsistence.. 
 
SEVENTY NEEDS IN THIS WORLD AND SEVENTY HEREAFTER ARE ACCEPTED.
In the fifteenth night of Sha’ban,if someone  recites seven times Sura Dukhan{the 44 sura},Insha Allah,his or her 70 needs in this world and 70 hereafter will be accepted.
 
SIX NAWAFIL SALAT AFTER THE PRAYER OF MAGHRIB.
In the fifteenth night of Sha’ban after the prayer of Maghrib perform six raka’ats with three slalams.The niyyat[intention]of the first two is for “the long pious life”,the niyyat of the second two is for “being safe from the calamities and misfortunes”and the niyyat for the  third two is “for the incrememt of {rizk}subsistence”.After every two rak’at ,recite once Sura Yaseen and at the end once Dua of Sha’ban.
 
SALVATION FROM THE PUNISHMENT OF GRAVE BY THIS SALAT. 
In the fifteenth night of Sha’ban,perform eight rak’at[cycle] salat with two salams.in each rak’at after Sura-tul- Fatiha,recite ten times Sura-tul-Ikhlas[the 112 sura].As a result of that ,Allah ta’ala will appoint countless angels,who will give the glad news to receive salvation from the punishment of grave and to enter into the Heaven.

FORGIVNESS FROM SINS BY THIS SALAT.                                                                                       In the fifteenth night of Sha’ban.perform eight rak’at salat with four salams.In each rak’at after Sura-tul-Fatiha once Sura-tul- Qadr[the 97 sura] and twenty five times Sura-tul-ikhlas.Insha Allah,Allah subhanahu ta’ala will forgive his or her all sins .


ANY DUA[SUPPLICATION] WHETHER FOR WORLD OR HEREAFTER IS ACCEPTED BY THIS SALAT. 
In the fifteenth night of Sha’ban,say fourteen rak’at salat with seven salams.In each rak’at after Sura-tul- Fatiha,once, Sura Kafiroon[the 109 sura] once, Sura Ikhlas once, Sura Falaq[the 113 sura]once, Sura Naas[the last sura]once.After every salam Ayat-ul-Kursi once and the last three verses of Sura Tauba[the 9 sura]i.e.,from’laqad ja’akum rasoolum to Azeem”Make Dua after the completion of eight rak’at.Whatever he or she will ask for, Allah subhanahu ta’ala will bestow.Insha’a Allah.


THE UNFORTUNATE PEOPLE:  
The idolater,drinker,adulterer, prostitute,the breaker of family ties,bearing of malice,the disobedient to his parents,backbitter,who practices majic,who eat interest are not forgiven unless they make Tauba[repentance]. And ask for forgiveness from fellow muslims.
 
FASTING OF THE FIFTEENTH DAY OF SHA’BAN:
Allah’s beloved,Rasullah{salallahu alaihi wassallam}said: Worship in the fifteenth night  of Sha’ban and fast the following day.Because Allah Ta’ala descends to the lowest heaven from sun set till dawn,He says”Will anyone ask,that his request may be granted?””Will anyone seeks forgiveness,that he may be forgiven?” [IBN-e-MAJAH,VOL :1,P:99]  

THE VISITORS OF THIS NIGHT
It is narrated that the departed souls (Arwaah) of the Muslims visit the houses of their friends and relatives on this night and proclaim: "O people of the house! You stay in our houses and enjoy the wealth that we have left behind. You use our children and take work from them, please perform our Esaale Sawaab. Verily our deeds have become complete, while your record of deeds is still spread".
If the people of the house perform the Esaale Sawaab and Khatam Shareef on this night, then the Arwaah depart will the Sawaab extremely happy and overjoyed all the time making Du'a for the people.

VISIT TO THE CEMETERY
Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqa (radi Allahu anha) reports: "One night, which was the 15th of Shabaan, I did not find the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) in the house so I went in search of him. After a long search, I found him in Baqiah (the cemetery of Madinah) offering Du'a for the deceased and praying for their forgiveness". (Baihaqi)
A  special point must be made to visit the cemetery during this night and pray for the deceased buried therein, as the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) is been reported as having visited the cemetery on this night and spending a long time therein, lamenting, reading and praying for the deceased.

Hazrat Ghousul Azam, Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jilani (radi Allahu anhu) has mentioned in his famous "Gunyat-ut Taalibeen" that the month of Shabaan according to some narrations is related to Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). So, it is our duty, as the Ummat of Rasoolullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) to love and respect this month more than any other month (besides Ramadaan). We should also offer abundantly salutations (Salaat-o-Salaam) upon the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).