Worship Is Based on Following Revealed Guidance

The foundation of worship is following revealed guidance, not personal approval or custom. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ

"Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that does not belong to it, it is rejected."

Reported by al-Bukhari, no. 2697, and Muslim, no. 1718; the wording is Muslim's.

He also said, peace and blessings be upon him:

مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ

"Whoever performs an action that is not in accordance with our guidance, it is rejected."

Reported by Muslim, no. 1718.

A good intention does not turn an introduced act of worship into a Sunnah. A love of obedience does not permit attributing a particular virtue to a time, number, or manner of worship without established evidence.

What Is Established About Fasting in Sha'ban?

It is established that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to fast frequently in Sha'ban. Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَصُومُ حَتَّى نَقُولَ لَا يُفْطِرُ، وَيُفْطِرُ حَتَّى نَقُولَ لَا يَصُومُ، فَمَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اسْتَكْمَلَ صِيَامَ شَهْرٍ إِلَّا رَمَضَانَ، وَمَا رَأَيْتُهُ أَكْثَرَ صِيَامًا مِنْهُ فِي شَعْبَانَ

"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would fast until we said that he would not stop fasting, and would refrain from fasting until we said that he would not fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, complete a full month of fasting except Ramadan, and I never saw him fast more in any other month than in Sha'ban."

Reported by al-Bukhari, no. 1969, and Muslim, no. 1156.

Usamah ibn Zayd, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: I said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have not seen you fast in any month as much as you fast in Sha'ban." He replied:

ذَلِكَ شَهْرٌ يَغْفُلُ النَّاسُ عَنْهُ بَيْنَ رَجَبٍ وَرَمَضَانَ، وَهُوَ شَهْرٌ تُرْفَعُ فِيهِ الأَعْمَالُ إِلَى رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ، فَأُحِبُّ أَنْ يُرْفَعَ عَمَلِي وَأَنَا صَائِمٌ

"That is a month that people neglect between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which deeds are raised to the Lord of the worlds, and I like my deeds to be raised while I am fasting."

Reported by an-Nasa'i, no. 2357, and Ahmad; a number of scholars graded it hasan.

The established Sunnah is therefore to fast frequently in Sha'ban according to one's ability, not to single out the fifteenth day alone for a virtue that has not been established.

The Forgiveness Hadith Concerning the Middle Night

According to those who graded it sahih or hasan, it reports Allah's forgiveness on this night and warns against shirk and hostile enmity. It does not instruct people to single it out for prayer, supplication, recitation, or a devotional gathering, nor to single out its day for fasting. Establishing a virtue for a time does not permit inventing an act of worship for it that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not prescribe.

The mushahin is someone whose blameworthy hostility and disputes lead to estrangement, hatred, and wrongdoing. Shirk, associating partners with Allah, is the greatest of sins, and no act of worship may be directed to anyone other than Allah Most High, on this night or at any other time.

Should the Middle Night Be Singled Out for Prayer?

It is not established that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, singled out the middle night of Sha'ban for prayer or night worship. Shaykh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, explicitly stated that singling it out for night prayer is not permissible. This specification does not become prescribed merely because no number of rak'ahs or recitation is fixed: selecting this night for prayer because one believes its night prayer has a special virtue requires evidence.

The so-called Prayer of Deliverance, the hundred-rak'ah prayer, and the Alfiyyah prayer are not established from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, or his Companions. The reports describing these prayers are fabricated or very weak.

Unrestricted night prayer, however, is prescribed on every night. There is no harm if this night coincides with a person's customary night prayer, or if someone prays as they do on other nights without intending to single it out. Deliberately selecting the middle night for prayer because of a belief in a special Sunnah for it, adopting it as a fixed religious occasion, or inviting people to a devotional gathering tied to it is not established from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, or his Companions.

Circulating Reports That Are Not Authentic

Statements attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, circulate even though they cannot be relied upon. They include:

The weakness of these narrations does not mean that supplication or night prayer is not prescribed in principle. It means that this particular virtue or specified promise may not be attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, without proof.

Fasting on the Fifteenth Day

No authentic hadith establishes fasting specifically on the fifteenth of Sha'ban. It should not therefore be fasted on its own in the belief that it has a special virtue because of the middle night.

The fifteenth is, however, one of the White Days: the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth of the lunar month. Someone who fasts all three White Days, whose customary fast such as Monday or Thursday falls on that day, who is fasting generally during Sha'ban, or who has an obligatory fast to make up may fast it for that prescribed reason, not on the basis of a report singling out the middle of the month.

People must not be told that fasting on the fifteenth is a separate, special Sunnah, because establishing Sunnahs requires authentic evidence.

Special Celebrations and Gatherings

It is not prescribed to make the middle night of Sha'ban a recurring religious occasion marked by celebrations, specially designated collective adhkar, newly introduced congregational prayers, or the distribution of food and sweets as a religious observance. This has not been transmitted from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, or his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.

Supplication and Quran Recitation

No particular supplication is established for the middle night of Sha'ban, nor is reciting Surah Ya-Sin three times with the intentions of a long life, abundant provision, or averting affliction. Nor is it established to assign particular surahs or adhkar specified repetition counts for this occasion.

Among the circulating supplications is one assigned to this night that asks for misery to be erased and happiness to be recorded. No specific wording for this is established from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and linking it to the middle night is not prescribed. Not every supplication for happiness or protection from affliction is prohibited: supplication is one of the prescribed means, and both it and its consequences are encompassed by Allah's prior knowledge and writing. It does not change His knowledge or what is settled in the Mother of the Book. Allah Most High says:

يَمْحُو اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَيُثْبِتُ وَعِنْدَهُ أُمُّ الكِتَابِ

{Allah erases what He wills and confirms what He wills, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.} [Ar-Ra'd: 39].

Supplication and recitation of the Quran are prescribed at all times, but no wording, number, or virtue specifically associated with this night may be attributed to them without evidence.

Are Provisions and Lifespans Apportioned on the Middle Night?

It is not established that the details of the year's events, provisions, and lifespans are apportioned on the middle night of Sha'ban. According to the correct interpretation of the early generations, the blessed night on which every wise matter is decreed is Laylat al-Qadr: the Quran was sent down on it, and it is in Ramadan.

Allah Most High says:

حم * وَالْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ * إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنْذِرِينَ * فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ * أَمْرًا مِنْ عِنْدِنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ * رَحْمَةً مِنْ رَبِّكَ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ العَلِيمُ

{Ha-Mim. * By the clear Book. * Indeed, We sent it down on a blessed night; indeed, We have been warning. * On it every wise matter is decreed, * as a command from Us; indeed, We have been sending messengers, * as a mercy from your Lord. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.} [Ad-Dukhan: 1-6].

He, glorified is He, also says:

إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ القَدْرِ * وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ القَدْرِ * لَيْلَةُ القَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ * تَنَزَّلُ المَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ * سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الفَجْرِ

{Indeed, We sent it down on the Night of Decree. * And what will make you know what the Night of Decree is? * The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. * The angels and the Spirit descend on it, by their Lord's permission, with every matter. * Peace it is until the break of dawn.} [Al-Qadr: 1-5].

Allah Most High also says:

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ القُرْآنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الهُدَى وَالفُرْقَانِ فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَنْ كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ اليُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ العُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا العِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

{The month of Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down as guidance for humanity and clear proofs of guidance and the criterion. So whoever among you witnesses the month must fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey must fast an equal number of other days. Allah intends ease for you and does not intend hardship for you, so that you may complete the prescribed number and glorify Allah for having guided you, and so that you may be grateful.} [Al-Baqarah: 185].

Reading these verses together shows that the blessed night mentioned in Surah Ad-Dukhan is Laylat al-Qadr in Ramadan, not the middle night of Sha'ban. This annual detailing does not mean that Allah was unaware of events and then came to know them. His knowledge is prior and all-encompassing, and He wrote the decrees of creation fifty thousand years before creating the heavens and the earth, as established in Sahih Muslim, no. 2653.

Visiting Graves on the Middle Night

Visiting graves to take a lesson and supplicate for the deceased is prescribed at permissible times, but singling out the middle night of Sha'ban for visiting cemeteries is not established.

The report some people cite about the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, going to al-Baqi on this night was narrated by at-Tirmidhi, no. 739, and Ibn Majah, no. 1389. It is not established in a manner that provides proof for singling out this night. At-Tirmidhi reported al-Bukhari's judgment that it was weak and his explanation of the interruptions in its chain. Even if a visit on a particular night were established, that would not establish an annual public religious occasion or an invitation to a collective visit.

Is the Name 'Night of Deliverance' Established?

This name became common among some later people, but it is not an established religious name from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, or his Companions. A name alone establishes neither a virtue, an act of worship, nor a guarantee of deliverance from sins and the Fire. It is preferable to use the descriptive name: the middle night of Sha'ban.

Is Allah's Descent Exclusive to the Middle Night?

No. It is established in the two Sahih collections that Allah descends to the lowest heaven every night when the final third of the night remains, a real descent befitting His majesty, without defining how it occurs, likening Him to creation, or denying His attributes. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الآخِرُ، فَيَقُولُ: مَنْ يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ؟ مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ؟ مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ؟

"Our Lord, blessed and exalted is He, descends every night to the lowest heaven when the final third of the night remains and says: Who is calling upon Me, that I may answer him? Who is asking Me, that I may give him? Who is seeking My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?"

Reported by al-Bukhari, no. 1145, and Muslim, no. 758.

This virtue is established for every night. A Muslim does not need a hadith specifically about the middle night in order to pray in the final third of the night and supplicate to their Lord.

Tawheed, Repentance, and Reconciliation

Tawheed, repentance from sins, and abandoning wrongdoing and prohibited hostility are obligations throughout the year, and reconciling people is among the greatest acts of devotion. It is established in Sahih Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

تُفْتَحُ أَبْوَابُ الجَنَّةِ يَوْمَ الاثْنَيْنِ وَيَوْمَ الخَمِيسِ، فَيُغْفَرُ لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ لَا يُشْرِكُ بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا، إِلَّا رَجُلًا كَانَتْ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ أَخِيهِ شَحْنَاءُ، فَيُقَالُ: أَنْظِرُوا هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا، أَنْظِرُوا هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا، أَنْظِرُوا هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا

"The gates of Paradise are opened on Monday and Thursday, and every servant who does not associate anything with Allah is forgiven, except a man between whom and his brother there is hostile enmity. It is said: Give these two time until they reconcile; give these two time until they reconcile; give these two time until they reconcile."

Reported by Muslim, no. 2565.

The danger of shirk and hostile enmity is therefore also established by authentic hadiths outside this subject. A Muslim should not wait for the middle night to repent or abandon wrongdoing and blameworthy hostility, nor turn encouragement to reconcile into a special devotional occasion tied to it.

Reconciliation does not mean surrendering an obligatory right or enabling a wrongdoer to cause harm. A Muslim can remove rancor and prohibited hostility, forgive where forgiveness is prescribed, and still protect rights and take permissible measures for safety.

Preparing for Ramadan

Preparation for Ramadan begins with maintaining obligatory duties, repenting from sins, and cleansing the heart of shirk, showing off, rancor, and wrongdoing. Anyone who still owes make-up fasts from the previous Ramadan should complete them before the new Ramadan begins, if able and without an excuse preventing them.

It is Sunnah to fast frequently in Sha'ban according to one's ability, following the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Those accustomed to fasting the White Days or Mondays and Thursdays should continue their practice, while observing the rulings on fasting near the end of the month explained in the questions below.

Recitation of the Quran, dhikr, supplication, and night prayer remain prescribed in their proper manner, without making the middle night an appointed occasion for a special act of worship. Organizing one's time and learning Ramadan Fasting for Beginners can help prepare for Ramadan.

Common Mistakes

1. 1. Declaring all hadiths about the middle night authentic, or insisting that there is no scholarly disagreement over their authenticity.

2. 2. Using the forgiveness hadith as evidence for prayer or fasting that the hadith does not mention.

3. 3. Praying one hundred rak'ahs, or performing the so-called Prayer of Deliverance or Alfiyyah prayer.

4. 4. Reciting Surah Ya-Sin three times with specified intentions.

5. 5. Circulating a special supplication and believing that it changes what is in the Mother of the Book.

6. 6. Singling out the fifteenth day for fasting in its own right.

7. 7. Holding a celebration or collective dhikr, or distributing food, as a religious observance.

8. 8. Singling out this night for visits to cemeteries.

9. 9. Believing that the year's provisions and lifespans are written on it rather than on Laylat al-Qadr.

10. 10. Becoming occupied with innovations instead of obligatory duties, repentance, and proper preparation for Ramadan.