Q. I have read the Shabaan issue of your
magazine Al-BALAGH certain questions are bothering me with regard to fasting
on the 15 th of Shabaan.I would like to explain the reason for this question.
Several months ago a friend explained to me that there is no special
significance of the fast of the 15th of Shabaan. However, he says this
Hadith is absolutely weak to such an extent that one of its narrators
was a person who was regarded by some scholars of Hadith as a fabricator
of Hadith and a liar. Hence, he says that, untill another reliable Hadith
can be found the fast of the 15th of Shabaan has no special virtue. He
also
explained to me the following points :
(1) He has not come acrose any of the Fuqaha having even mentioned
fasting specifically on the 15th of Shabaan; where as they have mentioned
the fasts of Aashura and the six fasts of Shawwal etc.
(2) While it has been narrated in many authentic Ahadith that Rasulullah
(S.A.W.) fasted for most of the month of Shabaan, this cannot be used
to prove any special significance for the specific fast of the 15th of
Shabaan. He told me that those Ahadith must be explained as they are i.e.
for the entire month of Shabaan - not the 15th of the month.
(3) The Hadith regarding visiting the graveyard on the 15th of
Shabaan is much more authentic and reliable compared to the Hadith regarding
fasting on the 15th of Shabaan. However, despite this the Ulema have prohibited
the people from making it a habit. Therefore,since a very great number
of people observe only the fast of the 15th of Shabaan and regard it as
a Sunnah, whereas the Hadith in this regard is absolutely and totally
weak, the Ulema should stop the people from
this also.
(4) When I suggested that what Harm, can here be if people observed
this fast even if in reality it is not Sunnah or even Nafl, he stated:
This is the way many Bidat have started (though this practice is not a
Bid'ah). Furthermore this is a matter of "Aqeedah" and to regard
something as Sunnah which in reality is not Sunnah is a very dangerous
and grave matter. Hence it is necessary that either the act be proved
Sunnah or else the people should be stopped from this since, if they practice,
it they would do so regarding it as a Sunnah.
Hence I now wish to pose my questions.
(1) He has stated that this Hadith is "totally and absolutely
weak" whereas Mufti Sahib has stated that "the Scholars of Hadith
have some doubts regarding the authenticity of this Hadith." Has
he exaggerated in this claim of "totally and
absolutely weak"?
(2) is it true that one of the narrators was regarded as a fabricator
and liar?
(3) Are his arguments in (1),(2),(3) and (4) above correct?
(4) On page 14 Mufti Sahib has written; "Although the scholars
of Hadith have some doubts about the authenticity of this report, yet
it is mentioned earlier that the fasts of the first half of Shabaan have
special merits...." I have not found any narration in the article
which explains the special merits of fasting in the first half of Shabaan.
All the narrations deel with
the fasts of the FIRST HALF of Shabaan, please quote this for me.
(5) Mufti Sahib also stated the practice of the Salaf (elders).
Who is meant by "elders"?
(6) If it is accepted that one of the narrators was accused of
being a fabricator and a liar did the "Salaf" regard this Hadith
as authentic "as is" i.e. despite the condition of this narrator?
(7) Mufti Sahib has stated; "therefore, it is adviseable to
fast on the 15th of Shabaan as an optional (nafl) fast" Most people
regard this fast as "Sunnah" and not nafl. Is in incorrect to
regard this fast as Sunnah?
(8) Is this Nafl fast equal to keeping a nafl fast on any other
day for example, the 1st of January; whichever Islamic date that may fall
on? (excepting Ramadan, the 10th of Muharram, etc)?
I hope Mufti Sahib will quickly answer these questions and remove my doubts
and the doubts of many others here in this
regard.
(Yousuf
Desai, South Africa)
A. I am grateful to you for your question which provided me with
an opportunity to revise my article and to study the subject in more detail.In
fact, the fast of the 15th of Shabaan is based on a tradition reported
by Sayiddna Ali. Its text runs as follows :
When the Middle Night of Shabaan arrives, you should stand (Praying) in
the night and should fast in the day following it.This Hadith is recorded
by Ibn Majah in his Sunan, one of the famous six books of Hadith, and
also by Baihaqi in his famous book Shu'ab-al-'iman'. Both of them have
reported it without any comment about its authenticity. But after a critical
analysis of its chain of narrators it is found that this tradition is
mainly based on the report of Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Saburah whose narrations
cannot be relied upon. That is why the scholars of Hadith have declared
it as a weak (da'if) tradition. However, the allegation that the narrator
of this Hadith i.e. Abu Bakr ibn Abi Saburah, is a fabricator who used
to coin forged traditions does not seem correct. In fact, he was mufti
of Madinah, a well-known jurist and he was appointed as a
qadi (Judge) of Iraq in the days of Mansur and was succeeded in this office
by Imam Abu Yousuf. He was a colleague of Imam Malik.
Once Mansur, the Abbasi Caliph, asked Imam Malik referred to three names,
and one of them was that of Ibn Abi Saburah. Had he been a fabricator,
Imam Malik would have never referred to his name in this context. But
despite his high position among the jurists, his memory was not of the
standard required for the uthenticity of a tradition. That is why most
of the critics of Hadith like Imam Bukhari etc. Have held him as weak,
but did not declare him a fabricator. Only Imam Ahmed is reported to have
remarked about him that he fabricates Hadith. But this remark alone is
not sufficient to hold him as a fabricator, for two reasons: Firstly Imam
Ahmed was born long after him, and his contemporary scholars never held
him as such, secondly the Arabic words used by Imam Ahmed are some times
used for confusing one tradition with another, and not for deliberate
fabrication.
This is the reason why the majority of the scholars of Hadith have held
Abu Bakr ibn Abi Saburah as a weak reporter of Hadith, but they did not
declare him as a forger or febricator. Now, coming to his tradition about
the fast of the 15th Ramadan it is held by the scholars to be weak but
i have not come across an authentic scholar who has treated it as a febricated
(Mawdu) Hadith. There are a number of books indicating the febricated
AHadith, but this tradition is not included in these books as febricated.
It is well-known that Ibn Majah consists of about twenty AHadith held
to be febricated. The list of these febricated AHadith is available, but
the tradition in question is not included therein.
Therefore, the correct position is that this Hadith is not fabricated.
However, being reported by a weak narrator, it cannot be relied upon in
the matter of the injuctions of Shariah. Thus, the fast of the 15th of
Shabaan cannot be termed as Sunnah or Mustahabb in the strict sense of
the term. Nevertheless, it may be adviseable to fast in the 15th of Shabaan
without taking it as Sunnah for several reasons:
Firstly it is fully established through a large number of AHadith
that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) has emphasized on the merits of fasting
in Shabaan, and particularly in the first half of the month. The 15th
day of Shabaan, being the last day of the first half, is included in the
preferable days for fasting.
Secondly, the merits of the 15th night of Shabaan is established
by more than a dozen ahadith. It means that this night should be spent
in prayers and other forms of worship. On the other hand, all the blessed
nights which the Muslims are advised to spend in worship are generally
followed by fasting on the coming day like in the Laylatul-Qadr, where
fasting on the following day is obligatory, or like the first night Zilhijjah
where fasting on the following days is optional, rather advisable. on
this analogy, too, the 15th night of Shabaan may be followed by an optional
fasting on the following day.
Thirdly, the tradition relating to the merits of fasting on 15th
of Shabaan is, no doubt, a weak tradition, not competent to prove this
practice to be a Sunnah or a formal Mustahabb, but it can be acted upon
as a measure of precaution, provided that the practice is not taken as
Sunnah or a formal Mustahabb. It is for these reasons that some Ulama
and elders have been fasting on the 15th of Shabaan and have been taking
it an advisable practice. It is in this context that I had mentioned this
fast as advisable in my previous article. But when I revised the article
after receiving your question, I now feel that the relevant paragraph
may create misunderstanding and it needs clarification. I now armend it
in accordance with what is stated above in this article.
Again, I am thankful to you for your letter which enabled me to revise
and correct my previous article. May Allah give you the best reward for
it.
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