Celebrating Shab E Barat - A Thread
Some Muslims celebrate the middle of Sha‘baan, fasting on that day and spending that night in prayer. There is a hadeeth concerning that which is not saheeh, hence the scholars regarded celebrating this day as an innovation
It is not prescribed in Islam to celebrate the night of the fifteenth of Sha‘baan, whether that is by spending the night in prayer, dhikr and reading Qur’aan, or by distributing sweets or giving food to people and so on.
It is not known in the saheeh Sunnah that this night is to be singled out for acts of worship.
Al-‘Iraaqi said: The hadeeth about the prayer on Laylat al-Nisf (mid-Sha‘baan) is false. Ibn al-Jawzi narrated it in al-Mawdoo‘aat (which is a compilation of fabricated hadeeths)
The hadeeth, “When the night of ‘nisf Sha‘baan’ (mid-Sha‘baan) comes, spend the night in prayer and fast on that day” was narrated by Ibn Maajah from ‘Ali. Muhashiyyah said: (It was also narrated) in al-Zawaa’id.
Its isnaad is da‘eef (weak) because of the weakness of Ibn Abi Basrah, of whom Ahmad and Ibn Ma‘een said: He fabricates hadeeth. End quote.