I would like to know all the importance, prayers and fastings of the month of rajab and shaban
Mu' meneen
Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam
Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and
Blessings be upon all of you)
One of
our brothers/sisters has asked this question:
I would like to know all the importance,
prayers and fastings of the month of rajab and shaban.We pray nafals on the
27th night of rajab -shab-e-meraj and 15th night of shaban -shab-e-baraat. we
fast on those two days(27th rajab and 15th shaban). On 13th of shabaan it is
said to be idd of all those who are dead and so we pray for them and we feed
the poor and send the sawaab to our beloved dead. On the 14th of shaban it is
said to be rozi ki idd and so we cook seven food items for barkath throughout
the year.
I would like to know, all that is written in the quran and hadith(sahih) about
these two months and the above practices that we follow. If it is not there
,then how did these practices begin?
(There may be
some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not
change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our
readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Answer:
Bida of Rajab Shaaban
&
In the name of Allah, We
praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah
guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide
them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His
slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 21:
There is
indeed the best example for you to follow in the Messenger of
Allah, for every such person looks forward to Allah and the Last Day, and
remembers Allah much.
Dear and Beloved sister
in Islam, it is the solemn belief of every true believer who sincerely fears
Allah and the Last Day, that there was, is, or never will be anyone in the
annuls of creation who worshipped Allah Subhanah more or better than the Noble
Last and Final Messenger of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws)!
To the best of our
knowledge, there is absolutely not even an iota of evidence in the authentic
and established Sunnah or tradition of the Noble Prophet (saws) that he would
make a particular prayer or a specific fast especially for the months of Rajab
or Shaabaan, nor did he (saws) fast on the 27th or Rajab, nor the 15th
of Shaabaan, nor did he (saws) declare that the 13th of Shaabaan to be
an ‘eid’ for the dead, nor did he (saws) declare the 14th of Shaabaan
to be ‘rozi-ki-eid’, nor was it his practice to cook ‘seven’ food items on that
particular or any day for ‘barakah’!!!
When the Messenger of
Allah (saws) did not perform these rites and rituals nor did he (saws) ever
endorse such rites, then it is absolutely evident that these rites are not and
cannot be considered a part of Islam; but are rituals which the ignorant have
created themselves without any authority.
If anyone ever comes up
with any act of worship like celebration, commemoration, or prescribes
importance to any prayer, or fast, or night or day, or invents, innovates, or
adds anything in the deen of Islam which is not endorsed by the Noble Prophet
(saws), then it implies one of three things:
Allah is our witness sister,
if anyone in the annuls of creation ever claims to have any of the above three
qualities is nothing more than a confirmed and manifest liar!; for Allah is our
witness, no man in the annuls of creation loved or worshipped their Lord more
than Prophet Mohamed (saws), no man in the annuls of creation had more
knowledge of the Truth than the Noble Prophet Mohamed (saws), and Allah is our witness,
the Last and Final Revelations of The Lord Most Majestic were revealed on
Prophet Mohamed (saws), and there is none who will or can receive revelations
after him (saws)!
If one brings, invents,
adds or innovates any act or deed in religion which has not been specifically
endorsed by Allah and His Messenger (saws), then it has to be a ‘bida’ (an innovation
in the religion after the deen was completed on Prophet Mohamed (saws)), and
Allah is our witness, every innovation in the deen of Islam is an error in the
Sight of Allah Subhanah!
Sahih
Muslim Hadith 1885 Narrated by
That the
Prophet of Allah (saws) said in a sermon:
“The best speech is that which is embodied in the Book of Allah, the Al
Quran; and the best guidance is the guidance
given by me, Mohamed (saws). The
most evil affairs are the innovations (bida), and every innovation (bida) is an
error.”
My dear and beloved
sister, all the rites and rituals you have mentioned are no more than
innovations made to the pure and perfect deen of Islam long after the death of
the Messenger of Allah (saws), and all such innovated acts of worship have
absolutely no weight in the Sight of Allah Subhanah!
Your Question: If it is not there ,then how
did these practices begin?
Sunan of Abu-Dawood
Hadith 4515 Narrated by
That the
Prophet of Allah (saws) said: “If anyone introduces an innovation (bida in
religion), he will be responsible for
it. If anyone introduces an innovation
(bida) or gives shelter to a man who introduces an innovation (bida), he is
cursed by Allah, by His Angels, and by all the people!”
Whatever acts of worship
the Noble Messenger of Allah (saws) did himself, endorsed, and commanded the
believers to do are aptly recorded in his established and authentic
Sunnah. All the rites and rituals which
you have mentioned were neither performed, nor endorsed, nor commanded by the
Messenger of Allah (saws), thus it is absolutely evident that they must have
been added as rites and rituals by the ignorant after his death.
The Prophet
(saws) said: ‘The most evil affairs are the innovations (bida), and every
innovation (bida) is an error’; thus every believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day
must stay clear and abstain from ever practicing or indulging in any innovation
in this pure and perfect deen of Al-Islam.
If one trusts, obeys,
and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being
misled; but if one believes, obeys and
follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
one can be assured of being led astray.
Whatever written of
Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever
of error is of me alone. Allah Alone
Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in Islam,
Burhan