Did the prophet (saws) celebrate Shab-e-Baraat?

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.

The advent of the day and the night are indeed amongst the Signs of Allah! Every day is a day of Allah, and every night is a night of Allah! But there are some nights which are more significant in the sight of Allah; and it is the Right of Allah and His Messenger Alone to make those nights known to the believers.

For example, Allah says in the Holy Quran, the Night of Layla-tul-Qadr is better than a thousand months (Chapter 97 verse 3)!

Only Allah and His Messenger (saws) have the Sole Right to nominate which nights and which days are more significant than the others, and they alone have the Right to guide us how to celebrate these days and nights! We cannot, I repeat, cannot nominate a night from our own imagination and start declaring that so and so day or night is also significant! That would be manifest error and mis-guidance!

If, according to some people, the Shab-e-Baraat night had more significance than any other night of the year; Allah and His Messenger (saws) would have told us about it! Now unless, the people who celebrate Shab-e-Baraat as a night of religious significance have received some Revelation from Allah, they are in manifest error if they celebrate the night!

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.

We are commanded in the Holy Quran by Allah Subhanah Himself, to follow the example of the Messenger of Allah (saws). The Messenger of Allah (saws) did not celebrate this night in any way, nor did he exhort the believers to celebrate the night. Every thing the Messenger did, say, or was witness to and approved, or was witness to and did not stop the person from doing it, is recorded by his noble ‘ahle-bayt’ and his noble companions. And not one of them has ever mentioned that the Prophet (saws), or his noble ‘ahle-bayt’, or his noble companions gave this night any particular significance!

For all acts of worship, it is mandatory for the believers to see what was the action of the Prophet (saws). No man who ever came to this planet earth, worshipped Allah Subhanah better than the person of the Last Messenger, Mohamed ar Rasool Allah (saws)! If there was a better way to worship and glorify our Lord and Creator, he (saws) would have done it, and taught it to the believers! No person, no moulvi, no mullah, no shaikh, no aamil, no bhai-saheb, no qasre-aali, no dai, no imaam…. NO ONE has the Right to change or alter the deen of Islam in any way! They have absolutely no right to add anything, nor do they have any right to subtract anything! If they obey and follow the commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), they are rightly guided; and if they add, subtract or invent anything in this deen of Truth, they have moved away from the Guidance!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa verse 79-80:We have sent you (O Mohamed) as a Messenger to mankind, and Allah’s witness suffices for this. Whoever obeys the Messenger, in fact obeys Allah, and whoever turns away from him, he will be accountable for his deeds. Anyhow, we have not sent you (O Mohamed) to be a guardian over them.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 31-32:O Prophet, tell the people, “If you sincerely love Allah, follow me. Then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for He is All Forgiving, All Merciful.” Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His Messenger.” And if, in spite of this, they do not accept your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love those, who refuse to obey Him and His Messenger.

Thus, brother, unless you can give any authentic evidence or proof from the Quran and Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (saws) held the night of Shab-e-Baraat significant in any way; bear witness that it is a name and thing invented after the death of the Messenger of Allah (saws); thus an innovation in the deen of Islam; thus an error; and thus a gross and heinous sin!

It has been reported by Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (r.a.) that the Prophet of Allah (saws) said: “If anyone introduces an innovation (in religion), he will be responsible for it. If anyone introduces an innovation or gives shelter to a man who introduces an innovation (in religion), he is cursed by Allah, by His angels, and by all the people.”

It has been reported by Jabir ibn Abdullah (r.a.) in another authentic narration 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, and every innovation is an error.”

Now lets come to your statements and see how much Truth they hold in light of the Quran and Sunnah!

Statement-1: Once again. I am not saying that the Prophet(SAW) did celebrate this night and i am not saying that he did not.

So, what exactly are you saying? Are you trying to imply that whether or not the Messenger of Allah (saws) gave significance to this night above other nights, you have declared it a Holy Night?

Statement-2: Just because you claim that the Prophet(SAW) did not celebrate this night does not mean it is not significant.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 36:It does not behove a believing man and a believing woman that when Allah and His Messenger have given their decision in a matter, they should exercise an option in that matter of theirs. For whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, has indeed strayed into manifest error.

There is absolutely no evidence in either the Quran and the Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (saws) celebrated this night in any special way. And if the Messenger of Allah (saws) did not state that this night is more significant than other nights; brother write if somewhere on STONE: This night is not any more significant than the other nights of the year!!!!!!!!

If the Messenger of Allah (saws) did something in worship, do it without hesitation; for it is the best way to worship Allah Subhanah! And if the Messenger of Allah did not do something; then stay far far away from doing it….because it would be nothing other than mis-guidance!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 59 Surah Hashr verse 7:Take whatever the Messenger gives you, and refrain from whatever he withholds from you. And Fear Allah; for Allah is Severe in Punishment!

But from your statement it seems you care less if the Messenger of Allah (saws) held this night in any significance or not. Because ‘you’ have said it is significant; therefore it must be!!!!!!! Brother, Fear Allah… for Allah is indeed very Severe in His Punishment!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 31-32:O Prophet, tell the people, “If you sincerely love Allah, follow me. Then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for He is All Forgiving, All Merciful.” Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His Messenger.” And if, in spite of this, they do not accept your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love those, who refuse to obey Him and His Messenger.

Your Statement: All I am trying to stress is that this night is by itself significant. Its significance is intact within itself. Even without people celebrating this night, this night will be significant in itself till the Day of Judgement. People celebrating or not celebrating does not destroy its significance.

WHO SAYS IT IS SIGNIFICANT? YOU??????? OR ONE OF YOUR PRIESTS?????? We are not talking about ‘people’ celebrating this night! Our discussion is on whether the person of Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws) celebrated this night or not!

Brother, if you can produce an ‘iota’ of evidence for your claim, that this night was celebrated by the Messenger of Allah (saws); we will be the first to bear witness to its significance!!! And unless and until you cannot produce the evidence that the Messenger of Allah (saws) held this night significant, then it is not significant to those who believe in Allah and His Messenger (saws)!!!!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verses 67-69:For every ‘ummah’ We have prescribed a way of worship, which it follows. Therefore, let them not dispute with you (O Mohamed) concerning this matter. And invite the people to the Way of your Lord, for you are on the Straight Path. And if they dispute with you, say to them, “Allah knows full well what you are doing. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will judge between you concerning all that in which you differ!”

Your Statement: And furthermore, I dont understand what issues you have with language. Shab, or Raat, or Lail are three names in different languages for the same thing. But does that mean that a night does not stay a night.

The issue is not whether it is a night or not… the issue is whether this night is more significant in Islam than any other night of the year! And if the Prophet Mohamed (saws) had indeed held this night significant, the least an Arab Prophet would have done is to give it an Arabic name, as was given to all the other days and nights of significance! The proof that the Prophet of Allah (saws) did not recognize this night is in the name itself. An Arab nation, an Arab poplulation, an Arab Prophet, an Arabic Quran, and the name of the night in the Persian language? Allah has bestowed mankind with intelligence…. So, please…. Use some of it!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verses 103-106:Tell them (O Mohamed), “Should We tell you who are the most unsuccessful people and miserable failures in regard to their deeds? They are those, all whose edeavours in the worldly life, had gone astray from the Right Way, but all along they were under the delusion that everything they were doing, was rightly directed! Those are the people who rejected the Revelations of their Lord and did not believe that they would ever go before Him. Therefore all their deeds were lost, for We shall assign no weight to them on the Day of Reserruction. Their recompense is Hell for the disbelief they showed, and for the mockery they adopted in regard to My Aayahs and My Messengers!”

The truth has become clear from the falsehood! If you still insist on making something holy and worthy of importance, when the Messenger of Allah (saws) did not give it importance; then, our duty was only to make you aware of it. To accept or decline the Truth is upto you. And there is no bigger Truth in this universe than what Allah and His Messenger (saws) have stated.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Bani Israel verse 81:And declare, “The Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. And falsehood is a thing that must by its nature, vanish!”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 34 Surah Saba verse 25:Tell them, “You will not be questioned for the errors we have committed, nor shall we be answerable for what you are doing.”

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan