The blessed activities of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم on Laylat al-Barāˈah

Mawlana Adnan Chishti Attari Madani

The 15^th night of ShaꜤbān al-MuꜤaẓẓam holds great importance in Islam. It is also known as Laylat al-Barāˈah due to its significance. On this night, the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم would perform different acts of worship at different places.

Worship in the masjid

Sayyidunā Anas b. Mālik رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ mentions:

The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم sent me on an errand to Sayyidah ꜤĀˈishah al-Ṣiddīqah’s رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا house, so I said to her, “Hurry, as I have left the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in such a state that he   صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was telling the noble Companions رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُم about the night of mid-ShaꜤbān [Laylat al-Barāˈah].”

She said to me, “O Unays, sit here! I will tell you a Hadith of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم regarding the night of mid-ShaꜤbān. The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was once with me and when I awoke at night, I did not find him in the bed, so I went to the rooms of the other blessed wives         رَضِیَ اللهُ عَنْهُنَّ but did not find him there. I thought that perhaps he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم had gone to Sayyidah Māriyah al-Qibṭiyyah رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا. When I left my home and walked through the masjid, my foot touched him, and he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was in prostration at that time.”[1]

Worship at home and Prophetic supplications

Regarding the supplications that the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم made in prostration during Laylat al-Barāˈah, the Hadith master and historian Abū ꜤAbdullāh Muhammad b. SaꜤīd, famously known as ꜤAllāmah Ibn al-Dubaythī (D. 637 AH) writes in his treatise on the virtues of Laylat al-Barāˈah:

The mother of the believers, Sayyidah ꜤĀˈishah al-Ṣiddīqah رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا states, “I saw the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم prostrating in my chambers like a piece of cloth which had descended [i.e., without moving] whilst saying:

سَجَدَ لَکَ سَوَادِیْ وَ خَیَالِیْ وَ اٰمَنَ بِکَ فُؤَادِیْ ھٰذِہٖ یَدِیْ وَ مَا جَنَیْتُ بِھَا عَلٰی نَفْسِیْ یَا عَظِیْمُ رَجَاءٌ لِکُلِّ عَظِیْـمٍ اِغْفِرِ الذَّنْبَ الْعَظِیْمَ سَجَدَ وَجْھِـی لِلَّذِیْ خَلَقَہٗ وَ شَقَّ سَمْعَہٗ وَ بَصَرَہٗ

‘My heart and thought prostrated to You, and I believed in You with my heart. This is my hand with which I have done no sin, O most mighty One in whom all great hopes are placed. Forgive the enormous sin. My face is in prostration to the One Who created it, and made within it ears and eyes.’

Thereafter, the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم lifted his blessed head from prostration, and then he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم prostrated again, saying:

اَعُوْذُ بِرِضَاکَ مِنْ سَخَطِکَ وَ بِعَفْوِکَ مِنْ عِقَابِکَ وَ بِکَ مِنْکَ اَنْتَ کَمَا اَثْنَیْتَ عَلٰی نَفْسِکَ اَقُوْلُ کَمَا قَالَ اَخِیْ دَاوُدُ اَعْفِرُ وَجْھِی فِی التُّرَابِ لِسَیِّدِیْ وَ حَقٌّ لَہُ اَنْ یُسْجَدَ

‘I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your displeasure, Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and with You from You [Your majesty]. You are worthy of the glorification and praise which You Yourself have mentioned about Yourself. I say that which my brother Dāwūd said, ‘I cover my face in dust for my Master and it is His right to be prostrated to.’’

Then he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم lifted his blessed head from prostration and made this supplication:

اَللّٰہُمَّ ارْزُقْنِیْ قَلْبًا نَقِـیًّا لَا کَافِرًا وَّ لَا شَقِـیًّا

‘O Allah Almighty, grant me a pure heart which is neither ungrateful nor misfortunate.’[2]

Lengthy prostrations on Laylat al-Barāˈah

We can gauge the length of the beloved Prophet’s prostrations from the fact that Sayyidah ꜤĀˈishah al-Ṣiddīqah رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا states:

The beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stood up one night to offer prayer and he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم lengthened his prostration so much that I thought his soul had been taken. When I saw this, I stood and moved his thumb. There was movement in it, so I returned. Then he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم raised his blessed head from prostration, and after completing prayer, he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “O ꜤĀˈishah, did you think that I would be disloyal to you?”

I said, “O Prophet of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, by Allah Almighty, this is not so! Your lengthy prostration led me to believe that your soul may have been taken.”

He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم asked, “Do you know which night this is?”

I replied, “Allah Almighty and His Messenger صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم know better.”

He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “This is the night of mid-ShaꜤbān. Allah Almighty looks mercifully towards His servants on this night; He forgives those who seek forgiveness, has mercy on those who seek mercy, and leaves those with animosity in their state.”[3]

Dear readers, we come to know that the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم told his noble Companions رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُم about the importance of Laylat al-Barāˈah. Just as Sayyiduna Anas b. Mālik رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ told Sayyidah ꜤĀˈishah al-Ṣiddīqah رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا to be quick as he رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ had left the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in the state that he صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was informing the noble Companions رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُم about the night of mid-ShaꜤbān.

Through various noble Aḥādīth, we also come to know that the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم would sometimes engage in worship at home and sometimes in the masjid. He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم would even sometimes spend the entire night in worship. Just as Sayyidah ꜤĀˈishah al-Ṣiddīqah رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا mentions regarding Laylat al-Barāˈah that:

فَمَا زَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللہِ صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّم یُصَلِّیْ قَائِماً وَ قَاعِدًا حَتّٰی اَصْبَحَ فَاَصْبَحَ وَ قَدِاصْمَغَدَّتْ قَدَمَاہُ فَاِنِّیْ لَاَغْمِزُہَا

“The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم continued to offer prayer standing and sitting until dawn arrived, then his blessed feet became swollen so I began to massage them.”[4]

At times, the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم would go to the graveyard and supplicate for the people in the graves. Sayyidah ꜤĀˈishah al-Ṣiddīqah رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا narrates, “On the 15^th night of ShaꜤbān, I found the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in Jannat al-BaqīꜤ praying for the forgiveness of the Muslim men, women and martyrs.”[5]

Therefore, we should remain awake on this blessed night of forgiveness and mercy, and spend it in dhikr and supplication; alongside supplicating for our own forgiveness, we should also go to the graveyard and supplicate for our loved ones there.

Going to the graveyard on Laylat al-Barāˈah

Dear readers, it has been a long-standing tradition of the Muslims to visit the graveyards on Laylat al-Barāˈah, recite from the noble Quran and supplicate for forgiveness for their loved ones and all Muslims. It has also been their practice to visit the resting places of the saints and scholars رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ. Not only is this a good practice, but the Hadith mention that visitation of graves is a means of developing concern for the Hereafter and aversion to the world.

Just as the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated:

كُنْتُ نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ زِيَارَةِ الْقُبُوْرِ فَزُوْرُوْهَا فَاِنَّهَا تُزَهِّدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَتُذَكِّرُ الْاٰخِرَةَ

“I prevented you from visiting the graves, but you should visit them now, for they make you averse to the world and remind you of the Hereafter.”[6]

Thus, we come to know that we should visit the graveyard from time to time so that concern for the Hereafter arises within our hearts, and we should visit them especially on the 15^th night of ShaꜤbān to supplicate for the forgiveness of our loved ones and other Muslims.