Should he fast on the fifteenth of Sha’baan even if the hadeeth is da'eef?

Is it permissible, even after finding out that a hadeeth is da'eef
(weak), to follow it, by way of doing righteous deeds? The hadeeth
says: "When it is halfwaythrough Sha'baan, spend that night in prayer
and fast on that day." The fast is observed as a voluntary act of
devotion to Allaah,as is spending that nightin prayer (qiyaam
al-layl).
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
What is narrated concerning the virtue of praying, fasting and
worshipping on the fifteenth of Sha'baan (al-nusf min Sha'baan) does
not come under theheading of da'eef (weak), rather it comes under the
heading of mawdoo' (fabricated) and baatil (false). So it is not
permissible to followit or to act upon it, whether that is in doing
righteous deeds or otherwise.
A number of scholars ruled that the reports concerning that were
false, such as Ibn al-Jawzi in his book al-Mawdoo'aat, 2/440-445; Ibn
Qayyim al-Jawziyyah in al-Manaar al-Muneef, no.174- 177; Abu Shaamah
al-Shaafa'i in al-Baa'ith 'ala Inkaar al-Bida' wa'l-Hawaadith,
124-137; al-'Iraaqi in Takhreej Ihyaa' 'Uloom il-Deen, no. 582. Shaykh
al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] narrated that there was consensus on the fact
that they are false, in Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 28/138.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Hukm
al-Ihtifaal bi Laylat al-Nusf min Sha'baan (Ruling on celebrating the
fifteenth of Sha'baan):
Celebrating the night of the fifteenth of Sha'baan(Laylat al-Nusf min
Sha'baan) by praying etc, or singling out this day for fasting, is a
reprehensible bid'ah (innovation) according to the majority of
scholars, and there is no basis for this in sharee'ah.
And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
There is no saheeh hadeeth concerning the night of the fifteenth of
Sha'baan (Laylat al-Nusf min Sha'baan). All the ahaadeeth that have
been narrated concerning that are mawdoo' (fabricated) and da'eef
(weak), and have no basis. There is nothing special about this night,
and no recitation of Qur'aan or prayer, whether alone or in
congregation, is specified for this night. What some of the scholars
have said about it being special is a weakopinion. It is not
permissible to single it out for any special actions. This is the
correct view. And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/511.
See also question no. 8907 .
Secondly:
Even if we assume that the hadeeth is da'eef (weak) and not mawdoo'
(fabricated), the correct scholarly view is that weak ahaadeeth should
not befollowed at all, even if they speak of righteous deeds or of
targheeb and tarheeb (promises and warnings). The saheeh reports are
sufficient and the Muslimhas no need to follow the da'eef reports.
Nothing is known in Islam to suggest that thisnight or day is special,
either from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or
from his companions.
The scholar Ahmad Shaakir said: There is no difference between rulings
or righteous deeds; we do not take any of them from da'eef reports,
rather no one hast he right to use any report as evidence unless it is
proven to be soundly narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) in a saheeh or hasan hadeeth.
Al-Baa'ith al-Hatheeth, 1/278.
For more information, see: al-Qawl al-Muneef fi Hukm al-'Aml
bi'l-Hadeeth al-Da'eef.

Does Allaah come down to the first heaven on the night of the fifteenthof Sha’baan?

Does Allaah come down to the first heaven on the night of the
fifteenthof Sha'baan and forgive all the people except two types,
namely kaafirs and those engaged in disputes?.
Praise be to Allaah.
This is mentioned in some ahaadeeth, but there is some scholarly
difference of opinion as to the soundness of those ahaadeeth. There is
no saheeh hadeeth concerning the virtue of the night of the
fifteenthof Sha'baan.
It was narrated from AbuMoosa al-Ash'ari that theMessenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah looks down
on the night of the fifteenth of Sha'baan and forgives all his
creation except a mushrik or one who harbours hatred against the
Muslims." Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1390.
The "one who harbours hatred against the Muslims" means one who has
enmity towardsa Muslim brother.
In al-Zawaa'id it says: Its isnaad is da'eef, because'Abd-Allaah ibn
Lahee'ahis da'eef (weak) and al-Waleed ibn Muslim is mudallis.
There is also some idtiraab (weakness) in the hadeeth, as stated
byal-Daaraqutni in al-'Ilal, 6/50, 51. He said: This hadeeth is not
proven.
It was narrated from Mu'aadh ibn Jabal, 'Aa'ishah, Abu Hurayrah, Abu
Tha'labah al-Khushani and others, but the isnaads are not free of some
weakness, and some of them are very weak.
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said:
Concerning the virtue of the night of the fifteenthof Sha'baan there
are numerous ahaadeeth, concerning which the scholars differed, but
most of them classed them as da'eef, and Ibn Hibbaan classed some of
them as saheeh.
Lataa'if al-Ma'aazif, 261.
Allaah's descending to the first heaven does notonly happen on the
night of the fifteenth of Sha'baan, rather it is proven in
al-Saheehayn and elsewhere that Allaah descends to the first heaven
every night, in the last third of the night. The night of the
fifteenth of Sha'baan is included in this general meaning.
Hence, when 'Abd-Allaahibn al-Mubaarak was asked about the descent of
Allaah on the night of the fifteenth of Sha'baan, he said to the one
who asked him: "O weak one! The night of the fifteenth?! He descends
every night!"
Narrated by Abu 'Uthmaan al-Saabooni inI'tiqaad Ahl al-Sunnah, no. 92.
Al-'Aqeeli (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to Allaah's descending on the night of the fifteenth of
Sha'baan there are ahaadeeth which are weak, but the reports that He
descends every night are proven and saheeh, so the night of the
fifteenth of Sha'baanis included in that, in shaAllaah.
Al-Du'afa', 3/29.
See also the answer to question no. 8907 .
On this site you can also find an article by ShaykhIbn Baz (may Allaah
havemercy on him) concerning the ruling oncelebrating the night of the
fifteenth of Sha'baan. You can find itunder the heading, Periodic
Topics (under " Useful Material " on the Islam Q&A Library page).

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Navagio Beach [Zakynthos island]

Navagio Beach, or the Shipwreck, is an isolated sandy cove on
Zakynthos island and one of the most famous beaches in Greece. It is
notable because it is home to the wreck of the alleged smuggler ship
Panagiotis,it is often referred to as 'Smugglers Cove'.
Navagio is located on thenorth-west shore of the Ionian island of
Zakynthos (Zante), in the Municipality of Elation. The area is defined
by its sheer limestone cliffs, white sand beaches, and clear blue
water, which attract thousands of tourists yearly. The strip of beach
is accessed only by boat, from Porto Vromi to the south, and from the
Harbor of Saint Nikolas in Volimes to the north-east. More typically,
boats arrive from the harbor of Zakynthos, the capital city, with
cruises and tours anchoring hourly atNavagio.

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Al-Baraa ibn Malik al-Ansari - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

His hair looked dishevelled and his whole appearance was unkempt. He
was thin and wiry with so little flesh on his bones that it was
painful to look at him. Yet in single handed combat he defeated and
killed many opponents and in the thick of battle he was an outstanding
fighter against the mushrikeen. He was so courageous and daring that
Umar once wrote to his governors throughout the Islamic state that
they should not appoint him to lead any army out of fear that he would
have them all killed by his daringexploits. This man was al-Baraa ibn
Malik al-Ansari, the brother of Anas ibn Malik, the personal aide of
the Prophet.
If the tales of Baraa's heroism were to be told in detail pages and
pages could be written. But let one example suffice .
This particular story begins only hours after the death of the noble
Prophet when many Arabian tribes took to leaving the religion of God
in large numbers, just as they had entered it in large numbers. Within
a short space of time only the people of Makkah, Madinah and Taif and
scattered communities here and there, whose commitment to Islam was
unwavering, remained within the religion.
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, the successor to the Prophet, stood firm against
this blind and destructive movement. From theMuhajireen and Ansar, he
mobilized eleven armies each under a separate commander and dispatched
them to various parts of the Arabian peninsula. Their purpose was to
make the apostates return to the path of guidance and truth and to
confront the leaders of the rebellion.
The strongest group of apostates and the greatest in number were the
Banu Hanifah among whom Musaylamah the Imposter arose, claiming that
hewas a prophet. Musaylamah managed to mobilize forty thousand of the
best fighters among his people. Most of thesehowever followed him for
the sake of Allah or tribal loyalty andnot because they believed in
him. One of them in fact said, "I testify that Musaylamah is an
impostor and that Muhammad istrue but the impostor of Rabiah
(Musaylamah) is dearer to us than the true man of Mudar (Muhammad ). "
Musaylamah routed the first army sent against him under theleadership
of Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl. Abu Bakr dispatched another army against
Musaylamah led by Khalid ibn al-Walid. This army included the cream of
the Sahabah from boththe Ansar and the Muhajireen. Inthe front ranks
of this army was Baraa ibn Malik and a group of the most valiant
Muslims.
The two armies met in the territory of the Banu Hanifah at Yamamah in
Najd. Before long, the scale of battle tilted in favor of Musaylamah
and his men. TheMuslim armies began to retreat from their positions.
Musaylamah's forces even stormed the tent of Khalid ibn Walid and
drove him from his position. They would have killed his wife if one of
them had not granted her protection.
At that point, the Muslims realized in what a perilous situation they
were. They were also conscious of the fact that if they were
annihilated by Musaylamah, Islam would not beable to stand as a
religion and Allah--the One God with whom there is no partner--would
not be worshipped in the Arabian peninsula after that.
Khalid mustered his forces once more and began reorganizing them. He
separate(i the Muhajireen and the Ansar and kept men from different
tribes apart. Each was put under the leadership of one of its own
members so that the losses of each group in the battle might be known.
The battle raged. There was much destruction and death. The Muslims
had not experienced anything like this in all the wars they had fought
before. Musaylamah's men remained firm amidst the tumult, as firm as
immovable mountains although many of them had fallen.
The Muslims displayed tremendous feats of heroism. Thabit ibn Qays,
the standard bearer of the Ansar, dug a pit and planted himself in it
and fought until he was killed. The pit he dug turned out to be his
grave. Zayd ibn al-Khattab, brother of Umar ibn al-Khattab, may God be
pleased with them both, called out to the Muslims:"Men, bite with your
jaw teeth, strike the enemy and press on. By God, I shall not speak to
you after this until either Musaylamah is defeated or I meet God." He
then charged against the enemy and continued fighting until he was
killed. Salim, the mawla of Abu Hudhaifah, and standard bearer of the
Muhajireen displayed unexpected valor. His people feared that he would
show weakness or be too terrified to fight. To them he said, "If you
manage to overtake me, what a miserable bearer of the Quran I shall
be." He then valiantly plunged into the enemy ranks and eventually
fell as a martyr.
The bravery of all these, however, wanes in front of the heroism of
al-Baraa ibn Malik, may God be pleased with him and with them all.
As the battle grew fiercer and fiercer, Khalid turned to al-Baraaand
said, "Charge, young man of the Ansar." Al-Baraa turned to his men and
said, "O Ansar, let not anyone of you think of returning to Madinah.
There is no Madinah for you after this day. There is only Allah, then
Paradise."
He and the Ansar then launched their attack against the mushrikeen,
breaking their ranks and dealing telling blows against them until
eventually they began to withdraw. They sought refuge in a garden
whichlater became known in history as The Garden of Death because of
the many killed there on that day. The garden was surroundedby high
walls. Musaylamah and thousands of his men entered and closed the
gates behind them and fortified themselves.
From their new positions they began to rain down arrows on the Muslims.
The valiant Baraa went forward and addressed his company,"Put me on a
shield. Raise the shield on spears and hurl me into the garden near
the gate. Either I shall die a martyr or I shall open the gate for
you."
The thin and wiry al-Baraa was soon sitting on a shield. A number of
spears raised the shield and he was thrown into the Garden of Death
amongst the multitude of Musaylamah's men. He descended on them likea
thunderbolt and continued to fight them in front of the gate. Many
fell to his sword and he himself sustained numerous wounds before he
could open the gate.
The Muslims charged into the Garden of Death through the gates and
over the walls. Fighting was bitter and at close quarters and hundreds
were killed. Finally the Muslims came upon Musaylamah and he was
killed.
Al Baraa was taken in a litter to Madinah. Khalid ibn al-Walid spent a
month looking after himand tending his wounds. Eventually his
condition improved. Through him the Muslims had gained victory over
Musaylamah.
In spite of recovering from his wounds, al-Baraa continued to long for
the martyrdom which had eluded him at the Garden of Death. He went on
fighting in battle after battle hoping to attain his aim. This came at
the battle for Tustar in Persia.
At Tustar the Persians were besieged in one of their defiant
fortresses. The siege was long and when its effects became quite
unbearable, they adopted a new tactic. From the walls of the fortress,
they began to throw down iron chains at the ends of which were
fastened iron hooks which were red hot. Muslims were caught by these
hooks and were pulled up eitherdead or in the agony of death.
One of these hooks got hold of Anas ibn Malik, the brother of
al-Baraa. As soon as al-Baraa saw this, he leapt up the wall of the
fortress and grabbed the chain which bore his brother and began
undoing the hook from his body. His hand began to burn but he did not
let go before his brother was released.
Baraa himself died during this battle. He had prayed to God to grant
him martyrdom.

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