Dought & clear, - Should he fast on the fifteenth of Sha’baan even if the hadeeth is da'eef?

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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 halfway through 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 night in 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 the heading of da’eef (weak), rather it comes under the heading of mawdoo’ (fabricated) and baatil (false). So it is not permissible to follow it 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 bookal-Mawdoo’aat, 2/440-445; Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah inal-Manaar al-Muneef, no. 174- 177; Abu Shaamah al-Shaafa’i inal-Baa’ith ‘ala Inkaar al-Bida’ wa’l-Hawaadith, 124-137; al-‘Iraaqi inTakhreej Ihyaa’ ‘Uloom il-Deen, no. 582. Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] narrated that there was consensus on the fact that they are false, inMajmoo’ al-Fataawa, 28/138.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inHukm 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 weak opinion. 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 be followed at all, even if they speak of righteous deeds or of targheeb and tarheeb (promises and warnings). The saheeh reports are sufficient and the Muslim has no need to follow the da’eef reports. Nothing is known in Islam to suggest that this night 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.
And Allaah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - Celebrating a child’s first fast

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In my country, the family celebrates the first day that their son or daughter fasts, by making food on that occasion and inviting the family to come and eat at the time of iftaar (breaking the fast). This event is called a “celebration of the first fast.” I would like to know the following:
1. What is the Islamic ruling on celebrating this event; is it permissible to attend if I am invited, and to eat this food?
2. What is your view on parties to celebrate the iftaar by inviting the people to come and have iftaar in a particular place?
3. In most of the mosques, the Qur’an is completed on the night of the twenty-seventh and sweets are handed out in the mosque; what is the Islamic ruling on that?
May Allah reward you with good for your efforts for His sake.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
There is nothing wrong, in sha Allah, with the family celebrating the first time a boy or girl fasts, so long as it is limited to this occasion only, and will not become something that is repeated. There is nothing wrong with expressing happiness when the child reaches the age to observe this act of worship, or to encourage him and help him understand that this is an important event in his life. It is also a blessing for which thanks should be given to Allah. Some of the scholars regard it as mustahabb to make food for every happy occasion, and they specifically mentioned making food when a child completes the Qur’an.
See the answer to question no. 89705
Secondly:
If the reason for meeting to have iftaar is to spread love and harmony among those who gather, especially if they are relatives or if they are in a foreign land, and to encourage them to uphold ties with one another and show compassion towards one another, and to strengthen the bonds between Muslim families and their children, or that is done to help feed people and give iftaar to those who are fasting, and other valid purposes, then there is nothing wrong with it. In fact it is something praiseworthy that should be encouraged according to the purpose for which it is done, so long as it is not regarded as a Sunnah and is not taken by the participants as a regular “eid” other than the Eids prescribed in Islam, such that they gather on a particular day or in a particular manner, thinking that doing so has a particular virtue in Islamic terms.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
I announce in one of the mosques that there will be an iftaar for everyone who wants to fast every Thursday. What is the ruling on that?
He replied: There is nothing wrong with making this announcement, because it is an announcement that is calling to good and the aim of it is not to buy or sell. What is haraam is to make announcements having to do with buying and selling, or renting and hiring, which are purposes for which the mosques were not built. As for calling people to good, feeding people and giving charity, there is nothing wrong with that.
With regard to its nature, and whether it is a gathering to perform a kind of worship, in fact they did not announce a communal fast; rather they announced iftaar only, so there is nothing wrong with that. And Allah knows best. End quote.
Thirdly:
The night of the twenty seventh of Ramadan is one of the odd-numbered nights among the last ten, on which Laylat al-Qadr may occur, according to the saheeh report narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But Laylat al-Qadr is not necessarily on this particular night according to the correct view; rather it may be on this night or on some other of the last ten nights, although this night is the most likely of those nights.
Based on that, it is not correct to be certain that it is always Laylat al-Qadr or to believe that. But if a person increases his prayers or strives harder in that, on the basis that it is the most likely of the last ten nights, there is nothing wrong with that, in sha Allah. As for singling it out for completing the Qur’an on that night, that is something that should not be done, lest it be believed for certain that it is Laylat al-Qadr. We know of no basis for doing that from the practice of the early generations.
With regard to distributing sweets on that night, we do not know of any basis for that. It seems that this is a kind of taking that night as an Eid. It is not prescribed to single out that night for that purpose; rather it is not prescribed to do that deliberately on that night or any of the other nights on the basis of its virtue. However, if the purpose of giving out these sweets is to be kind to small children and do something nice for them, it should not be done only on that night; rather if it is done every time there is a need for it, that is Islamically acceptable.
And Allah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - Ruling on one who misinterprets the attributes of Allah, may He be exalted

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I want to ask about the one who denies the attributes of Allah: is he a Muslim or not? Such as the one who says that what is meant by the “hand of Allah” is the power of Allah, and they misinterpret other attributes of Allah. Is it the case that these people who deny the divine attributes are not of Ahl as-Sunnah, or are they beyond the pale of Islam altogether?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The teaching of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah with regard to the Tawheed (Oneness) of the Divine names and attributes is that they believe in what it says in the Book of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and in that which is proven from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), without any misinterpretation(interpreting them in a way other than they appear to mean) or likening Him to His creation, and without distorting the meaning or denying the Divine names and attributes. So they ascribe to Allah, may He be exalted, that which He has ascribed to Himself and that which His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) has ascribed to Him.
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Ahl as-Sunnah unanimously agreed on affirming and believing in all the divine attributes mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and understanding them in a true sense (as they appear to be), not as being metaphorical. But they do not discuss how any of them are. As for the innovators, Jahamis and Mu‘tazilah, and the Khaarijis, all of them deny them and do not understand any of them in a true sense (as they appear to be).
End quote fromat-Tamheed, 7/145
Secondly:
The one who denies the names and attributes of Allah altogether and does not ascribe them to Allah, may He be exalted, as is the case with the baatinis (esoteric sects) and the extreme Jahamis, is a kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam, disbelieves in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and goes against the consensus (ijmaa‘) of the ummah.
The same applies to anyone who denies any of the names or attributes of Allah that Allah, may He be exalted, has affirmed in His Book; he is a disbeliever, because what is implied by his denial is that he rejects the Qur’an.
With regard to the one who misinterprets any of the attributes of Allah and distorts its meaning, such as those who misinterpret the attribute of the hand as referring to His power, and they say that istiwa’ (rising over the Throne) means taking control of it, and so on, he is mistaken in interpreting it in a manner other than the apparent meaning, and he is an innovator in so far as what he believes is contrary to the Sunnah, and he has strayed from the path of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah. But he is not a disbeliever just because of this misinterpretation, and he may be excused for his efforts to understand, depending on his level of knowledge and faith. Rather the measuring stick in that regard is the extent to which he sought to learn what the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught and the extent of his keenness to follow him.
Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It is not permissible to misinterpret the divine attributes or to understand them in any way other than their apparent meaning in a manner that is befitting to Allah, or to say that knowledge of what is meant belongs only to Allah. Rather all of that comes under the heading of the beliefs of the innovators. As for Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, they do not misinterpret the verses and hadeeths that speak of the divine attributes, and they do not understand them in a way other than the apparent meaning, and they do not say that knowledge of what is meant belongs only to Allah. Rather they believe that every meaning (of these attributes) that may be indicated is true in a manner that is befitting to Allah, may He be exalted, without likening Him to His creation.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 2/106-107
He was also asked (may Allah have mercy on him):
Are the Ash‘aris among Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah or not? Do we regard them as being fellow Sunnis or as being disbelievers?
He replied:
The Ash‘aris are among Ahl as-Sunnah with regard to most matters, but they are not among them with regard to interpretation of the divine attributes, but they are not disbelievers either. Rather among them are some leading scholars and good people, but they erred in their interpretation of some of the divine attributes.
They differed from Ahl as-Sunnah in some issues, such as the interpretation of most of the divine attributes, in which they were mistaken. The view of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah is to accept the verses and hadeeths that speak of the divine attributes as they came, without interpreting them (in a way other than the apparent meaning), denying them, distorting the meaning or likening Allah to His creation.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 28/256
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ar-Raajihi was asked:
If it is proven that the Ash‘aris have misinterpreted one of the divine attributes, are they to be regarded as disbelievers?
He replied: No, the one who misinterprets and misunderstands some (of the divine attributes) is not to be regarded as a disbeliever; the one who denies one of the names of Allah becomes a disbeliever. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“while they disbelieve in the Most Beneficent (Allah)” [ar-Ra ‘d13:30]. If he denies one of the names or attributes of Allah without misinterpreting it, then he becomes a disbeliever. And Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):“The Most Beneficent (Allah) Istawa (rose over) the (Mighty) Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty)” [Ta-Ha 20:5]. If he denies this verse, he becomes a disbeliever, but if he misinterprets it as referring to taking control, then in that case he is confused, therefore we cannot say that he is a disbeliever. End quote.
www.ar.islam way.net
For information on the conditions of labelling a specific individual as a disbeliever, please see the answer to question no. 107105
Thirdly:
The Khaarijis are one of the misguided sects who have gone beyond the pale of Islam. And Allah knows best.

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Quran - 2. Al-Baqara (The Cow) Surah: 2 Aya: 194 Transliteration 194. Alshshahru alharamu bialshshahri alharami waalhurumatu qisasun famani iAAtada AAalaykum faiAAtadoo AAalayhi bimithli ma iAAtada AAalaykum waittaqoo Allaha waiAAlamoo anna Allaha maAAa almuttaqeena Translation 194. The sacred month is for the sacred month, and for the prohibited things, there is the Law of Equality (Qisâs). Then whoever transgresses the prohibition against you, you transgress likewise against him. And fear Allâh, and know that Allâh is with Al-Muttaqûn (the pious - see V.2:2) .

2. Al-Baqara (The Cow)
Surah: 2 Aya: 194
Transliteration
194. Alshshahru alharamu bialshshahri alharami waalhurumatu qisasun
famani iAAtada AAalaykum faiAAtadoo AAalayhi bimithli ma iAAtada
AAalaykum waittaqoo Allaha waiAAlamoo anna Allaha maAAa almuttaqeena
Translation
194. The sacred month is for the sacred month, and for the prohibited
things, there is the Law of Equality (Qisâs). Then whoever
transgresses the prohibition against you, you transgress likewise
against him. And fear Allâh, and know that Allâh is with Al-Muttaqûn
(the pious - see V.2:2) .