Laylat ul-Bara'at

Imam Haskafi said in his Durr al-Mukhtar, one of the primary references of Islamic Law and Jurisprudence in
the Hanafi school:

"Among the recommended [prayers] are on. . . . the nights of the two Eids, the middle of Sha`ban, the last ten
of Ramadan, and the first [ten] of Dhul-Hijjah."

1. Ibn Hibban narrated from Mu`adh ibn Jabal in his Sahih, and the
editor of the Sahih Shu`ayb Arna'ut confirmed as sound:

The Prophet said "Allah looks at His creation in the night of
Nisfu-Sha`ban and He forgives all His creation except for a mushrik (idolater) or a mushahin (one bent on
hatred)."

Haythami said that Tabarani also narrated it in his Kabir and Awsat
With chains containing only trustworthy narrators, that is: sound (sahih) chains;
Ibn Khuzayma included it in his Sahih, which has the same level of
acceptance among the experts as Sahih Muslim

2. Ahmad and Ibn Majah [Chapter Salaah] relate from `Ali ibn Abi Talib:

The Prophet said: "The night of Nisfu-Sha`ban let all of you spend in
prayer and its day in fasting, for Allah descends to the nearest heaven during that night beginning with sunset
and says: Is there no one asking forgiveness that I may forgive them? Is there no one asking sustenance that I
may grant them sustenance? Is there no one
under trial that I may relieve them? Is there not such-and-such, is there not such-and-such, and so forth until
until dawn rises.

However, its chain contains Ibn Abi Sabra who is weak (da`if).

Sayiddina Ali said "on the night of the 15th Sha'ban stay up all night
in
worshipping Allah (s.w.t) and fast its day."

The famous Tabieen scholar, Ka'b al-Ahbar (r) said:
"Allah sent the night of 15th of Shaban with Jibreel to Paradise and he
ordered the paradise to decorate itself and he announced in Paradise
that
Allah on that night has freed from hellfire as many persons as the
number of
stars in the universe."


3. Tirmidhi and Ahmad narrate from `Abd Allah ibn `Amr, and al-Bazzar
with a chain he graded as good (hasan) through the great Tabi`i jurist
al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq:

"Allah looks upon His creatures on the night of mid-Sha`ban and He
forgives all His servants except two: one intent on hatred, and the homicide."

4. Bayhaqi relates from `A'isha in Shu`ab al-iman with his chain of
transmission:
She said:
"The Prophet stood up in prayer during part of the night and made his
prostration so lengthy that I thought his soul had been taken back.
When I saw this I got up and went to move his big toe, whereupon he moved, so I drew back. When he raised
his head from prostration and finished praying, he s.a.w said: "O `A'isha, O fair little one (humayra')!  Did
you think that the Prophet had broken his agreement with you?" She replied: "No, by Allah, O Messenger of
Allah, but I thought that your soul had been taken back because your stayed in prostration for so long." He s.a.
w said: "Do you know what night this is?" She said: "Allah and His Prophet know best." He said:
"This is the night of Nisfu-Sha`ban! Verily Allah the Glorious and Majestic look at His servants on the night
of Nisfu-Sha`ban, and He forgives those who ask forgiveness, and He bestows mercy on those who ask mercy,
and He gives a delay to the people of envy and spite in their state."

Bayhaqi continues: "This hadith is missing the Companion in its chain,
And is a good hadith (hadha mursal jayyid). It is probable that al-`Ala' ibn al-Harith took it from Makhul, and
Allah knows best."

5. Tirmidhi, Ahmad, and Ibn Majah relate: From `A'isha: 'I missed the
Prophet one night so I went out to al-Baqi` (and found him). He said:
"Were you afraid that Allah would wrong you and that His Prophet would wrong you?" I said: "O Messenger
of Allah, I thought that you might have gone to visit one of your wives."
He said: "Allah Glorious and Exalted descends to the nearest heaven on
The night of Nisfu-Sha`ban and He forgives to more people than the number of hairs on the hides of the sheep
of the tribes of Kalb.

Tirmidhi [Kitab-us-Siyaam], Ahmad, and Ibn Majah.

Tirmidhi said that he had heard that Bukhari had graded this hadith weak because some of the sub-narrators did
not narrate directly from each other. [but this is compensated by the fact that Ibn Majah has narrated it with
different narrations (chains).]


Allah Taala Himself says in the Blessed Quran:
"inna anzalnahu fi laylatin mubarakatin inna kunna mundhirin-Fiha
yufraqu
kullu Amrin Hakeem".
Lo! We revealed it on a BLESSED NIGHT - Lo! We are ever-warning; in it [that night] every wise command
is made clear
(44:3-6)
There is a Hadith which Imam Tabari (Radi allahu unho) narrates through `Ikrimah [Rah'] that the Prophet
[May Allah bless Him and grant Him peace] said, ‘From Shabaan to Shabaan there is a decision made of who is
going to die, be married and some people get married but their names are written in the death program. [Tafsir
Tabari, under Surah Dukhan, verse 1 by Imam Tabari]