The virtues of the eve of 15 Shaaban
* Imam Al-Sadeq (pbuh) said:"Imam Al-Baqer (pbuh) was asked about the virtue of the night before the 15th of Shaaban. He (pbuh) said:"verily, it's the greatest night after the night of
fate (Al-Qadr), in which Allah grants his grace to his servants, and forgives them by his generosity. So, strive to be close to Allah at this night, for Allah swore to Himself that He will never
refuse any request except requests that lead to sins. Verily, it's the night that Allah made it for us, Ahlulbayt, as he made the night of fate (Al-Qadr) for our Prophet prayers of Allah be upon
him and his household. Hence, strive in pleading and praising Allah, for he who praises Allah (by saying SubhanAllah) one hundred times, thanks Him (by Alhamdulillah), says Allah is the Greatest
(Allahu Akbar) and says there is no God but Allah (La Ilah IllAllah ), Allah shall forgive all his previous sins and satisfy his needs in this world and the hereafter, the needs that he pleaded
for and those that Allah knew but weren't requested by the servant due to the mercy He has on His servants."
* The Prophet (PBUH) said:"He who prays at the night before 15 of Shaaban
four Rik'aas reciting in each Rik'aa Al-Fatiha once, Al-Tawheed ten times - and in another narration eleven times
and when he finishes he says:"O God forgive us" ten times, "O God have mercy on us" ten times, "O God accept our repentance " and recites Al-Tawheed twenty one times then he says:"Subhan
(Glory to Allah who awakes the dead and takes the lives of those who are alive and He is the most capable of doing everything" ten times, Allah shall satisfy his needs in this world and the
hereafter. Allah shall give him his book in his right and he will be in the safety of Allah until the next year."
*Imam Jaafar Al-Sadeq (pbuh) said:"This Nation was given three months that were not given to any other nation, which are Rajab, Shaaban and month of Ramadan. there are also
three nights that no one was given nights like them, which are the night before 13, the night before 14 and the night before 15 of every month. This nation was also given three Surahs that were
not given to any nation, which are Yaseen, Tabaraka and Al-Tawhid. So whoever joins these three matters has joined the best of what was given to this nation."The Imam (pbuh) was asked:"How could
these three be joined?" he (pbuh) said:"You Shall pray every night of these white nights of these three months the following: in the night before the 13 two Rik'aas reciting in every Rik'aa
Al-Fatiha and these three Surahs. In the night before the 14, four Rik'aas reciting in every Rik'aa Al-Fatiha and these 3 Surahs, and in the night before the 15 six Rik'aas, in every Rik'aa
Al-Fatiha and these three Surahs. Thus, he will gain the rewards of these three months and all his sins will be forgiven except polytheism."
Rituals of this Holy Eve:
Almighty Allah has chosen this night for the Ahl-ul-Bayt, in the same way as He has chosen the Qadr Night for our Prophet-peace be upon him and his Family.
"Therefore, stay awake this night in prayer and worship and encourage your Ummat to also keep awake this night in order to get closer to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) through their actions
since this is a noble night. This is a night in which not a single person supplicates to Allah except that his prayers are accepted.
Nobody asks for a single thing on this night except that it will be given to him. No one asks Allah for forgiveness except that his sins are wiped out. No one turns in repentance to Allah except
that He accepts their repentance. Whoever is deprived of the goodness of this night has definitely been deprived of something great."
1) Recite 100 times:
Subh’aanallah Walh’amdu Lillah Wa-Laa Ilaaha Illallah Ho Wal Allahu Akbar
2) Take Ghusl (Bath) with the thought of washing away sins & as if its your last Ghusl.
3) Recite 100 times 'Astaghfirullah ' with attention to seeking forgiveness.
4) Recite Ziyaraat of Imam Hussein (a.s) & Special Ziyaraat of Imam Hussein (a.s) for 15 Sha’aban as all the Prophets& Angels visit the Imam on this night.
As a short salutation, one may go to the terrace/elevated place, look left, right & towards the sky & recite:
Assalamu Alalika Ya Aba Abdillah Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah e wabarakatoh.
Peace be upon you; O Aba-`Abdullah! Peace and Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you.
5) Recite Namaz /Salaat of Jafar-e-Tayyar
6) Recite Dua’a Kumayl for seeking forgiveness.
7- Recite the following dua’a to welcome the birth of the Living Imam who was born on 15th Sha’aban 255 AH (It has the status of salutation to Imam):
O my Allah for the sake of this night we are now in, for the sake of he who was born tonight, Thy decisive argument, Thy “promise”, that Thou joined with it as a favor to keep alive its
superiority, so Thou fulfilled Thy words truly and justly; no one can change Thy Words nor obscure Thy signs.
Thy Light, soft, pleasant and caressing, Thy splendor, had come in view bright and brilliant, for the “Bright sigh”, (so far) invisible and hidden in the obscurity of the darkness, the covering
had been taken off, his arrival in this world was the basis of all kindness, the Angels stood witness.
Almighty Allah will help him and support him when the promise (the event of the beginning of his reign) come true, the Angels will be among his troops, (he will be) a fatal blow from Allah that
will never miss the aim a light from Him that will never grow dim, a gentle matured disposition that will never jeopardize the truth. The motive and reason of the course of events, the honour and
estimation of time, the “Ulil—Amr” (those who have the Divine leadership). Accompany that which comes down in the “Grand Night” the controllers of the Day of Judgment and resurrection,
interpreters of the “Revelations”, and those who make known what to do and what not to do.
O Allah send blessing on their seal and representative, un seeable to their people, make his days, his return, his time, reach maturity, (let us be with him), as his helpers, let us be his
attacking comrades to hunt up and eliminate the beasts (in human shapes), register our names as his supporters and sincere followers, bring us to life again in his reign, gentle and loving, happy
and satisfied in his company, and steadfast in his cause, free from sins, O the Most Merciful! (All) praise is for Allah, the Lords of the worlds! His blessings be on our Chief, Muhammad, the
Last Prophet and Messenger, and on his dependable “Ahl-ul-Bayt”, his truth-revealing children, and condemn all the oppressors and keep back from evil they unleash at us, O the Best
Ruler!
8- Recite Dua’a as taught by Imam Sadiq (a.s) to Ismail bin Fadhal Hashamy:
O Allah, You are, The Ever-living, the self-subsiding, The most High, the Mighty The Creator, the Provider, The Giver of life and death, The Initiator, the Originator For You is Glory and
Excellence, Praise and Grace, Generosity and Honor. For You is the Order, and Magnificence and gratitude. You are Alone; there is no partner for You. O One, O Absolute one. O he who has not given
birth nor was He born, and there is none equal to Him. Bless Muhammad and his family, and forgive me, have mercy on me, and suffice for what is important to me. Fulfill my debts, and increase my
sustenance. For surely, on this night, every affair is decreed,
and You provide sustenance to whomever You please from your creation. So provide me, for You are the bets of the providers. And You have said, and You are the best of those who say and utter,
"And ask Allah from His Bounty" So I ask You from Your Bounty, and You only I seek, and on the son of Your Prophet I lean, in You I have hope, then have mercy on me, O Most Merciful of the
Merciful.
9- Recite Dua’a which the Holy Prophet (PBUH) used to recite during this eve:
O Allah, grant us a part of Your fear, that acts as a barrier between us and Your disobedience, Your obedience, that helps us achieve Your pleasure, the certainty that makes the miseries of the
world seem insignificant. O Allah, make us enjoy, our hearing, our sight, our strength as long as You Keep us alive. Make us take rise against those who oppress us, and help us against those who
show animosity to us. Place not our miseries in our religion, and let not this world be our biggest concern, nor the extent of our knowledge. And do not appoint over us one who has no mercy on
us, by your mercy, O Most Merciful of the Merciful.
10- Imam Muhammad Baqir and Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s) used to pray a 4 Rakaat prayer tonight as follow:
In Every Rakaat recite Surah Hamd (The Opening), 100 times and Surah Ikhlaas (The Purity) 100 times After the Salaam recite the following dua’a:
O my Allah! I am, before Thee a needy, afraid of Thy displeasure, but hopeful of receiving Thy protection.
O my Allah do not substitute my name (from the list of the faithful), nor let my body (material aspects) undergo a change, nor put me to severe test and trial, nor subject me to the enemy’s
ridicule.
I take refuge with Thy forgiveness to avoid Thy retribution, I take refuge with Thy mercy to avoid Thy punishment, I take refuge with Thy indulgence to avoid Thy displeasure, I take refuge with
Thee from Thee, Glorious and sublime is Thy praise as Thou praises Thyself, but above and beyond that which the best orators say.
11- Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s) had advised the faithful to pray a 2 Rakaat prayer tonight, after Ishaa prayers, as under: In the first Rakaat recite Surah Hamd (The Opening), and Surah Al Kaafiroon.
In the second Rakaat recite Surah Hamd (The Opening), and Surah Ikhlaas (The Purity). After the Salaam recite “Tasbih of Fatimah Zahra (s.a).”. ie -subhanallah’ thirty-three times,
‘Alhamdulillah’ thirty-three times, and ‘allahu-akbar’ thirty-four times and then following Dua’a:
O He to whom the bondmen turn to in the event of urgent important matters; and unto whom run for help the people when the misfortune strikes!
O He who knows the hidden as well as the evident! O He who is not unaware of the bias of the suspicious mind, and the clever activity of the fanciful deviating intellect!
O Lord of the cosmos and the creatures dwelling therein! O He who exercises full authority over the domain of the heavens and the earths! Thou art Allah, There is no God save Thou, I stride apace
unto Thee with
“There is no god save Thou” (on my lips), therefore O "There is no god save Thou”, treat me tonight like the one whom Thou paid attention, took pity and heard his prayer, and, aware of his
trembling, tolerated and overlooked his past misdeeds and may mistakes to give answer to his cry of help, I surrender myself to Thee along with my transgressions and make a request to please keep
my defects undisclosed.
O my Allah put me again in good condition (because) Thou art Generous and kind, take off the loads of my errors (because) Thou art loving and oft-forgiving, cover me with Thy mercy tonight
(because) Thou shows generosity in abundance, let me be tonight among Thy friends whom Thou elected to obey Thee, when Thou selected to worship Thee, and kept them sincerely attached and
committed to Thee.
O my Allah let me be like the one who finds happiness in his efforts and makes full use of the good fortune made available to him, let me be like the one who kept from evil, therefore, lived a
life free of cares; exercised self-control, therefore won easily. Spare and free me for the cravings I have accumulated, prevent me from the wasteful conduct that transgress Thy bounds,
discipline me in Thy obedience which will direct me to Thy neighborhood, very near to Thee.
My Lord and master with Thee the hunted refugee take refuge, the beseecher humbly makes a request to Thee, the repentant guilty, apologetic, relies on Thy liberal kindness, Thou trained and
educated Thy servants thoroughly to be kind and liberal, Thou art the most kind of all those who show kindness;
Thou developed Thy servants to be forgiving and compassionate; Thou art Of-Forgiving Merciful. O my Allah do not keep from me that which I expect to get from Thy generosity, do not send me away
from Thy boundless reservoir of bounties, do not exclude me from the share Thou distribute freely tonight to the people who obey Thee, and take me in under Thy sanctuary to protect me from the
evil of the wild creatures. Lord! If I am not among the deserving, Thou art Liberal, indulgent, and Of-Forgiving, so give me to my heart’s content in accordance with Thy (Omni) potency, not what
I deserve; l because my expectations are very high, my hopes live in hope of sure fulfillment, I cling to and hang on Thy liberal generosity, verily Thou art the most Merciful of all who show
mercy, and the most generous of all who vie in generosity.
O my Allah designates me clearly to obtain freely my share from Thy bounties. I seek refuge with Thy forgiveness to avoid the penalty Thou may decide, be lenient to me in the matter of sins that
have wrapped up and held in check my refinement, and thus brought me into distress, (so that) I take steps to be good for the sake of Thy pleasure, live in ease and peace on account of Thy
uninterrupted endowments, and prosper on account of Thy countless bounties.
As I enjoy Thy protection and lay myself at the mercy of Thy generosity, take refuge with Thy forgiveness to avoid the penalty Thou may decide and with Thy indulgence to avoid Thy anger, give me
that which I asked for, and made a request to Thee most humbly, I beseech Thee; For Thee nothing is beyond Thy power.
Then go into Sajdah and say:
YAA RABB 20 times
YAA ALLAAH 7 times
LAA H’AWLA WA LAA QUWWAATA ILLAA BILLAAH 7 times
MAA SHAAA-ALLAAH 10 times
ALLHUMMA S’ALLI A’LAA MUH’AMMADIN WA ALLI
MUH’AMMAD
11-Shaykh Toosi (r.a) and Kafami (r.a) have advised the faithful to recite the Dua"a for 15th Night of Sha’aban:
In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful.
O` my Allah the seekers have presented before You their requests in this night and the ambitious has resolved to reach Your guidance and the seekers are hoping Your grace and
bounties.
And in this night you bestow Your hidden bounties, the provisions, gifts and presents upon those of Your creatures whom You please and You deny the same to the one for whom no divine decree has
been ordained.
And here I am you worthless bondmen in want but hopeful for getting grace and bounties. O` my Master if You have kindly bestowed in this night on any one from Your creation and benefits, please
bestow Your blessings no Mohammad and his pure and purified progeny, the best of the learned, and be kind to bestow on me Your wealth and bounties. O` the Lord of the Prophets and pure progeny
and His perfect greetings of salutatio0ns on them. Verily Allah is praise worthy and
glorious.
O` Allah I invoke you as taught by You . You therefore grant me my requests as You did promise. You surely do not go against Your promise.
O` Allah! Send Your Blessings on Mohammad and his Progeny, Ameen.
12- The Holy Prophet (PBUH) used to recite the following in Sajdah tonight after the Tahajjud prayers: [It can also be recited tonight after praying a 10 Rakaat Namaz in 5 sets of 2 Rakaat each;
in each Rakaat recite Surah Hamd (The Opening), once, and Surah Ikhlaas (The Purity) 10 times]:
I prostrate my self in adoration before Thee, my thoughts and feelings in close attention, putting faith in Thee from the bottom of my heart.
These are my two hands and that which they pluck and gather for me, O the Great, (to do) every noble deed reliance is upon Thee, forgive my serious offences because, beyond a shadow of doubt, no
one can forgive the grave transgression except the Great Lord.
I adhere close to the Light of Thy Being that had illuminated the heavens and the earths, removed and exposed the darkness, put in order the “operation”, from the beginning to the end, at all
times free from violent and unexpected changes to the worse, absence of recovery and adjustment and discontinuation of the supply of natural resources.
O Allah give me a knowing fearing, clean conscience, free from hypocrisy, which is neither renegade nor villainous. I put my face on the earth and roll in the dust because it is imposed as a duty
that I prostrate myself in adoration before Thee
13- According to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) it is desirable to pray a 100 Rakaat Namaz tonight, in 50 sets of 2 Rakaat each as follows: In every Rakaat, after the recitation of Surah Hamd (The
Opening), recite Surah Ikhlaas (The Purity) 10 times. After the Namaz recite the following:
• Ayatul Kursi 10 times
• Surah Hamd (The Opening)10 times
• Subh’aanallah 100 times
14- According to Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s) It is desirable to pray a 6 Rakaat Namaz tonight, in 3 sets of 2 Rakaat each, as under: In every Rakaat recite Surah Hamd (The Opening), Surah Yaa Seen and
Surah Al Mulk(Dominion).
15- Recite the following tonight and every night during the rest of the month.
O Allah if Thou has forgiven us during the previous days of Sha’aban, then please be merciful to us in the days now follow
18- Also recite regular Salwat of Sha’aban & Munajat Shabaniyah.
