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Greatness of the 15th of the Month of Sha'ban

Greatness of the 15th of the Month of Sha'ban

Translated from Al-Muraqibat written by the Dedicated Scholar and Accomplished Gnostic, the Late Ayatullah Hajj Mirza Jawad Malaki Tabrizi (may Allah shower him with grace) by Saleem Bhimji (al-mubin@al-mubin.org [3])

This article can be found on www.al-haqq.com [4] and www.al-mubin.org [5]

Translators Note: Upon examining this collection of A'mal, the believers will observe that in addition to the recommended Salat and supplications that can be found in the common books of Du'a (such as Mafatih al-Jinan), we have also tried to elaborate on the deeper, less known spiritual aspects of the acts of worship that are not commonly mentioned in the conventional books of Du'a. Our main purpose behind these and other presentations is to expound on the inner secrets and mystical acts of the worship that should be performed on the various occasions as understood by the Scholars of 'Irfan that are not found in 'main-stream' books of supplication.

It should also be noted that we have not included the translation of all the supplications due to lack of space. For those wishing to read the English translation, we invite you to refer to the book, 'A'maal of Rajab and Sha'ban' published by Tayyiba Publishers and Distributors or any of the website that provide translations of these and other supplications.

We request those who make use of this booklet to remember the translator and his family in their prayers and request you to pray to Allah to grant us the ability to present the translations of these beautiful supplications in the future for the benefit of the Mu'minin who do not understand 'Arabic.

Both the night and day of the 15th of Sha'ban are very special times due to various events that have occurred on this day, including the following:

This is one of the Nights of Power (Lailatul Qadr) and it is on this night in which the sustenance and the life span of everyone is written down, just as it has been mentioned in many ahadith. It some of the narrations it has been mentioned that, "Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has decreed this night as the Night of Power for the Ummah of Islam just as He decreed the Night of Power (in the month of Ramadhan) for the Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny)."

By examining this hadith we see that there is a difference of dates (for Lailatul Qadr) which result in the Night of Power being more than one night (both during the month of Ramadhan and on the 15th of Sha'ban), however the best way for us to understand this is to say that there are various levels of decrees (Qadr) with Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) which may explain why there are various Nights of Qadr.

This is also the night in which the special Ziyarat of Imam al-Husain (peace be upon him) should be performed (there is a specific Ziyarat to be read on the 15th of Sha'ban) since in addition to the Angels, 100,000 Prophets (peace be upon all of them) also visit the Imam on this night and this event as well shows the importance of this night.

This is one of the times where we have been encouraged to stay awake the entire night in worshipping and servitude to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) which has a great reward such that we can say that there is not a single night - whether it be the night of Qadr or otherwise that is equivalent or greater than this night for worship.

It is also the night of the birth of our Imam (al-Zaman) who, when he makes his glorious advent, will fill the world with justice, cleanse the Earth of all evil and sin and who will rule over the entire globe.
Important Acts of 'Ibadat on the 15th of Sha'ban

1) The first thing that that Salik (the Wayfarer on the path towards Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He) must perform on this night is that he must remove the material pleasures and enjoyments of this world from in front of his eyes (and from his heart) and in order to make the most of this special night and ensure that all of his actions are performed properly, he must think to himself that tonight is his last night on this Earth (meaning that tomorrow he shall die) and thus, he will no longer have the opportunity to perform any more good deeds and that tomorrow the Day of Judgment will take place.
Even before this stage, prior to the night of the 15th, the Salik must keep in mind and identify to himself what acts of 'Ibadat he wishes to perform and if he sees that there are two acts that carry the same reward, then he should choose the one which is more difficult to perform.

Of the important acts on this night is the following Salat (Namaz):

One hundred Rak'at of Salat in which Surah al-Ikhlas is recited one thousand times in each Rak'at. The greatness and reward of this Salat is even more than the next Salat that we will mention.

Four Rak'at of Salat and in each Rak'at, Surah al-Ikhlas is recited either 50, 100 or 250 times. After this, the following supplication should be recited once:

اللهم إني إليك فقير، ومن عذابك خائف مستجير، اللهم لا تبدل اسمي، ولا تغير جسمي، ولا تجهد بلائي، ولا تشمت بي أعدائي، أعوذ بعفوك من عقابك، وأعوذ برحمتك من عذابك، وأعوذ برضاك من سخطك، وأعوذ بك منك، جل ثناؤك، أنت أثنيت على نفسك وفوق ما يقول القائلون.

O my Allah! I am, before Thee a needy, afraid of Thy displeasure. 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.

Two Rak'at Salat in which it has been mentioned in the ahadith that Shaykh Tusi has narrated that Abi Yahya asked Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) that, "'What is the best supplication?' The Imam (peace be upon him) replied, 'After you have performed your Salat al-Isha, perform a two Rak'at Salat. In the first Rak'at after Surah al-Fatiha, recite Surah al- Jahad (Surah al-Kafirun) and in the second Rak'at after Surah al-Fatiha, recite Surah al-Ikhlas. Once you have finished your Salat, say the following:

33 Times

سبحان الله

33 Times

الحمد لله

34 Times

الله أكبر

Following this, recite the following supplication:

يَا مَنْ إلَيْهِ مَلْجَأُ الْعِبَادِ فِي الْمُهِمَّاتِ، وَإلَيْهِ يَفْزَعُ الْخَلْقُ فِي الْمُلِمَّاتِ، يَا عَالِمَ الْجَهْرِ وَالْخَفِيَّاتِ، يَا مَنْ لا تَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ خَوَاطِرُ الأَوْهَامِ وَتَصَرُّفُ الْخَطَرَاتِ، يَارَبَّ الْخَلائِقِ وَالْبَرِيَّاتِ،يَا مَنْ بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ الأَرَضِينَ وَالسَّمَاوَاتِ، أَنْتَ اللّهُ لا إلهَ إلاَّ أَنْتَ، أَمُتُّ إلَيْكَ بِلا إلهَ إلاَّ أَنْتَ، فَيَا لا إلهَ إلاَّ أَنْتَ اجْعَلْنِي فِي هذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ مِمَّنْ نَظَرْتَ إلَيْهِ فَرَحِمْتَهُ، وَسَمِعْتَ دُعَاءَهُ فَأَجَبْتَهُ، وَعَلِمْتَ اسْتِقَالَتَهُ فَأَقَلْتَهُ، وَتَجَاوَزْتَ عَنْ سَالِفِ خَطِيئَتِهِ وَعَظِيمِ جَرِيرَتِهِ، فَقَدِ اسْتَجَرْتُ بِكَ مِنْ ذُنُوبِي، وَلَجَأْتُ إلَيْكَ فِي سَتْرِ عُيُوبِي. اللّهُمَّ فَجُدْ عَلَيَّ بِكَرَمِكَ وَفَضلِكَ، وَاحْطُطْ خَطَايَايَ بِحِلْمِكَ وَعَفْوِكَ، وَتَغَمَّدْنِي فِي هذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ بِسَابِغِ كَرَامَتِكَ، وَاجْعَلْنِي فِيهَا مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِكَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَبَيْتَهُمْ لِطَاعَتِكَ، وَاخْتَرْتَهُمْ لِعِبَادَتِكَ، وَجَعَلْتَهُمْ خَالِصَتَكَ وَصِفْوَتَكَ. اللّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِمَّنْ سَعَدَ جَدُّهُ، وَتَوَفَّرَ مِنَ الْخَيْرَاتِ حَظُّهُ، وَاجْعَلْنِي مِمَّنْ سَلِمَ فَنَعِمَ، وَفَازَ فَغَنِمَ، وَاكْفِنِي شَرَّ مَا أَسْلَفْتُ، وَاعْصِمْنِي مِنَ الإزْدِيَادِ فِي مَعْصِيَتِكَ، وَحَبِّبْ إلَيَّ طَاعَتَكَ وَمَا يُقَرِّبُنِي مِنْكَ وَيُزْلِفُنِي عِنْدَكَ. سَيِّدِي إلَيْكَ يَلْجَأُ الْهَارِبُ، وَمِنْكَ يَلْتَمِسُ الطَّالِبُ، وَعَلَى كَرَمِكَ يُعَوِّلُ الْمُسْتَقِيلُ التَّائِبُ، أَدَّبْتَ عِبَادَكَ بِالتَّكَرُّمِ وَأَنْتَ أَكْرَمُ الأَكْرَمِينَ، وَأَمَرْتَ بِالْعَفْوِ عِبَادَكَ وَأَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ. اللّهُمَّ فَلا تَحْرِمْنِي مَا رَجَوْتُ مِنْ كَرَمِكَ، وَلا تُؤْيِسْنِي مِنْ سَابِغِ نِعَمِكَ، وَلا تُخَيِّبْنِي مِنْ جَزِيلِ قِسَمِكَ فِي هذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ لأهْلِ طَاعَتِكَ، وَاجْعَلْنِي فِي جُنَّةٍ مِنْ شِرَارِ بَرِيَّتِكَ، رَبِّ إنْ لَمْ أَكُنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ ذلِكَ فَأَنْتَ أَهْلُ الْكَرَمِ وَالْعَفْوِ وَالْمَغْفِرَةِ، وَجُدْ عَلَيَّ بِمَا أَنْتَ أَهْلُهُ لا بِمَا أَسْتَحِقُّهُ، فَقَدْ حَسُنَ ظَنِّي بِكَ، وَتَحَقَّقَ رَجَائِي لَكَ، وَعَلِقَتْ نَفْسِي بِكَرَمِكَ فَأَنْتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ، وَأَكْرَمُ الأَكْرَمِينَ. اللّهُمَّ وَاخْصُصْنِي مِنْ كَرَمِكَ بِجَزِيلِ قِسَمِكَ، وَأَعُوذُ بِعَفْوِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ، وَاغْفِرْ لِيَ الذَّنْبَ الَّذِي يَحْبِسُ عَلَيَّ الْخُلُقَ، وَيُضَيِّقُ عَلَيَّ الرّزْقَ حَتَّى أَقُومَ بِصَالِحِ رِضَاكَ، وَأَنْعَمَ بِجَزِيلِ عَطَائِكَ، وَأَسْعَدَ بِسَابِغِ نَعْمَائِكَ، فَقَدْ لُذْتُ بِحَرَمِكَ، وَتَعَرَّضْتُ لِكَرَمِكَ، وَاسْتَعَذْتُ بِعَفْوِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ، وَبِحِلْمِكَ مِنْ غَضَبِكَ، فَجُدْ بِمَا سَأَلْتُكَ، وَأَنِلْ مَا الْتَمَسْتُ مِنْكَ، أَسْأَلُكَ بِكَ لا بِشَيْءٍ هُوَ أَعْظَمُ مِنْكَ.

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 Oft-Forgiving, so give me to my heart’s content in accordance with Thy (Omni)potence, 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 designate 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:

Twenty times:

يا رب

Seven times:

يا الله

Seven times:

لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله

Ten times:

ما شاء الله لا قوة إلا بالله

Then send blessings on Muhammad and his family and ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for your legitimate desires. I swear by Allah that if through these actions you were to ask Him for a (specific) number of drops of rain to fall upon you, then through His Generosity and Favor, you would be granted it.''

If this night is very long and the person is able to recite this Salat and the one hundred Rak'at with the recitation of Surah al-Ikhlas one thousand times, then he would have definitely reached to a level of greatness since in addition to the hadith (that mentions these prayers and supplications) being authentic, the rewards for performing these two Salat are so great that a person's intelligence cannot even begin to fathom it.

3) Of the important acts that have been mentioned in the ahadith is the one narrated in the book Iqbalul A'mal in which the following incident has been narrated:

The Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) said, "I was sleeping on the night of the 15th of Sha'ban which the Angel Jibra'il came to me and said, 'Muhammad! Why are you sleeping on this night?' I replied, 'O' Jibra'il! What night is this (that I should not be sleeping)?' The Angel replied, 'This is the night of the 15th of Sha'ban. Get up O' Muhammad!'

At this point, he made get up and took me to the graveyard of Baqi' and then said, 'Lift your head up since tonight is the night when the doors of the Heavens are opened. The Doors of Mercy: these are the Door of Ridhwan (Allah's Pleasure), the Door of Maghfirah (Allah's Forgiveness), the Door of Fadhl (Allah's Grace), the Door of Tawbah (Allahs acceptance of Repentance), the Door of Ni'mah (Allah's Blessing), the Door of Jud (Allah's Clemency) and the Door of Ihsan (Allah's Goodness). On this night, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will free an equal number of people from the hell fire as the number of hair and fur on the total number of cows and sheep. It is on this night that the time of one's death has been written down and for the period of one year, his sustenance has been divided and whatever will happen during this year (to that person) has been ordained.

O' Muhammad! Whoever spends this night by saying, "Allahu Akbar", "Subhan Allah" and "La Ilaha Illallah" and is busy in the recitation of supplications and Salat, reciting of Qur'an and the other recommended acts and keeps busy in asking for forgiveness for the whole night will have Paradise as his final abode and resting place and all of his previous and future sins will be forgiven.

O' Muhammad! Whoever recites one hundred Rak'at of Salat on this night and recites Fatihatul Kitab (Surah al-Hamd) once and Surah al-Ikhlas ten times and after finishing the Salat recites Ayatul Kursi ten times and Surah al-Hamd ten times and says Subhanallah one hundred times, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will forgive one hundred of the major sins (that this person has committed) which would have led him to destruction and the hell fire. In return for every Surah of the Qur'an and every Tasbih he recites, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will grant him a castle in Paradise and will give him the authority to intercede for one hundred people from his family and will give him the reward of being a Shahid (martyr in the way of Allah). Whatever blessings He gives to those who are fasting and worshipping during this month (of Sha'ban) will also be granted to this person without any reduction in the reward of those who are fasting and worshipping.

Therefore, stay awake this night in prayer and worship and encourage your Ummah 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. I have come to you while all the Angels in the Heavens are together with one another - some are glorifying Allah, others are in Ruku', others are in the state of Sujud while others are busy in the Dhikr of Allah. 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."

The Prophet of Islam (blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny) also used to recite the following supplication on this night:

اللّهُمَّ اقْسِمْ لَنَا مِنْ خَشْيَتِكَ مَا يَحُولُ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ مَعْصِيَتِكَ، وَمِنْ طَاعَتِكَ مَا تُبَلِّغُنَا بِهِ رِضْوَانَكَ، وَمِنَ الْيَقِينِ مَا يَهُونُ عَلَيْنَا بِهِ مُصِيبَاتُ الدُّنْيَا. اللّهُمَّ أَمْتِعْنَا بِأَسْمَاعِنَا وَأَبْصَارِنَا وَقُوَّتِنَا مَا أَحْيَيْتَنَا وَاجْعَلْهُ الْوَارِثَ مِنَّا، وَاجْعَلْ ثأْرَنَا عَلَى مَنْ ظَلَمَنَا، وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى مَنْ عَادَانَا، وَلا تَجْعَلْ مُصِيبَتَنَا فِي دِينِنَا، وَلا تَجْعَلِ الدُّنْيَا أَكْبَرَ هَمِّنَا وَلا مَبْلَغَ عِلْمِنَا، وَلا تُسَلِّطْ عَلَيْنَا مَنْ لا يَرْحَمُنَا، بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ.

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

The worshipper should perform many sujud (prostrations) to Allah in which the specific supplications which have been mentioned in the books are performed. The one supplication that should be recited is:

سَجَدَ لَكَ سَوَادِي وَخَيَالِي، وَآمَنَ بِكَ فُؤَادِي، هذِهِ يَدَايَ وَمَا جَنَيْتُهُ عَلَى نَفْسِي، يَا عَظِيمُ تُرْجَى لِكُلِّ عَظِيمٍ اغْفِرْ لِيَ الْعَظِيمَ فَإنَّهُ لا يَغْفِرُ الذَّنْبَ الْعَظِيمَ إلاَّ الرَّبُّ الْعَظِيمُ.

I prostrate myself 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.

One must seek closeness to Imam al-Zaman (may Allah hasten his return) - the Hujjah of our Time; Wali al-'Amr; the Greatest Secret (of Allah); the possessor of the divine Occultation and inviter to the message of the Prophet; the Successor of all Prophets and the Successor of all Successors of the Prophets; the physical manifestation of the Justice of Allah; the Flag of Guidance; the one who will destroy all corruption and oppression and those who oppose the truth; the destroyer of the enemies of Allah - the misguided

and the disbelievers; the one who will purify the Earth of deviation and worship of the self; the greatest sign of Allah; the one who acts as the connection between the heavens and the earth; our Imam, Master and Qaim, al-Mahdi - may my soul and the souls of all of those in the universe be sacrificed for him.

On this night, one should also be busy in Ziyarat, Munajat and asking our desires and complaining of our separation from our awaited Imam. Our supplications and Salat should always be performed with the thought in the back of our minds of the distance from our leader however we should also keep in mind and be thankful to Allah that we are blessed with such a guide.

The du'a that is mentioned below should also be read on this night:

اللهم بحق ليلتنا هذه ومولودها، وحجتك وموعودها التي قرنت إلى فضلها فضلا فتمت كلمتك صدقا وعدلا لا مبدل لكلماتك، ولا معقب لآياتك، نورك المتألق، وضياؤك المشرق، والعلم النور في طخياء الديجور، الغائب المستور، جل مولده، وكرم محتده، والملائكة شهده، والله ناصره، ومؤيده إذا آن ميعاده، والملائكة أمداده، سيف الله الذي لا ينبو، ونوره الذي لا يخبو، وذو الحلم الذي لا يصبو، مدار الدهر، ونواميس العصر، وولاة الأمر، والمنزل عليهم ما يتنزل في ليلة القدر، وأصحاب الحشر والنشر تراجمة وحيه، وولاة أمره ونهيه. اللهم فصل على خاتمهم وقائمهم، المستور عن عوالمهم، اللهم وأدرك بنا أيامه وظهوره وقيامه، واجعلنا من أنصاره، واقرن ثارنا بثاره، واكتبنا في أعوانه، وخلصائه، وأحينا في دولته ناعمين، وبصحبته غانمين، وبحقه قائمين، ومن السوء سالمين، يا أرحم الراحمين، والحمد لله رب العالمين وصلوات الله على سيدنا محمد خاتم النبيين والمرسلين، وعلى أهل بيته الصادقين وعترته الناطقين، والعن جميع الظالمين، واحكم بيننا وبينهم، يا أحكم الحاكمينن"

The Supplication of Kumayl should also be recited in Sajdah on this blessed night. It has been narrated in the book Iqbal al-A'mal from Shaykh Tusi that Kumail ibn Ziyad saw Amir al-Mo'minin 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) reciting this supplication on the 15th of Sha'ban.

In another hadith, it is mentioned that Kumayl ibn Ziyad said, "I was sitting with my master Amir al-Mo'minin 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) in Masjid Kufa and a group of companions were also sitting with him. One of them asked him what the meaning of the verse "Whereupon every wise command is made clear." (Surah ad-Dukhan, Verse 4) The Imam (peace be upon him) replied, "The meaning of this is the night of the 15th of Sha'ban. I swear by the One who holds the life of 'Ali in His hands there is not a single servant of Allah except that all the good and bad that will reach him in this year is divided up and handed out on the 15th of Sha'ban and this good and bad will continue from the 15th of Sha'ban until the next year on the same night. The servant who stays up this night and recites the Du'a of Khidr will have his supplications answered."

Kumayl continued, 'When Amir al-Mo'minin 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) got up from this gathering, I went to him and he asked me why I have come to him. I replied that I wanted to know the Du'a of Khidr. He told me, "Sit down Kumayl and memorize this supplication and recite it on the night of Friday, or at least once a month or at least one a year or at least once in your lifetime as this supplication will assist you in being self-sufficient, will grant you assistance (from Allah), aid in your sustenance and through it, will your sins be forgiven. Kumayl! Since you have been in my service for such a long time, I must fulfill your request to me." At this time, the Imam said, write this down:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْألُكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ الَّتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْء...

O Allah, I ask You by Your mercy, which embraces all things;

The Salik must recite this supplication with full presence of heart and know and understand what he is reading. When he arrives at the line which reads, "O' my Lord and Master! Supposing that I am able to withstand Your punishment, however, how can I endure being separated from You?" then he should sincerely mean what he is saying that although he may be able to bear the fire and tortures, however he can not bear the separation between himself and his Lord. If a person does not feel this when he is reciting this line then he has lied to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He)!

The eighth act is the Ziyarat of Imam Husain (peace be upon him) while being in the city of Karbala in the haram where he is buried and if this is not possible then one should recite it from where he is. It has been mentioned in the books that if a person performs the Salat and Ziyarat as they are mentioned for this night (in books such as Iqbal and others) then it is as if he has performed the Ziyarat of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) around His Throne!

In addition to this, the Salik must stop and think to himself why Allah has placed such a great importance of the visitation of Imam Husain (peace be upon him) such that to visit him from close or far is equivalent to performing the Ziyarat of Allah at the Throne?

It is true that not everyone can understand and fathom the greatness of such an act such that even the learned scholar, Sayyid Mahdi Bahr al-'Ulum (may Allah shower him with mercy) asked the great scholar and 'Arif, Shaykh Husain - better known as Najaf that, 'How is it possible for Allah to grant such a grand reward to an act of worship so small and simple?'

The Shaykh replied, 'Imam Husain (peace be upon him), keeping in mind his greatness and status that he has, is still at the end of the day, a creation and a needful servant of Allah and in this state, the Imam gave all that he had - wealth, status, respect, honor, family, children - both young and old, his own life and even his own body after he was killed simply for the pleasure and love of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). If Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) was to give all that He has to Imam Husain (peace be upon him) would you think that this is too much?

At this point, Sayyid Bahr al-'Ulum became content with the answer he was given and replied, 'You have satisfied me with this answer.'

One must, as a final act on this night, take account for his own soul and the actions he has performed during the year. A person should sincerely and properly ponder and reflect upon his actions during this year and ask repentance for his previous acts of transgression since it is only those people whom Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has protected from committing sin and error who are free of this pollution. If a person sees that he has little to no sins on his record then he should compare this to one of the most insignificant blessings that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has given him and weigh the two on the scales of justice that with his trivial acts of good, has he been able to repay Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) back for all the goodness He has provided?

If he realizes that he has sins and transgressions on his record, then he must resort to Tawassul to the Ma'sumin (blessings be upon all of them) to make up for his shortcomings.

He should address the infallible ones by saying, "O' you who Allah has placed between Himself and His servants! O' you who are the protectors of His revelation. I ask you by the position that you have that you look towards me, a sinful servant, with your eyes of mercy - the one who has been lax in his worship, who possesses nothing and is nothing. Have mercy upon me and request Allah to accept me and to be pleased with me on this night and to permit me to be benefit from your prayers and supplications and to permit me to take advantage of your intercession and to be classified as your Shi'a. In addition, ask Allah to grant me with the reward of goodness and guidance from you. Pray that He makes me of strong will and that I am successful in performing good deeds for my religion, my life here and my next life. In closing, please accept this from myself and ask Allah that to grant me the ability to know Him, be close to Him and permit me to earn His pleasure and that He join me both in this world and the next with all of you and that I am classified as one of your followers and close friends and companions. All of this is only in His hands. May the blessings of Allah be upon all of you and whatever Allah wills will only happen and there is no power or strength save with Him."

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Topic Tags:

- Sha'ban [10]

Authors(s):

- Mirza Jawad Maliki Tabrizi [1]

Translator(s):

- Saleem Bhimji [2]

Publisher(s):

- Al-Fath Al-Mubin Publications [9]

Source URL: https://www.al-islam.org/articles/greatness-15th-month-shaban-mirza-jawad-maliki-tabrizi#comment-0

Links
[1] https://www.al-islam.org/person/ayatullah-mirza-jawad-tabrizi
[2] https://www.al-islam.org/person/shaykh-saleem-bhimji
[3] mailto:al-mubin@al-mubin.org
[4] http://www.al-haqq.com
[5] http://www.al-mubin.org
[6] https://www.al-islam.org/printpdf/book/export/html/41054
[7] https://www.al-islam.org/printepub/book/export/html/41054
[8] https://www.al-islam.org/printmobi/book/export/html/41054
[9] https://www.al-islam.org/organization/al-fath-al-mubin-publications
[10] https://www.al-islam.org/tags/shaban-0