The innovation of seeking pardon from others on the night of the 15th of Shaban
 

In the Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy

All praise is due to Allah alone and peace and blessings be upon the last prophet.

To proceed…

These days an innovation has spread amongst those that view the hadith of the virtue of the 15th night of Shaban as authentic, following those scholars that grade the hadith as hasan due to its various chains of narration, believing in the virtue of that night, that Allah looks at his creation on the 15th night of Shaban and forgives everyone except the mushrik (polytheist) and mushaahin (translation will come). As narrated by ibn Maajah who graded it hasan or sahih.

Some people write to each other and ask to be pardoned so as not to be considered a mushaahin (someone with hostility in his heart) and thus be forgiven on that night.

But this action is….an innovation in the religion and our prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against innovations and newly invented matters in the religion in every sermon, fearing that the ummah should fall into it. He would warn from innovation more than he would warn from sins due to innovation deceiving the one that acts upon it into believing that it is from the religion and is correct to do.
He clarified that there aren’t any good innovations in Islam so long as that innovation is newly invented and not according to the Sunnah nor following the way of the prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and his companions.

He said “The worst of matters (meaning in the religion) are the newly invented ones.”

He also said “Every newly invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is misguidance.”

And the likes of writing these messages seeking pardon and forgiveness before the 15th of Shaban is an innovation that opposes the prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and his companions from several angles.

One:
Seeking pardon for an Islamic reason (like the one who isn’t a mushaahin being forgiven on the 15th night of Shaban) is an act of worship because it involves obeying Allah and gaining nearness to Him. Whilst neither the messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), nor the companions, nor the scholars that authenticated the hadith ordered it before or during the 15th night. So that seeking of pardon is a newly invented matter and it is mentioned in the hadith “The most evil matters are the newly invented ones.”

Two:
Most of the scholars define the mushaahin to be the person of innovation. So it’s feared that shaytaan’s directing the people to seeking pardon from each other rather than repenting to Allah is itself an innovation. Or if the meaning of mushaahin is one with hostility (which is the correct opinion), then that doesn’t necessitate seeking pardon from each other, rather repenting to Allah from hostility is enough.

The meaning of mushaahin has been narrated by the scholars:

Al-Asbahaani said on the authority of Umair bin Haani that he said “I asked ibn thawbaan about the mushaahin and he said ‘He is the one that abandons the Sunnah of the prophet (peace and blessing be upon him), harming his ummah and spilling their blood’”. [At-targheeb wa at tarheeb 2/397]

Tabarani said “I heard Abdullah bin Ahmad say, I heard my father say regarding the meaning of the hadith ‘Allah looks at His servants on the 15th night of Shaban and forgives all those on earth except the mushrik and the mushaahin’ that ‘The mushaahin are the people of innovation that have enmity and hostility for the people of Islam’”. [Ad-Duaa 1/190]

Ibn Atheer said “Al-Mushaahin: Is the hostile, and Ash-shahnaa’: Is hostility … “ [An-nihaaya fee ghareeb al athr 2/1111]

Awzaa’ee said “The meaning of al-muhaahin here is the person of innovation that causes differing amongst the main body of Muslims.” Alalbani narrated that in his [as-silsilah as-saheeha no. 1563]

Three:
Every good is in following the salaf.

If they (the salaf) had sought pardon from each other before the 15th night of shaban then there would have been every reason to narrate it. So, when it not narrated from them and not even from those that authenticated the hadith, it is known by necessity that it is from the innovations that the prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) warned from.

As Allah says, “Did Allah permit if for you or do you invent a lie upon Allah” (Translator note: Of course this Ayah and indeed all the translation is merely a translation of the meaning).

Four:
The servant of Allah should make an effort before that night to free himself from all shirk. Whether it be greater shirk like making supplication to other than Allah, or minor shirk like riyaa (worshiping to show off to people) or making an oath to other than Allah (like when they say by the prophet, by my life etc), or by attributing a blessing to other than Allah (like when they say if it were not for the skill of the pilot then the plane would have crashed, or if it were not for my intelligence then I would not have made lots of money trading, so he should say if it were not for Allah, and then my intelligence and understanding of trade).

Likewise, he should purify his heart from innovated beliefs that are kufr (disbelief in Islam). Like the innovation of believing Allah is everywhere, or Sufiya, or believing that one can take Islamic rulinsg from dreams. Or practical beliefs like rebelling against the rulers verbally and physically. Also making permissible that which Allah has made impermissible is an innovation in belief. Likewise, ascribing to those groups that oppose the salaf, like the khawaarij, the murji’a, the ikhwaanis, and the tableeghis.

As for al-jahmiyya, the raafida, those that say Allah is everywhere, or Allah and His creation are one unified thing, then they are kuffaar.

Oh Allah relieve us from every innovation, minor or major.
Oh Allah we seek refuge in you from making partners with you in anything that we know about and we seek refuge in you from making partners in anything that we do not know.
Oh Allah keep us firm on the (al-qawl ath-thaabit) in this life and in the next.
Make us live upon the Sunnah and following narrations of the salaf, and make us die upon that both inwardly and outwardly.

Written by Shaykh Abu Abdullah Mahir bin Thaafir Aal Thaafir Al-Qahtani
Member of The Commision for Ordering the Good and Forbidding the Evil in Jeddah

Translation by Abu Hafsa Khalid Coutet