‘A’isha reported the Prophet as saying, “Do you know what happens this night?” meaning the middle night of Sha‘ban. She asked, “What happens in it, Messenger of God?” He replied, “In it record is made of every human being who will be born and of every human being who will die this year; in it their actions are taken up to heaven and in it their provisions are sent down.” She asked, “Does one enter paradise only by the mercy of God most high?” He replied three times, “No one enters paradise but by the mercy of God most high.” She asked, “Not even you, Messenger of God?” He put his hand on the crown of his head and said, “Not even I, unless God enfolds me in His mercy,” saying it three times.
بن أبي بكر قَالَ: سَمِعت أبي يَقُولُ: كُنَّا نَنْصَرِفُ فِي رَمَضَانَ مِنَ الْقِيَامِ فَنَسْتَعْجِلُ الْخَدَمَ بِالطَّعَامِ مَخَافَةَ فَوْتِ السَّحُورِ. وَفِي أُخْرَى مَخَافَة الْفجْر. رَوَاهُ مَالك
Narrated ‘Abdallah b. Abu Bakr said:
I'heard Ubayy say, “We used to finish night prayers in Ramadan and ask the servants to hurry up with the food, for fear we would miss the meal before dawn.” In another version he said, “for fear the dawn would come.”
Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari reported God’s Messenger as saying, “God most high looks down on the middle night of Sha'ban and forgives all His creatures, except a polytheist or one who is hostile.”
Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Ahmad transmitted it from ‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As. His version has, “except two, one who is hostile and a murderer.”
I never came upon the people without hearing them cursing the infidels during Ramadan. The reader recited sura al-Baqara (Al-Qur’an; 2) in the course of eight rak'as, and when he made it serve for twelve rak'as the people thought he had shortened the prayer.
