Please clarify the following hadith regarding the significance of Nisf-e-Sha'ban

Question

I got a Hadith, Given to me by a Shaikh, as reference of the significance of Nisf-e-Sha'ban (Nigh of 15th Sha'ban). Its reference is from "Silsilat ul-Ahadith-as Sahiha", Classed as Sahih By Nasiruddin Albani. As I am not a scholar, I could not verify it or understand the implementation of it. I am thus quoting the hadith from different web sites. Please let me know if this Hadith is Sahih then why some Shaikh deny the significance of this night and say that this night has no special significance.

First

The companion Mu‘āth ibn Jabal narrated that the Prophet, (pbuh) said: “On the night of mid-Shaban, Allah looks at His creation and forgives all of them except for the polytheist and the quarrelsome or hateful person." [At-Tabrāni]

[Classed as sahih by foremost Salafi hadith scholar, Shaykh Nasiruddin Albani in his Silsilah Al-Sahīhah]

http://www.islamicity.org/10209/shaban-time-avoidance-headlessness/

Second

Allah turns towards his creation in the Night of “MID-SHABAN” and He forgives all of them except for a Mushrik and one who hates other people

(Albani calls it); “A SAHIH HADITH” narrated by group of Sahaba with different routes (Turuq) such as from Muadh bin Jabal (ra), Abu Thalbah (ra) Abdullah bin Umar (ra), Abu Musa al Ashari (ra), Abu Hurraira (ra), Abu Bakr as Saddiq (ra), Awf bin Malik (ra) and Aisha (ra).The Hadith of Muadh bin Jabal (ra) comes through Makhul from Malik bin Yakhamir and It is “MARFU” narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in his As-Sunnah Hadith #512 [Nasir ud din Albani in Silsilat ul-Ahadith-as Sahiha, Volume No. 3, Page No. 135 #1144]

http://www.islamieducation.com/albani-on-laylatul-barah-ie-shab-e-baraat/

Third

Imam Ibn Hajr Haythmi states : Narrated by Muaz bin Jabal (RA) from Prophet (Salallahu alaihi wa sallam) who said: Allah turns towards his creation in the Night of Mid-Shaban and He forgives all of them except for a Mushrik and one who hates other people **[Az Zawaid #12860].

Classed as Sahih by scholar Nasiruddin Albani in his silsilah Al-Sahihah.**

http://thedailynewnation.com/news/54890/shab-e-barat--a-blessing.html

Fourth

Allah turns towards his creation in the Night of "MID-SHABAN" and He forgives all of them except for a Mushrik and one who hates other people

(Albani calls it); "A SAHIH HADITH" narrated by group of Sahaba with different routes (Turuq) such as from Muadh bin Jabal (ra), Abu Thalbah (ra) Abdullah bin Umar (ra), Abu Musa al Ashari (ra), Abu Hurraira (ra), Abu Bakr as Saddiq (ra), Awf bin Malik (ra) and Aisha (ra).The Hadith of Muadh bin Jabal (ra) comes through Makhul from Malik bin Yakhamir and It is "MARFU" narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in his As-Sunnah Hadith #512 [Nasir ud din Albani in Silsilat ul-Ahadith-as Sahiha, Volume No. 3, Page No. 135 #1144]

http://salafiaqeedah.blogspot.com/2010/11/hush-hush-al-albani.html

Fifth

Allah turns towards his creation in the Night of“MID-SHABAN” and He forgives all of them except for a Mushrik and one who hates other people

Albani says in his “Silsilat as Sahiha”: (This is a) “SAHIH HADITH” narrated by group of Sahaba with different routes (Isnaad) such as from Muadh bin Jabal (ra), Abu Thalbah (ra) Abdullah bin Amr (ra), Abu Musa al Ashari (ra), Abu Hurraira (ra), Abu Bakr as Saddiq (ra), Awf bin Malik (ra) and Aisha (ra).The Hadith of Muadh bin Jabal (ra) comes through Makhul from Malik bin Yakhamir and It is “MARFU” narrated by Ibn Abi Asim in his As-Sunnah Hadith #512 [Nasir ud din Albani in Silsilat as Sahiha, Volume No. 3, Page No. 135 #1144]

Ibn Taymiyah said in Iqtida’ al-sirat al-mustaqim:

[Some] said: There is no difference between this night (mid-Sha`ban) and other nights of the year. However, the opinion of many of the people of learning, and that of the majority of our companions (i.e. the Hanbali school) and other than them is that it is a night of superior merit, and this is what is indicated by the words of Ahmad (ibn Hanbal), in view of the many ahadith which are transmitted concerning it, and in view of what confirms this from the words and deeds transmitted from the early generations (al-athar al-salafiyya). Some of its merits have been narrated in the books of hadith of the musnad and sunan types. This holds true even if other things have been forged concerning it.

( Ref:Ibn Taymiyya, Iqtida’ al-sirat al-mustaqim p. 302.)

https://rasoolurrahmah.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/why-do-they-celebrate-the-15th-night-of-shabaan-shab-e-baraat/

Answer 1

On the hadith, its occurrence and qualification

As for the hadith quoted five times: This hadith appears also in Sunan ibn Majah:

It was narrated from Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Allah looks down on the night of the middle of Sha'ban and forgives all His creation, apart from the idolater and the Mushahin.” Another chain from Abu Musa, from the Prophet (ﷺ) with similar wording.

Scholars such as as-Suyuti and ibn Rajab have qualified it as da'if and even al-Albani considers the narrator chain on the authority of abu Musa al-Ash'ari as da'if due to narrators as ibn Lahi'a ابْنِ لَهِيعَةَ and others. But for some reasons considers the content as sahih by the sum of it's chains. See also the fatwa on islamqa #140084 addressing the qualification of al-Albani on this hadith.

Note that if a hadith appears in al-Albani's as-Silsilah as-Sahihah this means that he considers and qualfiies this hadith at least as hassan.

The hadith was also compiled by al-Bayhaqi in his Sho'ab al-Iman (see here in Arabic) and in Sahih ibn Hebban (see here in Arabic) etc. on the authority of Mu'ad ibn Jabal.
Imam Ahmad compiled a similar narration on the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr which Sheikh Sho'aib al-Aranaoot considered as da'if in this chain (ibn Lahi'a), but sahih due to supporting narrations. Al-Bazzar compiled in his al-Musnad it on the authority of abu Hurairah, but al-Haythami considered the narrator Hiasham ibn'Abdurahman as unknown. Al-Bayhaqi in his Sho'ab al-Iman also complied a version on the authority of abu Bakr on which al-Haythami only commented on a narrator saying that he was not considered as da'if by ibn Abi Hathim. And al-Bayhaqi, ibn abi Shaybah, al-Bazzar and others narrated a version of the hadith on the authority of 'Awf which was qualified as a good mursal hadith by al-Bayhaqi.

On the cricicism of the transmitted ahadith via Makhool

Many of these ahadith have been transmitted via Makhool مكحول a tabi'i from a-Shaam: For example: a-Daraqotni compiled ahadith with the same content that don't quote a sahabi as intermedia on Makhools authority and Makhool appears as part of the chains of al-Bayhaqi and ibn Hebban linked above. Some therefore said it might have a non-Muslim source as Makhool also narrated the hadith on the authority of Ka'ab al-Ahbar in an-Nuzul of imam a-Daraqotni (See here in Arabic) which may lead to the interpretation of an Israealit source of the hadith.

For example the son of the Tabi'i from Medina 'Abdurrahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam said (as quoted in al-Bida' of ibn Wadih ابن وضاح see here in Arabic ) :

لم أدرك أحداً من مشيختنا ولا فقهائنا يلتفتون إلى ليلة النصف من شعبان ، ولم ندرك أحداً منهم يذكر حديث مكحول ولا يرى لها فضلاً على سواها من الليالي
I've not witnessed any of our teachers nor our fiqh scholar pay any specific attention to the night of the middle of Sha'aban. And we didn't witness any of them quoting the hadith of Makhool nor does anybody considers a specific merit of this night compared with other nights.

Note that some prominent scholars have been quoted to say that there's no single hadith about the night of midd Sha'aban that is sahih among them scholars like ibn'Araby in his A'aridat al-Ahwadhi عارضة الأحوذي and Ahkam al-Qur'an أحكام القرآن and al-'Aqayli أبو جعفر العقيلي in his ad-Do'afaa' الضعفاء and many more.

On statements on worships related to that event

The whole lot of narrations support that this night of the midd of Sha'aban has a special significance. But on the other hand none of the sahabah nor early scholars reported that there's a special kind of worship related to this night.

As for the earliest statements that support a certain merit: We may find a-Shafi'i saying that he was informed that supplication is accepetd in it in his al-Umm (See here in Arabic)

Al-Fakihi in his Akhbar Mekka (See from here in Arabic) quoted ahadith on the authority of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib () (See here in Sunan ibn Majah which was qualified as fabricated), abu Bakr (), 'Aishah () and one saying that more than 30 sahabi have said the same. The ahadith of abu Bakr and 'Aishah actually are some variations of the above discussed hadith the others add some worships, like praying the night, fasting the day, doing repentance and du'a. He also pretends that the people of Mekka used to go to al-Masjid al-Haram and pray the night or recite the qur'an etc.

Usamah bin Zaid said:
"I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I do not see you fasting any month as much as Shaban.' He said: 'That is a month to which people do not pay much attention, between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which the deeds are taken up to the Lord of the worlds, and I like that my deeds be taken up when I am fasting."' (Sunan an-Nasa-i)

TO BE CONTINUED

Further reads:

• Islamonline Fatwa #7052.
• Islamweb Fatwa #6001.
• Ahlalhadeth thread #146076
• Ahlalhadeth thread #110310
• Islamweb Fatwa #183797
• Islamweb Fatwa #66295
• Islamweb Fatwa #1554