Ṣalat al-Bara’ah and Salat al-Alfiyyah: A Baseless Innovation

Excerpt Source:
This excerpt is taken from the book Ahkām wa Masā’il in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah by Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani.

Question:​

On the night of mid-Sha‘bān, some people perform “Ṣalāt al-Barā’ah” or “Ṣalāt al-Alfiyyah.” Some offer 100 rak‘ahs, reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ 10 times in each rak‘ah, thereby completing 1,000 recitations of Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ. Is such a practice established by any authentic ḥadīth?

Answer:​

“Ṣalāt al-Barā’ah” or “Ṣalāt al-Alfiyyah” is an innovation (bid‘ah) and has no proof in any authentic narration.

ʿAllāmah Muḥammad Ṭāhir Aḥmad Pannī Hindī writes:

“The Ṣalāt al-Alfiyyah that is performed on the night of mid-Sha‘bān is among the innovations. In it, 100 rak‘ahs are offered, and in each rak‘ah ﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ﴾ is recited 10 times, and people have given it even more importance than the two Eids. The reports and narrations concerning it are either weak or fabricated. One should not be deceived by its mention in Iḥyā’ al-ʿUlūm and similar works, nor be misled by popular alterations, for Laylat al-Qadr is the true Night of Decree. Due to this prayer, the general public has fallen into a great tribulation; to the extent that, because of it, they engage excessively in illumination, and as a result, immorality and violations of chastity occur—matters that are beyond description. This prayer was first introduced in Bayt al-Maqdis in 448 AH.”

Reference: Tadhkirat al-Mawḍū‘āt: 45–46

Conclusion ✔​

There is no prayer established in the Sharī‘ah in which Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ is recited 1,000 times and then named “Ṣalāt al-Barā’ah.” Such a practice has no basis in authentic Islamic sources.