Muslims to observe Shab-e-Baraat – it’s a time to forgive and forget

With just a few weeks left before the start of the blessed month of Ramadan (expected to start on 3 April, depending on the sighting of the moon), Muslims across the globe, including South Africa, will be observing a very auspicious and significant night on the Islamic calendar.

The 15^th of Shab’aan or Shab-e-Baraat which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar is also known as the night of forgiveness which comes in the run-up to the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims must fast every day from sunrise to sunset.

In 2022, or the Islamic year 1443 AH (After Hijrah or migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to Medina in Saudi Arabia), the night will fall on the evening of Thursday 17 March. In the religion of Islam, the new day begins at about sunset and not midnight, so in South Africa the Islamic day currently dawns at about 6:25pm.

The literal meaning of Shab-e-Baraat can be translated to the Night of Atonement or even the Night of Salvation.

Muslims reap the reward of this auspicious night by seeking forgiveness from Allah and from those that they have wronged as well as forgiving those who have hurt them.

Additionally, the night can be used to seek mercy for the deceased and ill family members.

On this night Allah also decides the fortune and the future of every creature of Earth and writes the destinies of an individual in the coming years, including those that are going to pass away and those who are going to be born.

Apart from Shab-e-Baraat history, scholars say that on the night, Allah instructs the angels to close the old books of record of an individual taking past deeds into account and open new books to record new deeds and actions for the year ahead.

Muslims across the world celebrate the night differently depending upon cultural diversity and local traditions, but the significance and beauty of the night is the same.

It is reported by Islamic scholar Tabrani and Al Bayhaqi, “The Prophet Muhammad said: ‘On the middle night of Shab’aan, Almighty God or Allah descends to the lowest heaven of the seven heavens and remits more sins and saves more people than the hair of the goats of an Arabian tribe called Banu Kalb.’”

Renowned South African Islamic scholar Moulana Sulaiman Moola narrated that Prophet Muhammad said when it is the 15th night of Shab-e-Baraat, Allah focuses his special mercies on his creation and forgives the believers.

Unfortunately, while the night is a time for atonement, some people carry the huge burden of not forgiving those who seek forgiveness from them even if Allah may have forgiven them.

The beauty of living a life of contentment is to ensure that you strive for benevolence, spirituality and good in others with emphasis on ensuring harmony in all engagements, a character and trait that was exemplified by Prophet Muhammad.

Moulana Moola said there are people that Allah does not forgive on the middle night of Sha’baan.

“Those who harbour rancour, jealousy, antagonism, hatred and dislike in their hearts, their forgiveness is put on hold.”

While some modern-day Islamic scholars are of the opinion that spending this night of worship is an innovation and so too is the fasting the following day, another Islamic scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani refutes the claims.

“Although the chain of narrators of some of these traditions suffers with some minor technical defects, yet when all these traditions are combined together, it becomes clear that this night has some well-founded merits, and observing this night as a sacred night is not a baseless concoction as envisaged by some modern scholars who, on the basis of these minor defects, have totally rejected to give any special importance to this night.”

“In fact, some of these traditions have been held by some scholars of jurisprudence as authentic and the defects in the chain of some others have been treated by them as minor technical defects which, according to the science of jurisprudence, are curable by the variety of their ways of narration. That is why the elders of the Muslim community have constantly been observing this night as a night of special merits and have been spending it in worship and prayers.”

In another narration, it is reported that Prophet Muhammad’s wife, Hazrat Aisha Siddiqa (may God be pleased with her), went out in search of him when she found him missing on this night.

Later, she found him in Medina’s cemetery Jannatul Baqi in Saudi Arabia lamenting and praying for the forgiveness of the deceased for a long time and this lent ultimate sanctity to this day.

Therefore, Moulana Moola urged people not to let the auspicious night of Sha’baan slip without seeking or granting forgiveness.

“Imam Shafi’i used to say ‘whoever has offended me, I have unconditionally forgiven him. I do not want to appear before Allah on the day of reckoning to discover that one person’s entry into paradise has been suspended because I have not forgiven him. Even if that is the case, I do not want to be the cause of bringing grief, sadness and sorrow to the Prophet Muhammad.”

Moulana Moola has urged people to forgive and forget the hurt caused to each other, a trait that was beautifully exemplified the Prophet Muhammad.