The night of forgiveness is Laylatul Barat. The night of distribution is known through the Holy Quran and Hadith that on this night, Allah Almighty promises to forgive the sins of his servants. The Muslim world observes this great night with great solemnity. Muslim men and women in Bangladesh celebrate this great night through worship and devotion. Devotees observe the night through worship in mosques, khanes, madrasas, and prayer houses. Discussion meetings, seminars, waz mahfils, etc., highlighting the historical significance of the day, discussion meetings, waz mahfils are held in every mosque.
On this day, Allah Almighty determines everything about the life, death, sustenance, and wealth of the servant. Forgives the sins of the servant. He widens the path to get close to Allah. Allah hears the servant’s cry. He calls the servant to forgive. The servants of Allah, hoping to be forgiven for their wrongdoings, good and bad, seek forgiveness from Allah Almighty through obligatory Nafl worship, Dhikr, Azkar, and other acts of worship from sunset to dawn. In Bangladesh, the day is officially observed with religious solemnity. The great and glorious blessed night is being celebrated across the country through various religious institutions, social and political organizations.
Laylatun Nisaf Min Shaban, or the night of half Shaban. This night is known as Shab-e-Barat or Laylatul Barat. It is the night before dawn on the 14th day of the eighth month of the Hijri year. Shab-e-Barat will be held today. The believing Muslim spends this night as a special virtuous night in worship, repentance, and supplication.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to worship more on this night. Some of the deeds of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prove that he did some special acts of worship. In that light, some of the deeds of this night are highlighted—
> Performing Nafl Prayers
Performing Nafl Prayers with long (Qirat) recitation on this night. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to perform long Nafl Prayers more on the night of mid-Shaban. It is mentioned in the Holy Hadith—
Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, One night the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) woke up and stood up for prayer, and he remained in prostration for so long in that prayer that I suspected that he had died. I got up and moved his thumb. The finger moved. I was sure that he was alive. Then I returned to my place. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) raised his head from prostration and after finishing the prayer, he said, “O Aisha! Do you think that the Messenger of Allah has done you any injustice?” I said, “O Messenger of Allah! I did not think anything like that. Rather, I was afraid of seeing you in prostration for a long time, thinking that Allah would raise you up!” Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Do you know? Which night is this?” I said, “Only Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “This night is the fifteenth of Sha’ban. In it, the Almighty looks at His servants. He forgives those who seek forgiveness. He shows mercy to those who seek mercy. On the other hand, He leaves those who envy others in their own state.” (Shu’abul Iman, At-Targheeb)
> Making Dua
Allah Almighty accepts the dua of the night of Nisaf Sha’ban. So make more supplications. It is mentioned in the Holy Hadith Sharif—
Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that there are five nights in which no supplication of a servant is rejected. And they are—
- The supplication of Friday night.
- The supplication of the first night of the month of Rajab.
- The supplication of the night of Nisaf Shaban i.e. half Shaban.
- The supplication of the night of Eid-ul-Fitr i.e. the Eid of Fasting.
- The supplication of the night of Eid-ul-Azha i.e. the Eid of Sacrifice. (Musannef Abdur Razzaq)
Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “It has reached us that supplications are accepted more on five nights. Friday night, the night of Eid-ul-Azha, the night of Eid-ul-Fitr, the first night of Rajab and the supplication of the night of Nisaf Shaban i.e. the 15th night of Shaban.” (Kitabul Umm, As-Sunanul Kubra)
Recite this supplication to receive the grace of Allah—
Pronunciation: Rabbi awzhi’ni an ashqura ni’matakallati anamta alaiyya wa ala walidayyya wa an a’mala salihang tardahu wa adkhilni birahmatika fi ibadikas salihin.’ (Surah An-Naml: Verse 19)
Pronunciation: Allahumma inni aujubika minal hammi wal hazani wal azdi wal kasali, wal jubni wal bukhli wa dalayid daini wa ghalabatiil rizali.’ (Bukhari and Muslim, Mishkat Sharif)
Pronunciation: Allahumma inni aujubika minal jubni wa aujubika minal bukhli wa aujubika min arjaalil umuri wa aujubika min fitnatid dunya wa ajabil kabri.’ (Bukhari and Mishkat Sharif)
Pronunciation: ‘Allahumma inni aujubika min jahdil balai wa daraqish shaqai wa suil qazai wa shamatatil a’dayi.’
Pronunciation: ‘Allahumma kafini bihalalika Wa Haramika Wa Ayinni Bifazalika Amman Sewaka.’
— To avoid the epidemic, recite this supplication of the Prophet more and more—
Pronunciation: Allahumma inni auzubika minal barachi wal jununi wal jujami wa min sayyil asqaam.’ (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi Sharif)
Meaning: ‘O Allah! I seek refuge in You from leprosy. I seek refuge in You from drunkenness. I seek refuge in You from leprosy. And I seek refuge in You from incurable diseases (the names of which I do not know).
— Recite this supplication in all small and big dangers and troubles
Pronunciation: ‘Inna lillahi wa inna Ilaihi raji’un; Allahumma adhirni fi musibati wakhlufli khairam minha. (Muslim Sharif)
> Repentance and seeking forgiveness
There is no alternative to repenting for the forgiveness of a servant’s sins. The servant remembers his sins and decides to turn away from them and asks Allah for forgiveness. However, Allah forgives the servant. It is mentioned in the Holy Hadith Sharif—
Hazrat Uthman ibn Abil As (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “On the night of the 15th of Sha’ban, Allah the Almighty calls out, ‘Is there anyone among you who seeks forgiveness? I will forgive him. Is there anyone among you who has something to ask for? I will fulfill all his needs.’ Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘In this way, all the legitimate requests of all supplicants are fulfilled. But the prayers of adulterers and polytheists are not accepted.’ (Shu’abul Iman)
Reciting these repentances and istighfars to turn away from sins—
Pronunciation: ‘Astaghfirullahallahi la ilaha illa huwal hayyul qayyum.’
Pronunciation: ‘Allahumma inni as’alukal afwa wal afiyata fi deeni wa dunya wa ahl wa mali.’ (Abu Dawud, Mishkat Sharif)
Pronunciation: ‘Allahumma innaka afu’un tuhibbul afwa fa’fu anni.’
Pronunciation: ‘Allahumma inni as’alukal huda wattuqba wal afafa wal gina.’
Pronunciation: ‘Allahumma anta rabbi la ilaha illa anta khalaqtani, wa anna abduka wa anna ala ahdika wa wa’dika mastattatu. Aujubika min sharri ma sana’tu. Abu’ulaka bini’matika alaiyya, wa abu’ bijambi fagfirli. Fainnahu la yagfiruz junuba illa anta.’
> Tasbih—reading Tahlil
Pronunciation: ‘Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, Lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa hua ala kulli shayin qadeer.’
Pronunciation: ‘Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi; Subhanallahil Azim.’
Pronunciation: ‘Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyumu birahmatika astagis.’
Pronunciation: ‘La ilaha illalla anta subhanaka inni kuntu minaj zalimin.’
> Fasting the next day
Fasting the day after the night of Nisaf Shaban. It is mentioned in the holy Hadith Sharif—
Hazrat Ali (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, ‘When the night of the 15th of Shaban comes before you, pray that night and fast the next day.’ (Ibn Majah)
In addition, staying up all night (in your own home) without formalities, performing the mentioned Nafl prayers, dhikr-Azkar, recitation of the Quran and repentance-Istighfar etc. It is mentioned in the Holy Hadith Sharif—
‘On this night, with the sunset, Allah Ta’ala descends to the sky of the earth and calls people to pray to Him for His forgiveness, freedom from disease, freedom from Hell, provision, etc. until dawn.’
Again, a solitary grave visit can be done without any formalities. Because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went to the grave of Jannatul Baqi alone without informing anyone. He did not even tell Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) about it.
If desired, these deeds can also be done—
- The recitation and prostration of the Nafl prayers of this night will be long.
- Reciting the Holy Quran.
- Sending blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
- Remembering sins and asking for forgiveness.
- Repenting by remembering the major sins of your life.
- Seeking Allah’s mercy and blessings.
- Sleeping for some time at night.
- Eating Suhoor on the last night.
- Fasting the next day.
However, it should not happen that staying up for many nights in worship, glorifying Allah, and reciting Tahlil makes the obligatory Fajr prayer irrelevant.
May Allah grant the Muslim Ummah the ability to spend the night of Nisaf Sha’ban in worship. May He grant them the ability to continue this practice throughout the year. May He grant them the ability to act on the Quran and Sunnah.
May Allah grant all the people of the world, including Bangladesh, a peaceful and prosperous refuge through this great night. May Allah Almighty fill this country with a happy, prosperous, stable and peaceful environment by eliminating the political and social unrest in Bangladesh and implementing the welfare thought and consciousness programs for the happy and prosperous people. May we all pray for each other and for Bangladesh on this great night. Oh Allah, Amen.
Author
Mahmudul Haque Ansari
Organizer, Researcher, Columnist
Email: mh.hoqueansari@gmail.com
