Shab E Barat - Night of Forgiveness

In month of Shaban, Shab-E-Barat is celebrated with pomp and enthusiasm by Muslims all over the world. On the night of Shab-E-Barat Allah writes the destinies of all men for the coming year by taking into account the deeds committed by them in the past.

The festival is celebrated held either on the thirteenth or on the fourteenth day of Shaban, the eighth month of the Muslim year. This happens to be fifteen days before the beginning of Holy Month of Ramadan.

Shab-E-Barat means the night of forgiveness or Day of Atonement. People pray to Allah both in preparation for Ramadan and for the forgiveness of the sins committed by them. The festival is also known as Boraks Nigh.

In Persian language, ‘Shab’ means night and ‘Barat’ means ‘the night of commission or assignment’.
In Arabic language, however, the day is known as Lailatul Bara'at, meaning the night of emancipation.
Some though see Shab-E-Barat as the night of good fortune and a popular legend says that on this night the Prophet visits each house and relieves the pains of suffering humanity.

The night of Shab-E-Barat also commemorates the entry of Prophet Muhammad pbuh into the city of Mecca. However, Shia Muslims associate this night with the birth of their last Imam.

Celebrations
Skies light up on the night of Shab-E-Barat as the festival is celebrated in the night. Houses and streets are are also illuminated by candles and strands of electric bulbs to provide a joyful ambiance to the festival.

Colourful fire works keep dazzling the skies as the Muslims stay awake on the night of Shab-E-Barat. This is due to a belief that Allah writes the destinies of all living beings for the coming years in heavens during the night.

It may be noted that there is no mention of Shab-E-Barat in the Holy Quran. However, Sura Dukhan does mentions about Laila Mubaraka, which, according to the learned scholars of the Holy Quran and the Hadith, is Shab-E-Barat.

Eid ul Fitr

Ramadan is a very serious holiday for Muslim Ummah, taking place during the ninth month of the Islamic holidays. Celebrants fast during the day and pray frequently, meditating upon the nature of faith and Allah. It is traditional to make gifts of alms and food to the poor during Ramadan, and to abstain from sins. The holiday can be very challenging, as it requires self-sacrifice and personal discipline. Ramadan officially ends when the crescent moon of the 10th month in the Islamic calender is sighted, marking the start of Eid ul-Fitr.

In Arabic, Eid means “festival,” and Fitr means “breaking the fast,” so Eid ul-Fitr is literally a festival for breaking the fast. After the intense religious introspection and fasting of Ramadan, Muslim Ummah take Eid as an opportunity to have fun, celebrate their faith, and enjoy the company of friends and family. The festival may also get quite chaotic, with fireworks, and distributions of presents to friends and neighbors.

For Eid ul-Fitr, families cleanse themselves in the morning, eat a small meal, and then attend prayer at a mosque. By tradition, celebrants offer alms to the mosque for distribution to the poor before the start of Eid prayers; these alms are known as Zakat ul-Fitr. After prayer and a sermon, the festivities of Eid ul-Fitr begin, with celebrants typically visiting each other in their finest clothes to exchange gifts and commemorate friendship. Eid is also a traditional time for forgiveness and reconciliations.

Since Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, feasting is an important part of this Muslim holiday. There are no universally traditional Eid foods, but the holiday typically includes rich foods which may not have been eaten during Ramadan, along with elaborate regional or family recipes. Invitations to parties and dinners are common during Eid ul-Fitr, and people often take the day off from work to spend time celebrating.