SHAB BARAAT-The Night of deliverance

SHAB BARAAT-The Night of deliverance

Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA has granted many bounties to this Ummah because of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam).

Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA beneficence is not confined to any period but for the sake of His sinful worshippers, some auspicious days and nights have also been given. One among those auspicious periods is the month of Sha’aban and the night of “baraat.” (Lit. freedom)

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was always anxious about His sinful Ummah. For this reason, He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) always prayed for their forgiveness and deliverance. Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA wants to keep His Beloved Prophet happy and pleased. For this reason, for the sake of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), the Lord Almighty casts His radiance on the worldly skies and grants the treasures of forgiveness and deliverance and of success and virtuousness. Only the virtuous and those who are close to Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA benefit themselves through this.

Translation: “They sleep very little at night and ask for forgiveness in the last part of the night.”

The common people are very careless. They are neither habituated to praying at night nor desirous of waking up early. The Lord desired to grant His unlimited bounties to all the slaves of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Consequently, in the 12 months of the year, one night has been fixed in which immediately after sunset, Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA casts His radiance on the worldly skies and graces every kind of person with His forgiveness and safety. As the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has declared Sha’ban as His month, Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA has kept this night of Mercy in the month of Sha’ban.

Shab Baraat: This is the night of blessings, in which the worshippers of Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA are given glad tidings of forgiveness. This night has been mentioned in this verse, “Dukhan-1-4. One group of Mufassirin and other scholars of the Ummah have interpreted the night mentioned in this verse as the 15th night of Sha’ban, which is also called as the night of deliverance.

REASON BEHIND THE NAME OF LAILATUL BARAKA:
Shab Baraat is the blessed night in which every moment is a treasure of divine mercy. From the ‘Arsh to the womb of the earth, every soul is soaked with the fragrance of mercy. For this reason, this night is called “The blessed night.”
The author of Ruh Ul Bayan, Hazrat Shaykh Ismail Haqqi(May Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA shower His Mercy on him) says, “ This night is a blessed night, because in this night, those who perform virtuous acts are rewarded handsomely and from the ‘Arsh to the womb of the earth, every grain and particle is given blessings of Allah’s SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA beauty.”

REASON FOR CALLING LAILATUL BARA’A

Baraat means to be freed from. In this blessed night, the sinners are freed. The virtuous are given glad tidings of proximity (qurb) of Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA. For this reason, this night is called Shab Baraat.

SHAB BARAAT IS A NIGHT OF FORGIVENESS

In the universe, the prophets, angels are innocent and the saints are protected. The common man advertently or inadvertently commits sins. Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA has not only warned against punishment for sins, but has also exhorted towards repentance and has declared His name as “Gaffar” i.e. “Most Forgiving,” so that the worshippers hope for Allah’s SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA forgiveness and the zenith of the Lord’s benevolence is that in this limited life, He has provided many such days and nights in which there is a general declaration of forgiveness. Among these days and nights, Shab Baraat is also there. It is mentioned in the Hadith, “It has been mentioned on the authority of Hazrat Abu Moosa (May Allah be well pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, ‘Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA casts His radiance of forgiveness on the worshippers, and except the Mushrik, jealous, resentful and those who hold the wrong aqida, forgives everybody else.- Sunan Ibn Majah.

So, in these blessed nights we should stay from unislamic acts and busy ourselves in worship and remembrance of Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA. May Allah SUBHANAHU WA TA’ALA guide us, for the sake of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).
Aameen.