I miss Shab-e-Barat!

[Zeeshan]

So it seems it will coincide with 4th of July and gholer shaad fireworksey milate hobe. The tarabatti, the chaaler gura roti, manghso, and most importantly trying to pray 100 rakahs for wishes and then top it off with suhr to fast. I miss them!! How I wish I was in bD or something at this time of year.

Now know BC, this will inadvertently turn into 'validity' of Mid-Shaban from religious perspective. As I saw after coming to America that it is 'wrong' to celebrate it. Hay.

At any rate, have fun guys!

[Sohel]

I don't observe the night but have no problem, none whatsoever with those who do. Love the special food but often find myself wondering would the food still be considered special if we had it regularly?

Anyway, I used to make do with store bought Sopapillas, Carne Asada, and Turkish, Persian and Lebanese sweets when too lazy to cook my own while living abroad.

[F6_Turbo]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
I don't observe the night but have no problem, none whatsoever with those who do. Love the special food but often find myself wondering would the food still be special if we had it regularly?

No chance.

Similarly...I'm not a big fan of 'chola', and not that keen on having 'peyaju' on a regular basis, but during Ramadhan, it just doesn't feel the same without it. So, we have at least a couple of days, where we hark back to the traditional...and it's brilliant!

[Rubu]

First, growing up in Sirajganj Shab-e-barat was all about Buter Halua, rooti and prayer. Then coming to Dhaka, I was really surprised to see somehow, Shab-e-barat meant fireworks. I had no idea between the connection of those two.

then moving to US, it was even bigger surprise to find out that there is no such thing as Shab-e-barat. It is like a WTH after a WTH.

[bujhee kom]

Yeah Gopal, me, myself growing up in Kosai-tuli, Old Dhaka, I miss firing up a lot of fire-crackers on Sob-i Baraat ka neight. I miss, the rainbow shower - clay-pot type just for visual, no pop fire-crackers and any kinds of Rockets!! I miss the sounds of prayyers, chant and claps from the Shaite Mosque. Being in Kosai-Tuli, being surrounded by those moist, old and narrow walls filled with Pattha-Goats' pellets and urin as everybody keeps bokri and Goru here, all kosai, the powder smell and the smoke and the Tara-batti and the children's screams, laghter and chasing each other is very sadly revesited in my recent old aged memories as well. I also miss the haloooa, jorda and borfis and the chauler rooti from our house.

[bujhee kom]

But one thing though Gopal, you must have to understand, a lot of farecracker together or a bigger single one can back-fire, burn wrongly and can hurt a child very bad, I heard in Chittagong, once a young child burnt his hands very badly. It can be be very risky thing to play with.

[ammark]

Ekta raat shorkar chhuti dise Allahr ibadat korte, tahajjud namaj porte dosh nai. Off to the mosque, then.

[Jadukor]

Shab e barat bole kisu nai

[BANFAN]

Entire Arab world even doesn't know what's Shab e Barat....it's another invention by Subcontinent Mullahs (Primarily Pak) like the Milad ... That didnt make Arabs Barat worse than ours. Most of These buggers are millionaires even without education or any work without observing Shab e Barat... Yes, there is nothing called Shab e Barat in Islam...

[Puck]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
I don't observe the night but have no problem, none whatsoever with those who do. Love the special food but often find myself wondering would the food still be considered special if we had it regularly?

Anyway, I used to make do with store bought Sopapillas, Carne Asada, and Turkish, Persian and Lebanese sweets when too lazy to cook my own while living abroad.

I have immensely fond memories from 24 years ago. It was never the same once we moved to UK. Up to the age of 12 it was ingrained it me that the night was of fun and piety combined. I loved the fireworks and candles all along our veranda. Only once did I manage the 100 rakat but it filled me with an immense sense of achievement. I believe that the day after used to be a school holiday so we were allowed to stay up as late as we wanted to and more to the point, my sister and I were allowed to pray in my parent's bedroom.

When my father reminisces about those nights what he remembers most fondly are the fireworks and candles in the veranda. Those were the days!

To those who observe, peace. To those who don't, peace. To those who scorn the observation, peace.

[Zeeshan]

Originally Posted by Puck
I have immensely fond memories from 24 years ago. It was never the same once we moved to UK. Up to the age of 12 it was ingrained it me that the night was of fun and piety combined. I loved the fireworks and candles all along our veranda. Only once did I manage the 100 rakat but it filled me with an immense sense of achievement. I believe that the day after used to be a school holiday so we were allowed to stay up as late as we wanted to and more to the point, my sister and I were allowed to pray in my parent's bedroom.

When my father reminisces about those nights what he remembers most fondly are the fireworks and candles in the veranda. Those were the days!

To those who observe, peace. To those who don't, peace. To those who scorn the observation, peace.

Missing more posts of these kind like you.

Come back!

[ammark]

Originally Posted by BANFAN
Entire Arab world even doesn't know what's Shab e Barat....it's another invention by Subcontinent Mullahs (Primarily Pak) like the Milad ... That didnt make Arabs Barat worse than ours. Most of These buggers are millionaires even without education or any work without observing Shab e Barat... Yes, there is nothing called Shab e Barat in Islam...

This is not entirely true. Last year our khateeb in Melbourne, and the monash uni Imam, both Arabs from Egypt and Iraq respectively (from Shafi'i madhab orientation) highlighted the auspicious night of the 15th of Sha'ban. It should be a night of Tahajjud as in Rasulullah's sunnah, and the 15th of Sha'ban it is sunnat to fast as well. Certain hadith regarding the night of the mid-Sha'ban is considered sahih. But it should only be a night of personal contemplation and worship. Not a public event.

[F6_Turbo]

I read something brilliant(well I thought it was brilliant) regarding this issue....

Salafi troll:

Salam, silly article in all honesty and full of generalisations on the salafi stance. The middle of any month is blessed not just Shaban.

Simple but brilliant response:

If the middle of sha’baan is also blessed like every month, then we should encourage people to do more ibadah not go around discouraging them.

What a response...hahahah

Article in question: http://www.tafseer-raheemi.com/refut...-shabe-baraat/

[M.H.Rubel]

Foods are really tasty.Yammy.

[Leafs PWN]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
I don't observe the night but have no problem, none whatsoever with those who do. Love the special food but often find myself wondering would the food still be considered special if we had it regularly?

Anyway, I used to make do with store bought Sopapillas, Carne Asada, and Turkish, Persian and Lebanese sweets when too lazy to cook my own while living abroad.

Same as the bolded for me.

I don't think it would be as special if we had it regularly. What makes it a good occasion for me, is the other people being excited/happy on the day. That's what really makes days special in my eyes.

[ammark]

Just got back from Geneva camp Mohammedpur after a nice chaap and luchi+adda session. Good to see (hear) potkas/ fireworks being blasted. Not all of Dhaka has lost its cultural touch.

Gulshan-Banani society Islami shikkha beshi peye ar Hajj jeye ekhon eshob aatoshbaaji futano nishidhho kore dise.

[BANFAN]

Originally Posted by ammark
This is not entirely true. Last year our khateeb in Melbourne, and the monash uni Imam, both Arabs from Egypt and Iraq respectively (from Shafi'i madhab orientation) highlighted the auspicious night of the 15th of Sha'ban. It should be a night of Tahajjud as in Rasulullah's sunnah, and the 15th of Sha'ban it is sunnat to fast as well. Certain hadith regarding the night of the mid-Sha'ban is considered sahih. But it should only be a night of personal contemplation and worship. Not a public event..

I again checked back with following Arab/Muslim nationalities: UAE, Egypt, Syria, Afg, Iran, Jordan, Algeria .... According to all of them, BARAT is not even an Arabic word and to their knowledge there is nothing special on the night of 15 days prior to Ramadan.

These nationalities and to their knowledge none of the Arab or North African Islamic countries observe this shab e BARAT.

My guess is, those persons you refer might have learnt it from some Pak Mullah/Guru. There are millions of unsupported or not verified Hadith in this world, it's not impossible for someone to pullout a favorable one to establish it with some twist and turn... Muslims hardly has the intention or scope of verifying that Hadith, they will rather believe the Mullah he hears live .... These are the dangers of following Hadith....

BARAT is a pure Urdu word...so you can guess the origin of the concept... Shab is a Persian and Arabic word...also used in Urdu...

Or it may be a ritual observed by some minority faction/cult of Islam in Egypt/Iraq and Pakistanis picked it from there and mainstreamed it in the subcontinent.

[ammark]

Originally Posted by BANFAN
"Shab-e-Barat"

I never said that he said "Shab e Barat". He said "mid-Sha'ban" in English. Never the words Lailatul Barat or Shab-e-Barat. He did not elaborate on the reasons for the mid-Sha'ban being particularly auspicious, just that it was in Rasulullah's sunnat to pray tahajjud that night and fast on the following day.It was very casually stated in the khutba and no special emphasis was given for its ritual observance. ie. He did not make any fanciful claims that Allah descends down to the earth on that night, and the souls of the departed muslims return, or that our destiny for the following year is decided, or that it was 100 rakat of salah for the night, etc.

I wouldnt read too much into it, the khateeb and our imam often would leave for home right after Maghrib fard salah was done.They did not necessarily pray sunnat salat afterwards zealously at the masjid like most South Asian brothers of the Hanafi following. This doesnt mean that they don't know about sunnat salah after maghrib and the baraka of it.

[BANFAN]

That makes better sense. I thought they were referring to Shab E BARAT. Which I conclude as being a Pakistani invention, like Milad Sharif etc many different religious practice/Discourse.