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[QUOTE=Raaema]salam!
i want to dscs here something imp!
my friend said, hamen 15th Shabaan as shab-e-barat nahin manani chahiya, cz Quran main iska koi zikar nahin, she is denying hadith too, she says , hadith are not authenticated, she said prove me by any of aayat of Quran then i will blv or not!
now tell me! what should i do! bcz main nai bohat si hadith main iski fazeelat parhi hai, but she is not understanding! can any of you help me so that i can convey her! ya kia main ghalat hun??? m confused @ this point! plz help! tc, aur personally send me an email here!
tc[/QUOTE]
Lailatul Barat
By Saifuddin Chowdhury
Sun, 18 Sep 2005, 11:28:00

The night of the 15th of Shaban, known as Lailat-ul-Bara'at is popularly known as Shab-e-Baraat in our country. Both the words ‘Lailat’ in Arabic and ‘Shab’ in Persian mean ‘Night’ and the word ‘Baraat’ stands for ‘Salvation’ or ‘Privilege’. The night occupy a glorious and important place in the life every Muslim.

According Hadith Lailat-ul-Bara'at or Shab-e-Bara'at means the night of emancipation, salvation. It is also described as the ‘night of fate.’ According to this version, human fate and destiny is decided for the next year in this night. In view of the emancipation of the sinners, seeking the forgineness of Allah and praying for His mercy is the responsibility of the faithful. The Prophet (SM) says, “Perform prayers waking up at night, when the 15th night of Shaban comes and perform fasting in the daytime.” (Tirmizee Sharif). The Prophet (SM) also said to Hazrat Ayesha (RA), “The names of the children who will have birth and (the names of persons) who will die this year are listed in the night. And in this night the record of virtue and vice of human being is submitted to Allah. The allotment of ‘rizq’ (food) is decided in the night.” This Hadith describes about the decision of fate and livelihood by Allah in this graceful night: including the submission of the records of virtuous and sinful activities of every human being to Him. The Muslim community thus seek forgiveness and emancipation and also pray for their onward bright fate.

Quoting some verses from the Holy Quran it is said that the blessed night is not in the month of Shaban. It is in the night of Ramadhan, precisely 27th Ramadhan. And this is the night in which the fate of human beings for next one year is written. So what is done in Bangladesh in the night of the 15th of Shaban is totally wrong and runs counter to the teachings, the Holy Quran upholds.

It may be pointed out here that the soruces of law in Islam are: (1) The Holy Quran, (2) The Hadith and Sunnah, (Hadith means what Prophet (SM) said and Sunnah means what Prophet (sm) did (3) Ijmah and (4) Qiyas. “Lailat-ul-Bara'at has not been mentioned directly or specifically in the Holy Quran, but mention is there of Lailatum-Mubarakatun.” So it does not mean that we shall misconstrue the Verses of the Holy Quran. There are also many authentic Hadith and evidence which testify so eloquently to the fact that the Prophet (SM) himself used to say special prayers on this holy night. He went to ‘Zannatul Baqi’ graveyard to pray for the salvation of those there on this night. The Prophet (SM) used to offer his prayers with such devotion and dedication that his feet got swollen on this night. “Glorious incidents like these testify so brilliantly to the Prophet’s (SM) belief in the importance, sanctity and divine excellence of the auspicious Night of Privilege or Salvation.”

It is claimed that in the holy night the heavenly tree Sidrat-ul-Muntaha, specially mentioned in the Holy Quran (L III 4), is shaken to decide who shall die in the following year. The Prophet (SM) himself advised all not to forget or foolishly ignore the sacred importance and sanctity of the holy night. He declared, “Allah forgives every Muslim in this night. He does not, however, forgive the Mushrik, the jealous, the cruel and the adulterer. Allah opens the door of Mercy and Divine Grace for the mankind on four Nights: the two Nights of Eids, the Night on the 15th of Shaban and the Night of Arafat. (Two other Nights, Shab-e-Qadar and Shab-e-Miraj have been specially referred to in the Holy Quran). So this Shab-e-Baraat is very significant and indeed a solemn and sacred occasion of Divine Excellence which is to be observed in a befitting way, by prayers and repentance, begging pardon from Allah of sins, recitation fo the Holy Quran, giving alms to the needy, ‘ziqr’, ‘ziarat’ and not through candles and crackers, not through ‘halwas’ and ‘rootis’.

Mention may be made here that there is no substitute or alternative word for ‘Allah’. Allah is a Quranic word. The Prophet (SM) said "if any Muslim recite the Quranic word he shall earn 10 (ten) Nekis (goodness) for each letter”. But if he says ‘Khuda’, he will not earn these Nekis. Because ‘Khuda’ is not a Quranic word. The very word ‘God’ has feminine gender ‘goddess’. But the word ‘Allah’ has no feminine gender. Allah is Great.

We recite “Aujubillahe Minash Shaitaanir Razim” before starting recitation from the Holy Quran. But ‘Aujubillah’ has not been mentioned at the beginning of the Holy Quran. We recite it because the Prophet (SM) directed us to recite it. The system of two ‘Azans’ (calling for Salat) for Juma'ah prayer (Friday congregational prayer) was introduced during the Caliphate of Hazrat Uthman ®, the third Caliph of Khulafaee-e-Rashedin. Since then the Muslims follow this system of two ‘Azans’. But it has not been mentioned in the Holy Quran and the Hadith. So it cannot be said that it runs counter to the teachings of the Quran and the Hadith. There is also Ijmah and Qiyas in the sources of law in Islam. Religious leaders established a practice named ‘Khatme Jalali’ on the basis of Qiyas. So we cannot find out Sunnah for such practice.

We believe that 1 lakh or contrary to the opinion 2 lakh 24 thousand prophets came to this world. But in the Holy Quran the names of only 25 prophets are mentioned. Should we disbelieve others? Certainly not. As a Muslim we cannot disbelieve others.

We should note one thing that it is very difficult to understand the inner significance from the part of a verse of the Holy Quran. Because some are small verses and some are big verses. Sometimes one verse is explained by another verse. The Prophet (SM) also explained the verses of the Holy Quran. These are compiled in the Hadith. The Hadith is the explanation of the verses of the Holy Quran. There are some backgrounds why, when and what for the verses of the Holy Quran were revealed. The Holy Quran is not the book of literature. The Quran has dealt with so many a subject, viz. religious, social, economic, political, judicial, historical and scientific etc. The Quran is the Charter and Constitution of the Muslim faith which affords the most adequate means for securing the welfare of men in this world and ensuring their salvation in the next. So mere translation of a part of a verse from the Holy Quran help one to know the word meaning but not the inner significance or inner message. To interpret one verse one should know ‘Usulul Fiqh’. Because it implies the independent exercise of intelligence in deciding a point of law, from the knowledge obtained by the study of Quran or Hadith or any other reputed sources of law. To find out Shariah law one should know what is ‘Ijtehad’. The word is derived from the root ‘Gahd’ which means exerting one’s self, i.e. trying to discover the proper application of the teachings of the Quran and the Hadith to a particular situation, and Ijtehad literally conveys the same significance. Ijtehad is expressly recognised in the Hadith as the means by which a decision may be arrived at when there is not direction in the Quran or the Hadith.

As regards ‘Ijma’, the Quran says: “Obey the Prophet and obey those who have authority among you.” The Hadith says: "If anything comes to you which is not in the Quran, then look to the Sunnah of the Prophet; then look to what people unanimously agree upon.” History furnishes facts that the first Caliph of Islam always followed the above principles, when a question came to him for decision. This is known as ‘Ijma’. ‘Qiyas’ is an analogical dedication from the three sources of law Quran, Sunnah, and Ijma. Thus it appears that besides the Quran and the Hadith, Ijma and Qiyas one should research on the Holy Quran and the Hadith. So, research will continue in the days to come too.

It is true that the religious people of Bangladesh pass the night through zealous and active participation in private and congregational prayer held in the mosque seeking the blessings and mercy of Allah.

We hope people, who say what is done in Bangladesh on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat by prayers and repentence, begging pardon from Allah for sins, recitation of the Holy Quran, giving alms to the needy, ‘ziqr’, ‘ziarat’ is wrong and runs counter to the teachings the Quran, will try to understand the inner significance of a verse of the Holy Quran and the sources of law in Islam.