Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

http://www.islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=4044

Shab-e-Miraj also uses the word Shab which according to you cant be in a name of a holy night.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Shab e mairaaj

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, we sincerely seek your forgiveness and the forgiveness of Allah Subhanah if anything we have said has given rise to any misunderstanding.

The term ‘Shabb’ is obviously not an Arabic term, but rather it is a term of the ‘Farsi’ or Iranian language to mean night. If one chooses to call the blessed night of Qadr in Ramadan ‘Shabb-e-Qadr’ instead of ‘Laylat-ul-Qadr’; there is obviously no harm….nor does a night become holy or unholy because of its name in a another language.

We were asked to give evidence for the ‘bida’ that unfortunately transpires on the night of what is popularly known in the sub-continent as the ‘Shabb-e-Baraat’….and only as an argument to portray our point did we mention that not only is there no such they as ‘Laylat-ul-Baraat’ in the Quran or Sunnah, there is absolutely nothing in the authentic and established traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws) which would justify the celebrations and commemorations of this so called night of ‘Shabb-e-Baraat’!

And one of the points we presented to our brethren who was insistent on the merits, significance and importance of the ‘Shabb-e-Baraat’ night, was that ‘Shabb’ was not even an Arabic term, that’s all.

But if one wishes to translate and transfix the Arabic term ‘layl’ with the Farsi term ‘shabb’ for auspicious nights like the ‘laylatul-Qadr’ or ‘laylatul-Eid’ etc., and call them ‘Shabb-e-Qadr’ or ‘Shabb-e-Eid’…..that in no way takes away the merits or the significance of those blessed nights.

We do sincerely and humbly seek your understanding and your forgiveness, and above all else, the forgiveness of our Lord Most Merciful, if perchance something we have written has given rise to any misunderstanding.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan