The Muslims in Bangladesh, as elsewhere in the world, will observe Shab-e-Barat or Lailatul Barat, the holy night of divine blessings, with due religious fervour and solemnity today.
According to Islamic lunar calendar, Shab-e-Barat falls on the night of 15th Shaban, or 18th of March this year on the Gregorian calendar. The Muslims everywhere will pray on this holy night seeking the Almighty Allah's forgiveness for sins committed in the past. Many devout Muslims also fast on the day, visit the tombs of their deceased relatives and pray for the salvation of their departed soul. The Muslims believe the all-merciful creator also decides the rizq (sustenance) of all his creatures on this blessed night. Religious scholars on this holy occasion will give their sermons from the Quran and the Hadith and highlight the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him, pbuh) on how the Muslims should do their duties towards their fellow people. Special dishes will be prepared today in every Muslim family, both rich and poor and the foods will be shared with neighbours and relatives. Many Muslim families who can afford will feed the poor and orphan children on this holy occasion.
It is at this point comes the issue of this holy Islamic occasion's real significance. The faithful kneeling in supplication while performing their prayers at mosques or in their homes for the Almighty Allah's mercy is just the ritualistic part of the day's observance. But according to the basic teachings of Islam or of any other great religion for that matter, the best way to please the Almighty is by doing the duties towards His creations, especially, the less privileged members of the community. The prayers of the well-off faithful, whose neighbour is starving, are not accepted by the Almighty, so goes the teachings of Islam. Sad to say, many believers including religious leaders are often found to be very particular and serious so far as the ritualistic part of such important days or events of religious significance is concerned. They often spend money, sometimes in a rather extravagant manner, to mark these occasions. However, there are also others who lack similar enthusiasm when it is a question of helping the cause of improving the lot of the less privileged section of society. But they conveniently forget the fact that one of the five pillars of Islamic faith is giving mandatory charity, especially to help the poor to meet their basic needs-food, shelter, clothing and education-the preconditions for a dignified living.
In the present-day world driven by sheer materialism, when religion has been losing its spiritual content and becoming a mere tool of opportunistic politics, the Muslims need to revisit this fundamental precept of their faith. It is about the compassion they must show to those in need. It is also time to rediscover the spiritual essence of the faith which sees no difference between humans irrespective of their beliefs or social standing; for spiritually, religion does not divide, but unites people from all walks of life. So, the Muslims have a role to play and propagate Islam's message of peace and unity when humanity is passing through such a difficult time. On this holy night of Shab-e-Barat, the Muslims of this country need to reassert these particular messages of Islam-of unity and of giving.