LAHORE: While Muslims celebrate Shab-e-Mairaj on the 27th of the Islamic month of Rajab every year, the Shab-e-Barat on the 15th of Sha’ban annually and the holiest Layla-tul-Qadr on any one of the odd numbered days during the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan, a study of other religions and faiths reveals that they too seek the blessings of the Creator on their sacred nights.
In Islam, Shab-e-Mairaj (also called Layla-tul-Isra and Mairaj in Arabic) is an auspicious night when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was taken to the Baitul Muqaddas or Masjid-e-Aqsa at Jerusalem and thereafter to the skies on a horse-like animal called Burraq (which travels at the speed of light).
More than 1,400 years after this particular incident, the legendary German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (1905) had proved that it was very much possible to travel at the speed of light.
So, it was Quran in fact, which had revealed the speed of light a millennium-and-a-half ago and was later testified by Einstein (1879-1955), who is also deemed to be the father of the atomic bomb as his famous equation (e=mc2) had predicted that a huge amount of energy would be released if matter were converted into energy—-all of what turned out to be true with the invention of the atomic bomb.
During his journey at the speed of light, the Prophet (PBUH) was shown the paradise and hell on Divine commandment and was made to meet other Prophets there. It is thus called the night of the journey and ascendancy to the highest level of the heavens.
At Bait-ul-Muqaddas, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had led the prayers, as all the earlier Prophets stood behind him in their transcendental bodies.
From there, the Prophet (PBUH) was raised to the heavens where he conversed with different Prophets again and was ultimately elevated to a point called “Sidra-tul-Muntaha” beyond the heavens.
According to Muslim belief, it was on this holy night that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had requested Allah (on the advice of Prophet Musa (Moses) to reduce the number of prayers from 50 a day to just five.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) requested for the same many times, before Almighty Allah finally acceded to his request, with an additional blessing that if the five prayers were properly offered, the faithful would be credited with 50 prayers instead of just five. The events of this wonderful night have been described in the Quran in Surah Isra.
The Shab-e-Barat involves a festive nightlong vigil with prayers. It is the night of worship, salvation and deliverance for the believers.
This night is next to Layla-tul-Qadr in auspiciousness. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said: “People are not aware of the excellence of the month of Sha’ban, the month that falls between Rajab and Ramadan. In this month, the deeds of the people are presented before Allah. I wish my actions to be presented whilst I am fasting.”
On this night (Shab-e-Barat), the annual deeds of the Muslims (for the preceding year) are closed and kept away in preservation till the day of resurrection.
Also, on this night, various angels in charge of births and deaths etc are briefed by Allah about the names and number of people who are to die during the coming year and the births (with dates and times) they are to take place during the year to follow.
The Shias also spend the entire eve of the 15th of Sha’ban in prayers. For them, this day also marks the birthday of their final Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi.
Shias believe that after he greets the Earth with his presence, Imam Mahdi would rid the planet of oppression, injustice and inequality. Then follows the “Layla-tul-Qadr,” which is believed to be the holiest of all nights. It commemorates the commencement of the Quranic revelations upon Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
According to the Quran, if a Muslim seeks forgiveness on this night and repents to Allah, his worship would be considered better than the total meditation of a thousand months or approximately 80 years.
In Hindu mythology, “Maha Shivratri” is the night of the worship of Lord Shiva. It falls on the 14th night of the new moon during Phalguna, which is the 12th month of the Hindu calendar (beginning on February 20 and ending on March 21 or on March 20 during leap years).
Hindus offer special prayers to win the blessings of Shiva, the lord of destruction revered for his ability to purge the world of evil and ignorance.
Hindus remain awake all this night, with heads bowed to Shiva and seek spiritual and physical health for the next year. They believe that the planetary positions align on “Maha Shivratri” in such a way that energy is naturally created in human beings.
The followers of Hinduism fast throughout this night. Dancers, artists and musicians also perform throughout this night in joy. The deity of Shiva is washed every three hours with milk, honey and sweet water as a ritual.
Vasant Navratri is another Hindu festival of worship and dance that falls somewhere in October/November every year. In Sanskrit the term literally means “nine nights.” During this festival, nine forms of Goddess Shakti (the goddess of energy and power) are worshipped for nine nights and 10 days.
Hindu devotees light up lamps to celebrate Navaratri with lot of fervour and organize worship stints for Goddess Durga. It is also called “Durga Pooja.” Navaratri is celebrated four times a year, though it is most widely commemorated at the beginning of spring and the advent of autumn.
Deepawali or Diwali, meaning a “row of lights/lamps,” involves nighttime celebrations too. Devotees light up clay lamps, filled with oil, to signify the success of good over evil. During Diwali, Hindus wear new clothes, exchange sweets and go out partying with family members and friends amid firecrackers and illumination all around them. Most Indian businesses begin their financial year on the first day of Diwali.
It is a five-day festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-November every year in Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, though for different reasons. Sikhs celebrate it to mark the prison break of their sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, who had also rescued 52 Hindu kings held captive by a Mughal Emperor with him in the Gwalior Fort in 1619.
This festival is celebrated to remember the occasion when Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama had killed a demon called Narakasura. Another legend says that the festival is celebrated for the return of Lord Rama and his wife Sita to the kingdom of Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and after defeating Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka.
In Christianity, the Maundy Thursday is celebrated on the Thursday falling before Easter. It commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his 12 Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. It is normally celebrated in the evening, when Friday begins according to Jewish tradition and devotees visit seven churches as the night begins to fall.
The Maundy Thursday is also known as the Holy Thursday or the Covenant Thursday and even the Thursday of Mysteries. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday.
It falls between March 19 and April 22, depending on the calendar (Gregorian or Julian), whichever of the two is followed by the believers.
The Maundy Thursday celebrations in the United Kingdom involve the Queen offering “alms” to deserving senior citizens. The red purse contains regular currency and is given in place of food and clothing. The white purse contains currency in the amount of one penny for each year of the Sovereign’s age.
Maundy coins or Royal Maundy are specially minted 1, 2, 3 and 4 penny pieces and are recognized as a legal tender. They are distributed among the deserving by the Queen herself, who continues to follow the customs dating back to the days of King Edward I.
Whether it is strictly a religious feast or a custom, most Christians also celebrate the Halloween night on October 31 every year to ward off the evil spirits, believing strongly that it is on this particular night of the year when ghosts, witches and fairies are especially active.
Clad in special costumes, children throughout the West “trick-or-treat” neighbours or family members on the Halloween night; play pranks with them and go from door to door asking for sweets.
Many host bonfires and costume parties as well. The practice of dressing up in costumes and begging door to door for treats on holidays dates back to the Middle Ages (period of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century), when poor people would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls’ Day (November 2).
Jews commemorate the festival of Pesach (Passover) around March or April every year to commemorate Prophet Moses freeing the Israelis from their enslavement under the Pharaoh of Egypt.
The festival lasts for eight days and during that time no food containing wheat or any type of grain is consumed by devotees to remember the historic fact when the Israelis had to leave Egypt in a hurry and did not have time to prepare proper food for themselves - their bread was considered ‘unleavened’ and tasted more like crackers.
On the first two nights of this festival, a service known as a Seder (order) is held at homes.
All Jews must clear their houses of ‘leavened food’ before the festival begins. Even different crockery, cutlery and cookware, which have not been used before to cook foods, are used during this festival.
It is customary for those attending to lean to their left to show that they are no longer bound by the restrictions of slavery imposed by the Pharaoh of Egypt and may sit as they please.
Four cups of wine are also drunk during the service and a celebratory meal is prepared for all present.
After the first two days, normal work activities follow for a four-day period. However, the food restrictions (as stated above) still apply. The festival finishes after dusk on the eighth day.
During the Jewish festival of Shavuot (Pentecost), which falls seven weeks after the above-described “Passover,” Jews often stay up all night on the first night to recite the Bible and commemorate Prophet Moses being given the Ten Commandments by God following the Exodus from Egypt.
This festival lasts for two days. During Yom-e- Kippur (the Day of Atonement or compensation), Jews pray for forgiveness of their sins and fast for 25 hours from sundown on the previous evening until the next night. They believe it to be the day on which their fates are sealed for the coming year.
While they fast, Jews don’t work, bathe or wear leather shoes. The fast begins with a special evening service known as Kol Nidre (all vows) and synagogue services last for the whole of the following day until the fast ends.
During the eight-day long Chanukah (festival of lights), which takes place in December, Jews light up candles on a Menorah every night for eight nights in the home, prepare their food in oil, and hold parties. A Menorah, a seven-branched candelabrum used in the temples of Jerusalem, is a symbol of Judaism since ancient times and happens to be the emblem of the state of Israel too.
The Chanukah festival history is related to the Jewish revolt against the Greeks, when they were forbidden to follow their faith and many were forcibly converted or killed for not converting.
This feast is also related to the destruction of a Jewish temple, its reconstruction and the story where the temple had miraculously remained lit up for seven days, though just one day’s supply of oil was left.
No comments:
Post a Comment