SHAB-E-Barat Shab-e-Barat is an early but subtly friendly warning event, as mid-point of the Islamic month of Shaban, that the next month following is Ramadan, the prescribed holy month of fasting. In fact Shab-e-Barat warns Muslims inasmuch as the amber light (orange) is an early warning system of “preparing to stop” before the red light in any traffic light controlled intersection. In a nutshell, Shab-e-Barat is mid-point or the 15th day of the 8th month (Shaban) in Islamic calendaring system. This early warning is around 2 weeks prior, allowing people to get their household inventory in order in preparation for fasting and finally culminating to Eid-ul-Fitr. Ramadan is that self-assessment and testing period for Muslims to go in their lives prescriptively correct, insofar as self-discipline, self-control, purity, charity and obedience to Allah matter. In a nutshell, if people can pass this testing period of a month, then people must continue with that same trend for the next 11 months towards perpetuity. The event of Shab-e-Barat is also known by different names in different communities and geographies, as already elaborated above. It is also necessary to dwell into and understand some of the significant events which impacted upon India over the last 400-500 years ago, commencing with Delhi Muslim Sultanate (1206-1526), the Mughal Empire (1526-1857) and the British Raj (1858-1947), which finally led to independence of India and Pakistan in August 1947. During these very trying times (1206-1857), the Indian communities were under intense pressures, where on one hand the Muslim Rulers imposed strict Muslim prescriptions, on the other hand the mixed Indian populace went through transformations, which included conversions from other faiths to Islam and some extent of cross-marriages. Islam was periodically infused with Arabic, Turkish, Afghani and Persian culture-mix and not forgetting Hindu influences, especially during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jalal-Ud-din Muhammad Akbar, who accommodated these cultural and religious interventions. It should also be noted, that such non-prescribed “add-ons” are prevalent only in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and to lesser extent by the peoples of Iran and Afghanistan. Millions of Muslims in the rest of the world have mostly not even heard of the term “Shab-e-Barat” let alone celebrating it. The Mughals (a Persian terminology, which is taken to mean cross-cultured combination of Turkish and Mongols, who ruled northern and greater part of India to the Deccan region), actually allowed introduction of foreign rituals to some extent within Islam in India. The distribution of sweets/halwa to friends and relatives was the symbolic equivalent of distributing “Prasad by Hindus.” Hence the earlier comment of customary and “unnecessary excess luggage” introduced to their cultures in India and to the Indian Diaspora.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 11:03:13 +0000
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