Night of a thousand lamps

The past week brought with it two reasons for festivity, the most hyped one being the kick off to the World Cup on Thursday night, which had several thousand denizens of Patna walk around bleary eyed on Friday morning. Thursday evening was a very special one for another reason. Most of our young Muslim friends were making trips to the cemetery to clean up the graves in anticipation of for the Night of Forgiveness, the ritual having a parallel with the ‘All Souls’ Day’ prayers at the cemetery prevalent among Christians.

 The night of Shab-E-Barat celebrates the entry of the Prophet Mohammed into the city of Mecca’ Muslims around the world believe that on this day God writes the destinies of all men for the coming year by taking into account the good deeds and misdeeds committed by them in the past. It is considered one of the holiest nights on the Islamic calendar.


“Shab-E-barat is the night of deliverance from all sins. Muslims across sects observe the holy Shab-e-Barat with fervour and devotion. It is a night of prayer, recitation from the Holy Quran, and seeking blessings from Allah, the Almighty, seeking blessings from Allah for long life, peace, progress and happiness for our families,” says eighteen year old Imran, “Special prayer services are held from midnight to about four in the morning, and we go smartly dressed for this special namaz. It is the custom to visit the graves of relatives and Muslim saints and offer special ‘munajat’. We better be on our best behaviour because Almighty Allah decides the fate of all human beings fixing their 'rizq' (livelihood) for the next year”

  “The way we celebrate in India and South Asia is different from other places,” says Mehraz Haque , formerly from Patna Women’s College, now grinding away at a PHD from the Benaras Hindu University. “ In some areas, the festival is celebrated by bursting crackers, illuminating the house and surroundings with lights and candles is also a practice, that is favoured by Shia Muslims. In Patna, there is not much fireworks, but towards Bengal you will see colourful fireworks light up the sky.”


On this occasion, the Sunni Muslims are expected to forgive one another and to make sure that whatever debts owed to one another is settled .The Shia community believes that 15th Sha'aban ( Friday the 13th this month) is the birth date of their last and 12th Imam who is invisible and will come back as Imam Medhi.

 Sanya is an unashamed foodie. “It’s an occasion to bake and stew, and stir. While the men are busy with their grave rituals, we women make the festival a sweet occasion. Halwa is the hallmark of the festival. As a Bengali Muslim who loves sweets, I will focus on the variety of tempting puddings– carrot halwa, sujir halwa, lentil halwa, neshestar halwa, egg halwa, papaya halwa, and many more. On this night we eat halwa with our families, and also send them to friends and relatives to spread the festive mood.”

 For Rizwan, the special breads baked during the occasion of Shab-e-Barat that take the cake. “Visit Baker Gunj and sample some delicious breads are made of raisins and nuts with a honey-coating and sesame seeds on top,” he says. “And don’t forget the spicy meat dishes and biryani as well!”

 It is believed that the departed souls (Arwaah) of the Muslims visit the houses of their friends and relatives on this night to see how their descendants are faring, and perhaps the festivities and prayers are for the ancestors to see the prosperity and faith of their descendants and be comforted.

Here's hoping that you and your friends had a blessed week and enjoyed the treats that go with the festival. May the year ahead be a good one for all.