Shab e Barat Tahreer by Pakeeza Tayyaba

About this novel

Shab E Baraat (Urdu: شبِ برات) by Pakeeza Tayyaba is a short Urdu religious article about the night of Shab-e-Baraat and its meaning. It explains why Muslims observe the night and the prayers and acts of worship the writer recommends.

Unlike the writer’s novels, this is not a story but a guide written for readers who want to spend the night in ibadat. It opens with a salaam and an explanation: the fifteenth night of the month of Sha’ban is called Shab-e-Baraat. “Shab” means night, and “baraat” means freedom or breaking away. Because on this night Muslims repent and break away from their sins, and countless people are freed from the fire through Allah’s mercy, it is known as the night of baraat. The writer also mentions other names used for it, such as Laylatul Mubarakah (the blessed night), the night when matters are decided, and the night when mercy descends.

Under the heading “Shab-e-Baraat ki ibadaat”, Pakeeza Tayyaba then lists a sequence of practices, as she presents them, for seeking forgiveness. These include reciting Durood-e-Ibrahimi a hundred times and “La hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil aliyyil azeem” forty times about fifteen minutes before the Maghrib azaan on the evening the writer specifies, reading Surah Yaseen three times after Maghrib, and sets of nawafil with particular intentions, such as asking for a long, healthy life, each followed by recitations like Surah Ikhlas.

شعبان کی پندرہویں رات، توبہ، دعا اور عبادت کا پیغام۔

The writer explains the spiritual rewards she associates with each act in an encouraging, heartfelt tone – for example, explaining how forgiveness for many years of sins might also extend to one’s parents – and urges readers not to let this blessed night pass in neglect. She also describes a practice of bathing after Maghrib with water boiled with seven beri (lote tree) leaves.

Readers should note that this is the writer’s own guide; practices and the merits attributed to them can differ between schools of thought, so it’s best to confirm details with a trusted religious scholar. For anyone looking for a simple Urdu reminder about the significance of Shab-e-Baraat, it is a short, sincere read.

You can read Shab E Baraat online here or download the PDF for free. More by Pakeeza Tayyaba: Hidayat Ka Wasila, Wajdan E Mohabbat and Mein Thehra Awara, or see all Pakeeza Tayyaba writings.