Lailatul Barat – January 24, 2027

History of Lailatul Barat

On Lailatul Barat, Muslims believe God descends from heaven and forgives sins very generously. Thus they spend the night in prayers and fasting till the next day. Muslims are directed to fast for at least six days this month. Muhammad dissuaded his companions from fasting before the 15th of Sha’baan because he worried about their physical health.

Lailatul Barat happens in the middle of the month of Sha’ban, which is the month before Ramadan. It is regarded as the holiest night on the Islamic Calendar. On this night, at sunset, Allah comes to the nearest heaven and announces: “Is and are no one asking forgiveness that I may forgive him? Is there no one asking provision that I may grant him provision? Is there no one afflicted that I may relieve them? Is there not such and such?” And so the night starts up at sundown on the 14th and eventually ends at dawn on the 15th of Sha’ban. Women who menstruated in Ramadan have the opportunity to make up for it this month.

The Islamic tradition remembers Muhammad, who had been prostrating in prayer for so long that his wife worried he might have died. When she made sure he wasn’t dead, she went to bed and reassured her she lay in bed, reassured of his health. When praying, Muhammad explained to his wife that he was observing a holy night when God forgives believers and releases countless people from hell.

On Lailatul Barat, festivities, cooking, and staying up the entire night in prayer are all part of the observances. Schools are given a holiday, so young children can have a chance to recuperate. In some parts of the world, people visit graves and commemorate their ancestors on this night. Apart from worshipping all night, Islamic traditions also prompt Muslims to fast on the 15th of Sha’ban.