Special prayers offered on Shab-e-Meraj

LAHORE:Shab-e-Meraj, the night when the Holy Prophet (SAW) was ascended to the highest levels of heavens, was observed on Sunday night across the country with traditional religious devotion and fervour, but with special supplications before The Almighty to ward off the deadly coronavirs danger from the Muslim Ummah and the whole world. A large number of believers offered special prayers all the night, mostly inside their homes since the authorities have warned against going to mosques in large numbers as a precautionary measure for preventing the coronavirus from spreading to others; yet a few people were also seen inside the mosques in the middle and poor class localities since the police were patrolling outside the mosques in posh areas. The believers sought the blessings of Allah Almighty for shielding the Ummah against all kinds of harms and evils. They offered repentance for their collective and individual sins, and asked special prayers from The Almighty, seeking welfare of the entire nation and the Ummah, and riddance from all sorts of problems and tribulations.

Special prayers were offered for ridding the country and other parts of Muslim world of impending dangers of coronavirus spread which is threatening the whole world as over 12,000 people had died from it within three months.

The believers also prayed for the security of Harmain Sharifain and the holy lands from the enemy threats. This year various Islamic and socio-cultural organisations did not arrange gatherings for special prayers and mahafil-e-Naat in mosques and other places due to coronavirus threat.

However, believers were found reciting Naats in their homes. Most prayers leaders also held special live TV shows to prevent believers from going to mosques/gatherings due to coronavirus theat.

Lailat-ul-Meraj also known as Shab-e-Meraj is a glorious night, marking the Isra and Miraj of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) when he was taken from Makkah to Al-Haram-Al-Sharif, inside Al-Aqsa Mosque (also known as Baitul Muqaddas) and was then ascended to highest stages of the Heaven.

The word Meraj (ascent) of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is derived from Arabic word Urooj, which means ‘height,’ or ‘ascension.’ It is celebrated on 27th day of the month of Rajab of the Islamic calendar. According to a Hadith, it was during this holy journey (Meraj) that The Almighty gave His Prophet (SAW) the command for five daily prayers (salat).

Some groups of Muslim scholars also believed that Shab-e-Meraj is also a Lalatul Qadr where Allah Almighty grants multitude of rewards for worships and answers the prayers of the faithful who spend the night in worship. There is one particular but undefined moment in this night when every prayer is answered.

Special sweet dishes like Halwa, Zarda, etc, were prepared and distributed by the people among the relatives, neighbours and the poor and destitute. Philanthropists also distributed food among the poor and low-income groups.