Holy Shab-e-Barat today

The holy Shab-e-Barat, known as the night of fortune, is being observed across the country on Thursday night with due religious fervour and devotion, reports BSS.

The Muslim devotees would spend the night at mosques and homes offering prayers, reciting from the holy Quran and seeking blessings to Allah for long life, peace, progress and happiness for themselves, their families, relatives and friends as well as the nation and the Muslim Ummah.

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday greeted all Muslims of Bangladesh and elsewhere the world on the occasion of holy Shab-e-Barat.

In separate messages on the eve of the holy occasion, they prayed for peace, progress and prosperity of the nation as well as the Muslim Ummah of whole world.

Muslims consider Shab-e-Barat as one of three most sacred nights and believe that on this night Almighty Allah decides the fate of all human beings fixing their `rizq` (livelihood) for the next year.

On the night, the devotees across the country would visit graves and pray for their beloved ones seeking their eternal peace. Many will also visit mazars, shrines of saints all over the country.

Many families will prepare traditional foods like handmade rice-bread with beef and halua both at rural and urban areas across the country on the occasion.

A good number of Muslims will observe fast on the following day. They will distribute food and sweets among the neighbours and the poor. Besides, foods and money will be distributed among the destitute on the occasion.

To mark the holy occasion, the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh (IFB) has chalked out nightlong elaborate programmes at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.

The programmes include recitation from the holy quran, hamd-nath, waj-mahfil, milad, quiam and special munajat.

Mawlana Abu Zafar Muhammad Helal Uddin, principal of Mashurikhola Ahsania Kamil Madrasa, will present sermons highlighting the significance of Shab-e-Barat at 7.40pm.

Hafez Mawlana Muhiuddin Quashem, imam of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, will present sermons on the importance of ibadat and doa at 10.30pm.

Mawlana Muhammad Abdur Razzak, principal of Tejgaon Madinatul Ulum Kamil Madrasa, will narrate the importance of holy night and Ramadan at 11.30pm.

Subsequently, the importance and advantage of `zikr` and tahajjut will also be discussed at the mosque. Then the akheri munajat (final prayers) will be held after Fazr prayers.

The munajat will be administered by senior imam of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque Hafez Mawlana Muhammad Mizanur Rahman.

The day after today will be the national holiday for the Shab-e-Barat. Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar, and private television channels and radio stations will broadcast special programmes.