The holy Shab-e-Barat, known as the night of fortune, will be observed across the country tonight with due religious fervour and devotion.

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, reports BSS.

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

In separate messages, they urged the Muslim devotees to observe the holy Shab-e-Barat maintaining the health guidelines as the infection rate of COVID-19 is in rising trend.

Muslims consider Shab-e-Barat as one of the 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 people will also visit mazars and shrines all over the country.

Many families will prepare traditional foods like handmade rice-bread, beef and halua (a kind of desert made usually from semolina, carrot, chickpea or papaya) 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.

On the occasion, the Islamic Foundation (IF) has chalked out programme at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.

Religious sermons highlighting the significance of Shab-e-Barat will be delivered at the national mosque at 6.30 pm (after Maghrib prayers) while special munajat will be offered after Esha prayers today.

Senior Pesh Imam of the National Mosque Hafez Mawlana Muhammad Mizanur Rahman will deliver sermon and administer the munajat.

Tomorrow will be a public holiday on the occasion of the holy Shab-e-Barat.

Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar, and private television channels and radio stations will air special programmes on the occasion while newspapers will publish special supplements highlighting the significance of the night.