Today is the Holy Day of Shave Barat.

The Dhaka Times Desk Today is the holy day of the Muslim religion 'Shaba Barat'. On this auspicious day of today, every Muslim will pray for the mercy of the great creator.

'Shab' is a Persian word, meaning night, and 'barat' means good fortune. With these two words, 'Shabe Barat' means the candle of good fortune. And in Arabic it is called 'Lailatul Barat'.

Today is Tuesday 14 Shaban. The night before today is the holy Shabbat. The night of the 14th day of the month of Shaban of the Hijri calendar is a very holy and glorious night for the Muslim community. Almighty Allah opens the doors of His endless mercy for His servants on this night. On this glorious night, devout Muslims seek forgiveness from Almighty Allah in deep repentance for all the mistakes and sins of the past life. Nafal prayers, Zikir-Azkar, recitation of the Holy Qur'an and Ibadat Bendgi spend a quiet night humbly praying - to live a pure life by avoiding sins and impurity in the life to come. At the same time, he visited the graves of the deceased Muslim men and women along with their relatives and prayed for the forgiveness of their souls.

Milad mahfil and special prayers are also organized in neighborhood mosques from evening onwards. Many are engrossed in worship till late night. Some people eat Sehir on the last night and fast the next day. After the month of Shaban comes the holy month of Ramadan. And so for Muslims, Shaba Barat essentially heralds the arrival of Ramadan. The preparations for fasting during the month of Ramadan basically begin with this Shaba Barat.

Shave Barat also has a joyful social aspect in Bengali society. On the occasion of this day, various kinds of halwa, pies, bread and other delicacies are cooked in the homes of Muslims. Shabe Barat semolina halwa, solar dal halwa and barfi are immortal in the history of our village Bengal. On this day, these foods are given to relatives, neighbors' houses. These Halwa-Roots are also distributed among the poor and needy.

Many people donate freely. As always, the day after Shabbat i.e. tomorrow Wednesday will be a public holiday. Various religious organizations have undertaken various programs on the occasion of the day. The Islamic Foundation organized a night-long waj mahafil, dua and special prayers at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of Opposition Roshan Ershad and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in separate messages wished the country peace, prosperity, progress and welfare of the Muslim Ummah.