Dhaka: The holy Shab-e-Barat, the night of fortune and forgiveness, will be observed in the country on May 1 as the Shaban moon was sighted in Bangladesh sky on Tuesday.

The National Moon Sighting Committee took the decision at a meeting held at the Islamic Foundation office at Baitul Mukarram in the evening.

Director General of Islamic Foundation and member secretary of the National Moon Sighting Committee Shamim Mohammad Afzal chaired the meeting.

Shab-e-Barat is observed on the fifteenth night of Shaban month.

According to Muslim belief, Shab-e-Barat is the night when Allah arranges the affairs of the following year. On Shab-e-Barat, Allah writes the destinies of all the creations for the coming year by taking into account their past deeds.

The Muslim devotees will offer special prayers, recite from the Holy Quran, hold milad, zikir and other religious rituals seeking divine blessings for the wellbeing of mankind.

Shab e Barat is celebrated mid-Shaban, on the night in between the 14th and 15th of Shaban.

People stay up all night and offer voluntary prayers (Nafl), asking Allah (SWT) to forgive any sins they might’ve committed in the past.

Different countries have different ways of celebrating the night. Every country has a different name for it. In South Asia, it is known as Shab e Barat. In Iran, it is called Nim Sha’ban. It is referred to as Nisfy Sya’ban in Malay speaking countries while in Turkey it is known as Berat Kandili.