Devotees say their prayers on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka early Friday. — New Age photo

Shab-e-Barat, the night of fortune, was observed across the country Thursday night with due religious fervour and devotion.
The devout Muslims spent the night at mosques and homes saying prayers, reciting from the holy Qur’an and seeking blessings from Allah for long life, peace, progress and happiness for themselves, their families, relatives and friends as well as the nation and the Muslim countries.
The 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.
The devotees across the country visited graves of their dear and near ones and prayed for the peace of their departed souls. Many also visited the mazars and shrines of saints.
Traditional foods like hand-made and rice-bread with beef were prepared in the rural and urban areas across the country.
The able Muslims distributed food and sweets among the neighbours. Foods and money were distributed among the poor and the destitute on the occasion. Many Muslims observed fasting on the following day (Friday).
Earlier, the president, Zillur Rahman, and the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, gave separate messages greeting all Muslims in the country and elsewhere in the world on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat.
The Islamic Foundation and other religious organiations chalked up daylong programmes, including discussion meetings, hamd, naat, milad, zikr and doa.
Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar, and private television channels and radio stations aired special programmes.
The daily newspapers published special articles highlighting the significance of Shab-e-Barat.