Today is a day of celebration for the Muslims, as lights and candles shine through the night lit with fireworks, where those families who lost a beloved are gifted food and sweets by the community and acts of charity towards the less fortunate and disadvantaged are performed, while the faithful try to spend the whole night in prayer and contemplation and commemorate their ancestors. Moreover, for Shia Muslims it is also the celebration of Imam al Mahdi. It is the time when Allah writes the destiny of humans, deciding on lifespans, fortunes and misfortunes and eligibility for the faithful to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. This is also the day when Allah bestows forgiveness unto humans for their sins, except to those who harbour hatred and violence in their hearts.
“…The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said that Allah has manifested on the night of mid-Shaban and forgiveness of all his creation…”
On this night celebrations, prayer, charity and community mutual care will take place for many Muslim communities from the Central Asian ranges and steppe down to the Arabic peninsula until the coasts of the Atlantic ocean, as Sunni, Sufi and Shi’a celebrate the Night of Forgiveness, children are gifted with sweets as they roam the neighbourhoods.