Observe Shab-e-Barat at home, be safe: Clerics

Pilibhit: Senior clerics in Pilibhit have appealed to their brethren not to visit

graveyards

on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat to offer

prayers

for their departed family members in order to prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading. The festival is to be held on April 8.

On that day, explained divisional president of Ahle Sunnat Research Centre,

Maulana Sajid Hassani Qadari

, people visit graveyards,

light a lamp, burn incence sticks and offer prayers for the salvation of the departed souls, seek blessings to bestow peace upon them and reserve their place in ‘jannat’ (heaven).

Qadari, who is also the Qazi e-Shahrah in Puranpur, said,“This is the occasion when thousands of people assemble at graveyards and spend the whole night of Shab-e-Barat there."

In each graveyard in

Pilibhit district

, some 2,000-3,000 attend.

This time to ensure social distancing, people should stay at home, offer prayers and be safe, said Qadari.

Meanwhile, ASP Rohit Mishra said Pilibhit's city's cleric, Maulana Jartab Raza Khan, has

consented to allow the presence of just one imam and one assistant to perform

rituals

at the graveyards.

Mishra said Khan will be providing police with a list of imams who will visit the graveyards and perform the rituals of Shab-e-Barat.

Mishra said there are over 150 graveyards across the district and of these, 13 are in Pilibhit city.