The New Nation - Internet Edition

Childhood experiences play a major role in shaping a person's character. It has its imprints on the whole life. I have read an article in which it has been disclosed that from womb to five years is very important. At that time one is like clay, it could be moulded in any shape.

What we hear in childhood, however trifle it may seem, it follows us all through the life. When I was a little girl, I heard that if you see a solitary sparrow or mynah it is unlucky. The saying goes like this, "One for sorrow, two for joy, three for letters, four for guests" It means if you see three birds a letter will arrive and if four, guests will come to visit you.

It seems meaningless, still when I go out and see a single bird I feel uneasy and search for another one. If I do not find another bird I become disappointed.

Nur Jahan

Chittagong

No doubt, the holy night of Shab-e-Barat has great significance as Allah forgives sins of those who pray to Him for His forgiveness in this holy night. But unfortunately there are some Muslims (of some particular sect) who do not recognise Shab-e-Barat or the holy night of forgiveness as a night of any significance. According to them, there is no direct instruction regarding this night in the holy Quran or no authentic Hadith is available emphasizing the importance of observing Shab-e-Barat. They say that this is a culture developed by the Muslims of our subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh). Some of them even dare to allege that their forefathers had committed sin by observing Shab-e-Barat!

I think it has become greatly essential for the Islamic Scholars to pass their scholarly inference on the basis of Islamic documents available on this issue.

Professor M Zahidul Haque

Chairman,

Department of Agricultural Extension & Information System,

Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University,

Dhaka-1207.