Ceremonies Marking Laylat Al-Raghaib Held in Turkey
A large number of people flocked to the Camlica, Hagia Sophia and Eyup Sultan mosques in Istanbul to attend the celebration of the Night of Wishes, Anadolu Agency reported.
The Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and the Dar al-Ifta of Istanbul organized some of the events.
The participants recited a special set of prayers and read from the Holy Quran. The ceremonies also included Tawasheeh and Ibtihal recitations.
In a message, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated the world’s Muslims on the occasion as well as the arrival of the month of Rajab and expressed hope for peace, calm and fraternity among all.
Laylat Al-Raghaib falls on the first Thursday night of the month of Rajab in the lunar Hijri calendar.
It is believed that every wish, request and hope will be fulfilled if asked for on Laylat al-Raghaib.
Raghaib comes from the root “regabe” in Arabic, which means to desire, seek or tend toward.
It is said that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to fast on the first Thursday of Rajab and recite twelve rak'ats of prayers in six sets of 2 rak'ats between Maghrib prayer and Isha prayer.
