Türkİye, Culture

Muslims in Turkey observe holy night of Miraj

Lailat al Miraj marks Prophet Muhammad's journey from Mecca to al-Aqsa Mosque from where he ascended into heaven

Nilay Kar  | 02.04.2019 - Update : 03.04.2019
Muslims in Turkey observe holy night of Miraj

ISTANBUL

The Muslim holy night of Lailat al Miraj will be observed across Turkey on Tuesday night, marking Prophet Muhammad's nighttime journey from Mecca to al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem from where he ascended into heaven.

Also known as “the Night of Ascension,” the Lailat al Miraj is observed in Turkey as one of the five holy nights -- each of them called “kandil”, which translates as candle in Turkish -- when minarets of mosques are illuminated and special prayers are held.

The night is generally observed on the 27th day of the Islamic month of Rajab, the seventh month in the Islamic calendar.

In Islamic belief, Prophet Muhammad, after being prepared for his meeting with Allah by angels Jibrail and Mikhail, traveled on a winged steed called “Buraq” first to al-Aqsa Mosque -- where he led other prophets in prayer.

He then went to heaven and later to the Sidraṫ al-Munṫaha, the boundary marking the end of the seventh heaven, where he met and conversed with Allah.

Three gifts of Lailat al Miraj

The Prophet Muhammad returned from Lailat al-Mi’raj with three gifts to his ummah -- one of them is five daily prayers, which he described as “the light of my eye.”

“Another gift is the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah, which we know as ‘Amanar Rasul’ and read after the Isha prayer every day,” Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) said in a message on its website.

“The last gift of al-Mi’raj is the herald that sins of the ones among the Ummah of Muhammad (saw) shall be forgiven if they do not associate any partners to Allah and will finally be rewarded with Jannah” it said.

Over Twitter, Ali Erbas, head of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), voiced his wish that holy night of Miraj will cement unity and togetherness among Muslims and peace for all humanity.

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