UPDATE - Muslims gear up for holy night of Raghaib

UPDATES WITH TURKISH PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT

By Hikmet Faruk Baser

ISTANBUL (AA) - Muslims in Turkey began observing the holy night of Raghaib on Thursday.

Laylat-ul-Raghaib marks the beginning of three holy months on the Islamic Hijri calendar: Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan.

Hasan Kamil Yilmaz, a professor of Islamic Sciences at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, told Anadolu Agency that the night of Raghaib gives signals to Muslims for Ramadan and prepares people to greet the month during able-bodied Muslims are required to fast from dawn until dusk.

Raghaib comes from the root "regabe" in Arabic, which means to desire, seek, or tend toward.

It is marked on Thursday night, preceding the first Friday in the Islamic month of Rajab. Many Muslims perform special prayers on this night and read from the Quran, Islam's holy book.

Turkey's Directorate of Communications released a Laylat-al Raghaib statement from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"I celebrate our nation and the entire Islamic world on the Night of Raghaib, which we have attained with the holy months. On this holy night, I wish to Allah to protect us and all humanity from all kinds of disasters and calamities. May our Night of Raghaib be blessed," the statement read.

On its website, Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) describes the three sacred months as a "season for blessings" and a "door opening to many opportunities for Muslims."

"We should turn such days and nights into opportunities to win Allah's approval, so long as our efforts in this regard do not discontinue once this time passes," it says.