Daily Times

KARACHI: Thousands of Muslims across the country including Karachi will sit in Aitekaf, An important feature for which Ramazan is known in the last sacred Ashra, the Itikaf a deed is performed in last 10 days of Ramazan in search of Shab-e-Qadr. The devotees gather for ‘Aitekaf’ in congregation.

Aitekaf will begin on Friday evening which is a spiritual retreat in a mosque, during which Muslims spend the evening and night in the mosque, devoting their time to solitary prayers and reciting the Holy Quran.

Special arrangements have been made in Dawat-e-Islami’s Faizan e madina mosque and other mosques of cities. The Aitkaf performers will offer their prayers in mosques and take and break their fasts over there. It will conclude with the sighting of Shawal moon for Eid-ul-Fitr. Religious scholars, prayer leaders will deliver special sermons, recite holy Quran and praise of the Prophet (PBUH) during nights.

Dawat-e-Islami, a non-political Islamic organization of Pakistan, has made largest arrangements of Aitekaf for 7,000 people while 5,000 people are already performing the deed for the whole month of Ramazan and 2,000 people will join them from Friday in Faizan e Madina old subzi mundi Karachi due to shortage of place they are not able to manage more than this, told spokesman of Faizan e Madina.

Moulana Ilyas Qadri, Founder-DI will deliver sermons to the devotees on daily basis where he is not only teaching regarding Islam but also every day life manners, he added

While in different Mosques people are sitting for Aitekaf as at Jamia Darul-Uloom Korangi Karachi around 600 people, New Memon Masjid Boulton Market around 200 people, Masjid Bait-us-Salam Defence 150 people, Jama Masjid Bahar-e-Shariat, Bahadurabad 125 people the similar numbers are in every mosques of the city.

Men sit in mosques while women perform it at their homes. A person who sits in Aitekaf devotes him/herself to worship and stays away from worldly affairs. Shab-e-Qadr could be searched during five odd nights (21, 23, 25, 27 and 29) of the holy month and worship of Allah Almighty in the night is better than worshiping of 1,000 nights, according to the Holy Quran. In odd nights special prayers would be performed for the betterment and prosperity of our home land our family and loved ones .