Faithful seek blessings and forgiveness

Over three million faithful sought Almighty Allah’s blessings, expiation of their sins and forgiveness of their Creator and Cherisher as they thronged the Two Holy Mosques on the 27th night of Ramadan, Tuesday. Widely believed to be the Night of Power — although prayers and supplications are to be offered during all the last ten nights of Ramadan, especially odd nights — several scholars have held that 27th night is Laylat Al-Qadr which, according to the Holy Qur’an, is better than a thousand months.

The Qur’an was first revealed to our Prophet (peace be upon him) 1,400 years ago on the Laylat Al-Qadr. For that reason, this night has a distinct quality from the other days of Ramadan, and even the entire year.

The Grand Mosque in Makkah was overflowing with worshipers as they came to perform Umrah and take part in special night-time prayers of Taraweeh and Tahajjud.

The Prophet (pbuh) has said: “Whosoever offers voluntary prayers during the Night of Power out of belief and expecting its reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven.”

Despite the huge crowd of worshipers, traffic in Makkah was smooth and no major accidents were reported. Special security officers had been deployed to arrest pickpockets and other criminals. The Civil Defense kept fire-fighting and rescue units ready inside the central region of Makkah as well as along the roads leading to the Haram.

At the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, a large number of faithful including expatriate workers and foreign visitors offered prayers and sought the blessings of Almighty Allah. Many visitors from abroad were heard praising the Saudi government for carrying out the new expansion projects.