The Five Pillars of Islam are fundamental practices in Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree on the basic details of the performance and practice of these acts. They are: Muslim creed, prayer, charity to the poor, fasting in the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able.
Eid al-Fitr or the Festival of Sweets is the earlier of the two official holidays celebrated within Islam. The religious holiday is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. It falls on the first day of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar; this does not always fall on the same Gregorian day, as the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on when the new moon is sighted by local religious authorities. The holiday is known under various other names in different languages and countries around the world. The day is also called Lesser Eid, or simply Eid.
Muḥarram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after Ramadan.
Zikris are an Islamic Mahdist sect found mostly in the Balochistan region of western Pakistan. The name Zikri comes from the Arabic word dhikr.
Dua Kumayl is a dua or supplication attributed to Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who taught it to his companion, Kumayl ibn Ziyad. This supplication is used by Muslims to ward off evil and is particularly well-known among Shia Muslims. The latter regard Ali as their first Imam and the designated successor of Muhammad.
The Qadr Night or Laylat al-Qadr, variously rendered in English as the Night of Decree, Night of Power, Night of Value, Night of Destiny, or Night of Measures, is, in Islamic belief, the night when the Quran was first sent down from Heaven to the world and also the night when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and it is described to be better than a thousand months of worshipping. According to many Muslim sources, its exact date is uncertain but it was one of the odd-numbered nights of the last ten days of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Since that time, Muslims have regarded the last ten nights of Ramadan as being especially blessed. Muslims believe that the Night of Qadr comes with blessings and mercy of God in abundance, sins are forgiven, supplications are accepted, and that the annual decree is revealed to the angels who carry it out according to God's grace.
Tarawih, also rendered in English as Taraweeh, is derived from the Arabic root ر و ح related to rest and relaxation. Tarawih prayers are special Muslim prayers involving reading long portions of the Quran, as well as performing many rakahs. They are exclusive to the Sunni denomination of Islam.
There are two official holidays in Islam, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, which are celebrated by Muslims worldwide. Both holidays occur on dates in the lunar Islamic calendar, which is different from the solar-based Gregorian calendar, so they are observed on different Gregorian dates every year. There are a number of other days of note and festivals, some common to all Muslims, others specific to Shia Islam as a whole or branches thereof.
Mid-Sha'ban is a Muslim holiday observed by Shia and Sunni Sufi Muslim communities on the eve of 15th of Sha'ban — the same night as Shab-e-barat or Laylat al-Bara’ah. Salafis do not celebrate this holiday.
Rabiʽ al-Awwal (Arabic: رَبِيع ٱلْأَوَّل, romanized: Rabīʿ al-ʾAwwal, lit. 'The initial Rabi', also known as Rabi' al-Ula, or Rabi' I, is the third month of the Islamic calendar. The name Rabī‘ al-awwal means "the first month or beginning of spring", referring to its position in the pre-Islamic Arabian calendar.
Yaldā Night or Chelle Night is an ancient festival in Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey celebrated on the winter solstice. This corresponds to the night of December 20/21 (±1) in the Gregorian calendar, and to the night between the last day of the ninth month (Azar) and the first day of the tenth month (Dey) of the Iranian solar calendar. The festival is celebrated in Iran and other historically Iranian-influenced regions, including Azerbaijan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Balochi areas, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The longest and darkest night of the year is a time when friends and family gather together to eat, drink and read poetry and the Shahnameh until well after midnight. Fruits and nuts are eaten and pomegranates and watermelons are particularly significant. The red color in these fruits symbolizes the crimson hues of dawn and glow of life. The poems of Divan-e Hafez, which can be found in the bookcases of most Iranian families, are read or recited on various occasions such as this festival and Nowruz. Shab-e Yalda was officially added to Iran's List of National Treasures in a special ceremony in 2008.
Kandil refers to five Islamic holy nights, celebrated in Ottoman and Muslim Balkan communities, related to the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, when the minarets are illuminated and special prayers are made. It is a tradition dated back to the Ottoman Sultan Selim II of the 16th century, who with the support of the shaykh ul-Islam of the time, thought it was appropriate to light up the minarets on mosques for these blessed occasions. The name "Kandil" derived from the Arabic qindīl meaning chandelier or candle, and refers to an oil lamp. The Kandil nights play a less significant role than the Bayram festivals.
Gargee'an, sometimes spelled as Gerga'oon, is a semiannual celebration, observed primarily in Eastern Arabia. It takes place on the 15th night of the Islamic month of Sha'ban and on the 15th night of Ramadan. It is celebrated by children dressing in traditional attire and going door-to-door to receive sweets and nuts from neighbours, as they sing traditional songs. The tradition has existed for hundreds of years, and is deeply rooted in some parts of the Gulf culture, especially in Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Salah, also known as namāz and also spelled salat, are prayers performed by Muslims. Facing the qibla, the direction of the Kaaba with respect to those praying, many to most Muslims pray first standing and later kneeling or sitting on the ground, reciting prescribed prayers and phrases from the Quran as they bow and prostrate themselves in between. Some Muslims pray without standing. Salah is composed of prescribed repetitive cycles of bows and prostrations, called rakat. The number of rak'ahs, also known as units of prayer, varies from prayer to prayer. Ritual purity and wudu are prerequisites for performing the prayers.
Wadi-e-Hussain is the largest organized and the first online cemetery in Pakistan, located in the northern part of the coastal city of Karachi on Karachi–Hyderabad Motorway; it is connected to the city by the main highway connecting Karachi with Hyderabad. The community-run cemetery has been an inspiration for the local people in the coastal city. Apart from elders, there is a specific column/place for the children who die in their early ages. However, the cemetery has been a common burial cite for the local Shiite Muslims. The graveyard is also decorated with the special lights on special occasions such as Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Mid-Sha'ban etc.
Laylat al-Raghaib is a night of prayer in Islamic practice, classed in Turkish tradition as one of the five blessed Kandil nights. Observance of this night differs among Muslims in the world. It is mostly practiced by Muslims influenced by Sufism, such as Muslims in Turkey and Muslim Balkan communities today, and Shia Muslims, while Sunnis in the Arab world pays little attention, and Salafis dismiss it entirely. Views on the permissibility of observing it also differ among Muslim scholars, and have been the subject of repeated debates over the past millennium. The practice has variously been rejected as bid'ah by the four major Sunni Madhhab, Shafi’i, Hanbali, Hanafi, and Maliki jurists, or defended as bid'ah hasanah.
The White Days or Ayyām al-Bīḍ are specific days of each Islamic month; they are holy days according to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. These days are the 13th, 14th and 15th of every month in the Islamic calendar. Shia Muslims believe that the white days of the lunar months of Rajab, Sha'ban and Ramadan are very virtuous. They are called the white days because of the colour of the full moon on these days. The moon becomes very white and can be seen by the naked eye.
Ehya or Vigil night is one of the most important traditions among Shia Muslims. According to most commentators, vigil for the purpose of night prayer, as it appears from Surah Al-Muzzammil of Quran, was obligatory for about a year at the beginning of Islam, and Muslims performed it alongside the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. According to most Islamic jurists and commentators, after about a year, according to verse 21 of the same surah, God reduced this ruling and replaced it with tahajjud. Muslims do Ehya or Vigil night on the nineteenth, twenty-first and twenty-third nights of the Islamic month of Ramadan.
