Some 400,000 Muslims Attend Overnight Prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
Laylat al-Qadr ('Night of Power') worshippers included visitors from a variety of countries, including Malaysia, Turkey, South Africa, the U.K. and Indonesia.
Some 400,000 Muslim worshipers prayed overnight Friday at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to mark Laylat al-Qadr, one of the last days of the holy month of Ramadan, the Palestinian news service Ma'an reported.
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Also known as the "Night of Power," Laylat al-Qadr is usually observed on the 27th day of Ramadan. Prayer on the holy night of is said to be better than 1,000 months of prayers, due to the abundance of mercy and blessings shown by Allah during a time when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
The Palestinian Director of Islamic Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs, Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, said that among the hundreds of thousands of worshippers at the mosque were visitors from a variety of countries, including Malaysia, Turkey, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Indonesia.
Guards were stationed throughout the Al-Aqsa compound to keep order and to facilitate the entrance and exit of worshippers in the area, including prohibiting individuals from begging or selling goods at the compound, al-Khatib said.
After the prayers, hundreds of volunteers worked to clean the area.
Hundreds of thousands of meals were distributed at Iftar, the evening meal served at sunset following a day of fasting, and 200,000 more meals distributed for suhoor, a meal taken by Muslims early in the morning hours to prepare for the sunrise and resumption of fasting, according to al-Khatib.