AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The Imam Reza (AS) holy shrine has increased its capacity for the upcoming Itikaf ceremony, a spiritual practice in Islam that involves fasting, praying, and staying in a mosque for a set period of time.
According to Amin Behnam, an official of the shrine, 1500 people will be able to join the ceremony this year, up from 1200.
Behnam said that this expansion will allow more people from different parts of Iran and the world to experience the blessings of Itikaf at the shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Shia Imam and a descendant of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The shrine is one of the most revered and visited places by Muslims worldwide.
He also stated that the participants will be divided into three age groups: teenagers under 20, young adults between 20 and 40, and older adults over 40. He praised as “promising” the high participation of young people, who make up 85 percent of the total number, as a sign of their devotion and enthusiasm.
The participants will stay in various prayer halls within the shrine complex, where they will engage in worship activities and learn from 30 scholars and clergy who will lead wisdom circles during the ceremony. The ceremony will take place on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of Rajab, the seventh month of the Islamic calendar.
Behnam also noted that the ceremony will have an international dimension, as participants from 18 countries, such as Canada, the US, Germany, Nigeria, Australia, Kuwait, Syria, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Lebanon, will join their Iranian counterparts.
More than 70,000 Muslims from 22 countries applied for the ceremony through an online registration process that ran from December 5 to 15.
Itikaf is a tradition of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his family, and is regarded as a highly rewarding act of worship in Islam.
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