AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The number of people taking part in Itikaf rituals in Iran this year exceeded one million, an official said.
Hojat-ol-Islam Reza Ezatzamani, the cultural deputy of the Islamic Development Organization, described the people’s reception of Itikaf ceremonies in mosques and religious sites across the country this year as remarkable.
He told IQNA that more than one million individuals took part in the religious ceremonies, nearly 80 percent of whom were young adults and school students.
The cleric noted that hundreds of mosques had been specified to only host school students in the Itikaf rituals this year.
He also noted that some 8,000 mosuqes hosted the rituals this year, up from 6,000 that hosted Itikaf ceremonies last year.
The largest Itikaf rituals in the country were held at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in Mashhad and the Imam Hassan Askari (AS) Mosque in Qom with the participation of thousands of individuals, he went on to say.
Itikaf (religious retreat) is a tradition of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his family, and is regarded as a highly rewarding act of worship in Islam.
It is a spiritual practice in Islam that involves staying in a mosque for a certain number of days, fasting, and praying to God.
It is usually performed on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of Rajab, the seventh month of the Islamic calendar.
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