Thousands mark Laylat Al Qadr at AFMC

The Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque & Centre (AFMC) welcomed over 10,000 worshippers at the Tahajjud night prayer performed by Muslims to mark Laylat Al Qadr on Saturday  June 1, 2019.

Led by Sheikh Faris Al Mustafa, the Religious and Cultural Affairs Advisor, AFMC, the special overnight prayer marks the anniversary of the night that the first verses of the Holy Quran were revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Over the Holy Month of Ramadan 1440 Hijri (2019 Gregorian), the mosque hosted over 100,000 Muslim and non-Muslims including several groups of non-Muslim diplomats, tourists and residents who gathered to celebrate the Iftar meal each day at sunset.

A total number of 40,000 Iftars were served in Ramadan 1440, summing up to more than 220,000 over the past five years.

The well-known reciters across the GCC came to Dubai to lead the daily Tarweeh prayers, including Sheikh Ismaeel Hasan Ismaeel Ahmed, Imam of Abdul Wahab Al Zayani Mosque (Bahrain), Sheikh Saleh Sayid Mohamed Al Ansary, Imam of Al Hakim Mosque (KSA),Sheikh Abdulaziz Salem Al Zahrani, Legal Researcher at the Ministry of Justice (KSA), and Sheikh Dr Fares Al Mustafa, the Religious and Cultural Affairs Advisor, AFMC (UAE).

In the spirit of giving during the Holy month, the AFMC printed thousands of flyers with the timetable of prayers and made special arrangements to accommodate the special needs of the elderly visitors, including a large air-conditioned tent with loud speakers will be set up to accommodate the additional worshippers.

Renovated in 2011 with the support of Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Al Habtoor Group Chairman, the AFMC is cited as one of Dubai’s most beautiful architectural masterpieces and a national landmark. The mosque’s design is inspired by the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and combines Ottoman with Andalusian-style architecture and Islamic art.

Al Farooq Omar bin Al Khattab Mosque & Centre was first established in 1986.

Its restoration and expansion in 2011 was funded by Emirati businessman and philanthropist, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founding Chairman of Al Habtoor Group.  The Mosque welcomes tourists and non-Muslims, offering tours six days a week except on Fridays.

The Centre regularly organises programmes about Islamic culture and civilisation.