The Prophet’s Lovers Foundation (Peygamber Sevdalıları Vakfı) has marked Laylat al-Barat (Berat Kandili) with a message emphasizing forgiveness, spiritual renewal, and salvation, while calling on Muslims to remember oppressed peoples—especially in Palestine and Gaza—in their prayers.

Speaking on behalf of the foundation, Yakup Kaya, a member of the Board of Directors, described the Night of Barat as a unique opportunity for believers to turn back to Allah with sincerity and humility. “Laylat al-Barat is a night of forgiveness, purification, and salvation for the believers,” Kaya said, stressing that it should be observed through worship, prayer, and repentance.

Kaya recalled prophetic teachings that highlight the virtue of the night, noting that Muslims are encouraged to fast on the fifteenth day of Sha‘ban and to dedicate its night to worship. “This is a blessed night when believers are invited to seek forgiveness, provision, and relief from hardship,” he said, adding that it is a time to renew one’s faith and strengthen one’s bond with Allah.

Explaining the meaning of the night, Kaya said, “Barat means liberation. It is freedom from distress, from the domination of the ego, and from the whispers of Satan.” He noted that throughout history, those who devoted their nights to worship and their days to righteous effort achieved dignity and strength. “Nights are when we are closest to our Lord and when our hearts are opened to the heavens,” he added.

Turning to current global realities, Kaya drew attention to the suffering of oppressed communities, particularly in Palestine and Gaza. “Today, Muslims and oppressed peoples across the world are groaning under injustice,” he said. “The cries of the oppressed are a responsibility on all of us. Palestine and Gaza, above all, are waiting for our prayers and our support.”

Kaya urged believers to use the blessed night to pray sincerely for the oppressed and to strengthen unity within the Muslim community. “On this night, we must pray for the end of oppression, for the downfall of tyrants, and for goodness, guidance, and brotherhood to prevail over hatred and injustice,” he said.

Concluding the message, Kaya extended his congratulations to the Islamic ummah on Laylat al-Barat. “We pray that this blessed night becomes a means of guidance, forgiveness, and revival for the entire ummah and for all humanity,” he said, asking Allah to grant believers many more blessed nights and to keep them under His protection. (ILKHA)