Kandil (from ar, قنديل, qindil) refers to five Islamic holy nights, celebrated in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

and Muslim

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

communities, related to the life of the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

, when the

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

s are illuminated and special prayers are made. It is a tradition dated back to the

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

Selim II Selim II ( Ottoman Turkish: سليم ثانى ''Selīm-i sānī'', tr, II. Selim; 28 May 1524 – 15 December 1574), also known as Selim the Blond ( tr, Sarı Selim) or Selim the Drunk ( tr, Sarhoş Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire ...

of the 16th century, who with the support of the shaykh ul-Islam of the time, thought it was appropriate to light up the minarets on mosques for these blessed occasions. The name "Kandil" derived from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

''qindīl'' meaning ''chandelier'' or ''candle'',

İslâm Ansiklopedisi The ''İslâm Ansiklopedisi'' (İA) () is a Turkish academic encyclopedia for Islamic studies published by ' ( eng, Turkish Religious Foundation). Its most recent 44-volume edition, called ''Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslâm Ansiklopedisi'' ( ...

, s.v. KANDİL and refers to an oil lamp. The ''Kandil nights'' play a less significant role than the Bayram festivals. In Turkey, a special smaller form of

simit Simit is a circular bread, typically encrusted with sesame seeds or, less commonly, poppy, flax or sunflower seeds, found across the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, and the Middle East. Simit's size, crunch, chewiness, and other character ...

is commonly sold on Kandil days.

The five Kandil nights

*Mevlid Kandili (

Mawlid an-Nabi Mawlid, Mawlid an-Nabi ash-Sharif or Eid Milad un Nabi ( ar, المولد النبوي, translit=mawlid an-nabawī, lit=Birth of the Prophet, sometimes simply called in colloquial Arabic , , among other vernacular pronunciations; sometimes , ) ...

) – The birth of Muhammad *Regaip Kandili (

Laylat al-Raghaib Laylat al-Raghaib (; ) is a night of prayer in Islamic practice, classed in Turkish tradition as one of the five blessed Kandil nights. Observance of this night differs among Muslims in the world. It is mostly practiced by Muslims influenced by Suf ...

) – Night prayers are answered and Muhammad's conception *Miraç Kandili ( Lailat al Miraj) – Muhammad's ascent to heaven *Berat Kandili (

Mid-Sha'ban Mid-Sha'ban ( ar-at, نصف شعبان, niṣf šaʿbān or ''laylat niṣf min šaʿbān'' "night on the half of Sha'ban") is a Muslim holiday observed by Shia and Sunni Sufi Muslim communities on the eve of 15th of Sha'ban (i.e., the nig ...

) – Forgiveness of sins and determining of destiny for the next year *Kadir Gecesi (

Laylat al-Qadr The Qadr Night or Laylat al-Qadr ( ar, لیلة القدر), variously rendered in English as the Night of Decree, Night of Power, Night of Value, Night of Destiny, or Night of Measures, is, in Islamic belief, the night when the Quran was firs ...

) – First revelation of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

to Muhammad

References

Islamic festivals Islamic holy days Islamic calendar {{Islam-stub