Kandil (from ) refers to five Islamic holy nights, celebrated in Ottoman and Muslim

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

communities, related to the life of the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam () are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (; sing. , ), those who transmit divine revelation, mos ...

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

, when the

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

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

Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

Selim II Selim II (; ; 28 May 1524 – 15 December 1574), also known as Selim the Blond () or Selim the Drunkard (), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 until his death in 1574. He was a son of Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Hurrem Sul ...

of the 16th century, who with the support of the

Shaykh al-Islām Shaykh al-Islām (; ; , ''Sheykh-ol-Eslām''; , Sheikh''-ul-Islām''; , ) was used in the classical era as an honorific title for outstanding scholars of the Islamic sciences.Gerhard Böwering, Patricia Crone, Mahan Mirza, The Princeton Encyclope ...

"Chief Jurisconsult" of the time, thought it was appropriate to light up the minarets on mosques for these blessed occasions. Kandil is derived from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

''qindīl'' "chandelier, candelabra",

İslâm Ansiklopedisi The (İA) () is a Turkish academic encyclopedia for Islamic studies published by Presidency of Religious Affairs. History The decision to begin the encyclopedia project was made at the 1st Turkish Publications Congress in Ankara on 2–5 Ma ...

, s.v. KANDİL and refers to an

oil lamp An oil lamp is a lamp used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day, although their use is less common in modern times. The ...

. Kandil nights play a less significant role than the Bayram festivals. In Turkey,

Kandil simidi Kandil simidi is a salty variant of the Turkish simit pastry which is eaten during the Kandil religious holiday. It is ring-shaped and coated in sesame seeds, and is sometimes flavoured with mahlep. During the five nights of Kandil, these pastr ...

, 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, especially in Armenia, Turkey and the Balkans. Sim ...

is commonly sold on Kandil days.

The five Kandil nights

* (

Mawlid The Mawlid () is an annual festival commemorating the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad on the traditional date of 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. A day central to the traditions of some Sunnis, Mawlid is al ...

): The birth of Muhammad, * (

Laylat al-Raghaib Laylat al-Raghaib (; ) is an event celebrated by a majority of Muslims throughout the Islamic world, enjoying great popularity from both Sunni and Shia Muslims, and classed in Turkish Muslim tradition as one of the five blessed Kandil nights. The ...

): God's mercy, donations and aid are distributed on this night, * (

Isra' and Mi'raj The Israʾ and Miʿraj (, ') are the names given to the narrations that the prophet Muhammad ascended to the sky during a night journey, saw Allah and the afterlife, and returned. It is believed that expressions without a subject in verses 1-18 of ...

): Muhammad's ascent to heaven, * (

Mid-Sha'ban Mid-Sha'ban ( or ''laylat niṣf min šaʿbān'' "night on the half of Sha'ban") is a Muslim holiday observed by Shia and Sunni Muslim communities on the eve of 15th of Sha'ban (i.e., the night following the sunset on the 14th day) — the s ...

): Forgiveness of sins and determining of destiny for the next year, * (

Night of Power In Islamic belief, Laylat al-Qadr () or Night of Power is an Islamic festival in memory of the night when the Quran was first sent down from heaven to the world, the first revelation the Islamic prophet Muhammad received from the angel Gabri ...

): First revelation of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

References

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