Laylat al-Raghaib

Laylat al-Raghaib (Arabic: لَيْلَةُ الرّغائِب, lit. 'Night of Wishes'; Turkish: Regaip Kandili) 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 practise is, however, dismissed by Wahhabis and Salafis. Views on the permissibility of observing it also differ among Muslim scholars, and have been the subject of repeated debates over the past millennium. The practice is usually accepted as bid'ah hasanah (meritorious innovation) in Islamic jurisprudence.

Laylat al-Raghaib marks the beginning of the "Three holy months" (Rajab, Sha'ban and leading to Ramazan) in the Hijri calendar. As Islamic holidays begin the night before, Laylat al-Raghaib is celebrated on the Thursday night preceding the first Friday of the month of Rajab. Followers of this tradition believe that if, on the first Thursday of Rajab, they recite a special set of prayers, they will be rewarded by the fulfillment of their wishes.

Raghaib is derived from the root of the verb word "ra-gha-ba" (Arabic: رَغَبَ) meaning "to desire" or "to tend toward".