Due to the lack of rainfall during this year’s autumn season and the absence of precipitation expected in the coming days, the initiative of the Chairman of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, Mufti Shaykh Nuriddin Kholiqnazar, has designated 28 November 2025, Friday, for performing Salat al-Istisqa (the prayer for rain) in all mosques across our country after the Friday prayer.
On this occasion, sacrificial animals will be slaughtered at regional, district, and city central mosques, as well as at pilgrimage sites, and the meat will be distributed to families in need, orphans, and the elderly.
On the same day, before the Friday prayer, teachers and students of higher and secondary specialized Islamic educational institutions will complete a full reading (khatm) of Imam al-Bukhari’s Sahih al-Bukhari.
Imams currently performing the ‘umrah pilgrimage in Makkah al-Mukarramah and Madinah al-Munawwarah are encouraged to perform the Salat al-Istisqa together with their groups in the Noble Harams.
Muslim Board of Uzbekistan Press Service
The manuscript of the Uthmanic Mushaf preserved at the Library of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan is currently undergoing codicological examination.
This research involves a team of scholars including Shaykh Alijon Qori Fayzullah, Head of the “Qur’an and Tajwid Education” Department; Kamoliddin Mahkamov, Head of the Library Department; and Jahongir Qori Nematov, Head of the “Qur’anic Studies” Department at Tashkent Islamic Institute.
Shaykh Alijon Qori Fayzullah emphasized the importance of observing accuracy and trustworthiness when studying and reproducing the script of the Mushaf. He highlighted significant rules of orthography and recitation (qira’at) related to the original handwriting of the Uthmanic Mushaf currently kept at the “Muhi Muborak” Madrasa Museum.
The digital copy of the original Uthmanic Mushaf serves as the main object of the study. In preparing the critical text, researchers also refer to other ancient copies of the Mushaf preserved in Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Each line of the manuscript is being carefully rewritten, with verse and line numbers marked in red. Any textual discrepancies found in the 19th-century copied version are noted in the margins and explained through scholarly commentary.
With the support of the Fund for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan, both local and international experts — including Dr. Christine Rose from the University of Cambridge, French restorers Achel Delaeau and Coralie Barbe, and Nil Baydar, Head of the Istanbul Manuscripts Workshop and Archive Department — have developed a phased restoration plan to ensure the long-term preservation of the sacred manuscript.
Press Service of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan