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
Sheikh Bashir bin Ahmed Siddiq, the senior Quran recitation teacher at Al-Masjid An-Nabawi, passed away on October 1, 2025, after dedicating sixty years to teaching at the Prophet’s Mosque. His students include some of the most prominent reciters and Islamic scholars of recent generations, forming a legacy that extends across the Muslim world.
Among his notable students are former Holy Mosques Imams Sheikh Muhammad Ayyoub and Sheikh Ali Jaber, current An-Nabawi Imams Sheikh Abdul Muhsin Al-Qasim and Sheikh Salah Al-Budair, and Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shanqiti of the Senior Scholars Council. These figures represent just a portion of the thousands who studied under Sheikh Bashir’s guidance at the Medina mosque.
Sheikh Bashir established himself as a pillar of Quranic education within the sacred premises of the Prophet’s Mosque. His teaching career spanned six decades, during which he maintained a consistent presence in the mosque’s educational circles.
Students traveled from various countries specifically to learn Quran recitation from him, drawn by his reputation for precision and deep knowledge of tajweed rules.
The Sheikh’s methodology combined traditional teaching techniques with deep scholarly insight, creating a learning environment that produced some of the most recognized voices in Islamic recitation.
His students now lead prayers at Islam’s holiest sites and hold positions on scholarly councils, continuing the traditions he preserved and taught.