RAIWIND: Raiwind Ijtema first phase November 2026 is under way at the Raiwind Markaz near Lahore, and thousands of people from across Pakistan have gathered for one of the largest religious meetings in the country. The first phase of the annual Tablighi Ijtema began on Thursday, 5 November, and it will conclude on Sunday, 8 November, with a collective prayer. Participants are joining prayers, religious talks and shared community activities, and more are still arriving from towns and cities across the country.
The scale of the gathering is hard to grasp, and the Tablighi Ijtema largest Muslim gathering Pakistan claim is one the organisers make with pride. The Raiwind Ijtema is one of the largest Muslim gatherings in the world, drawing hundreds of thousands of worshippers, with organisers putting attendance in the millions, from across Pakistan and abroad. Since 2011, the gathering has been split into two phases to manage the crowds, because a single gathering had grown too large for one weekend. The first phase alone fills the vast grounds at Raiwind, and the second phase will do the same next week.
The dates are set in two parts, and the Raiwind Ijtema concluding prayer November 8 will close the first phase on Sunday. The first phase runs from 5 to 8 November, and the Raiwind Ijtema second phase November 12 to 15 will follow next week. Each phase begins on a Thursday afternoon and ends on the following Sunday morning, and the concluding prayers for both phases will be held on Sundays, 8 and 15 November. The second phase gives people from other districts their own turn to attend, and it spreads the crowds across two weekends instead of one.
The people attending the first phase come from many parts of the country, and the list of districts shows how far they travel. The areas included in the first phase are Upper Dir, Bajaur, Chitral, Sargodha, Mianwali, Jhang, Sindh Province, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Chakwal, Jhelum, Attock, Kashmir, Mardan, Buner and Karak. A large number of people from Multan are also travelling to Raiwind, joining thousands of others in a gathering focused on faith, spiritual development, brotherhood and moral reform. For many, the journey itself is part of the devotion, and they travel by bus, train and car.
The gathering takes place at the heart of the movement, and the Raiwind Markaz Tablighi Jamaat Lahore centre is the national home of Tablighi Jamaat in Pakistan. The Markaz stands in the town of Raiwind, about 45 kilometres south west of Lahore in Punjab province, and it hosts the Ijtema every year. The grounds are a small city for the weekend, with prayer areas, eating places and sleeping space for the worshippers, and the organisers work for weeks to get everything ready. The gathering is built on simple living, shared meals and long hours of prayer and listening.
Getting there takes planning, and the Lahore Traffic Police Raiwind Ijtema routes plan is there to help. Lahore Traffic Police has issued a comprehensive traffic management plan for the gathering, with seven entry routes for participants, including Raiwind Road, Sunder Road and Manga Road. The police have set out designated entry routes, diversion points and parking arrangements, and they will deploy 1103 officers and personnel for the event. Traffic pressure is likely to be highest around arrival times and on the final prayer days, so drivers should expect slower movement on the roads leading to Raiwind.
Security and services have been planned for weeks, and the city administration reviewed the arrangements well before the first phase began. Lahore Commissioner Nauman Yousuf and Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana visited the Raiwind Markaz on 22 October to review security and municipal arrangements, including screening, CCTV and traffic plans. Pakistan Railways has also published special train timings for Raiwind Railway Station for 6, 7 and 8 November, because the station is an important arrival and departure point for passengers travelling to the gathering.
There are a few practical things for travellers to keep in mind, and the smog season is one of them. The Ijtema falls in the middle of Lahore smog season, when visibility on the roads leading to Raiwind can drop sharply in the early morning and late evening. Travellers should allow extra time, check the latest traffic updates from Lahore Traffic Police, and confirm train timings with Pakistan Railways before they set out, because timings may change. Warm clothes for the early morning and patience on the roads will both help.
Readers should note one point of care about the dates. Most reports say the first phase began on Thursday, 5 November, while one report gives 6 November as the start, so the 5 November date used here follows the majority and the Markaz schedule. The concluding prayer on Sunday, 8 November, and the second phase from 12 to 15 November are agreed across the reports. For the thousands already at Raiwind, the dates matter less than the gathering itself, and the first phase will end as it always does, with a shared prayer for the whole country.
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