Turkish imams pray for rain on Friday sermon

Imams throughout Turkey have simultaneously prayed for rain during Friday prayers sermon.

In the sermon that was distributed by Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) to be recited in all mosques in the country, Allah was described as the sole power that creates the rain.

"We are in need of a divine mercy that will manifest as snow and rain. Come, let's pray together to our Allah, the most gracious and most merciful. Oh my Allah with abundant mercy! We present our weakness to you. Do not withhold your mercy from us. Oh Allah! You are the one who sent down the drops of mercy from the sky to us. Bring down snow and rain. Don't leave us and our lands longing for water. Amen", the sermon read.

Insufficient rainfall is threatening the livelihoods of thousands in Turkey, where specialists warning of the risk of a large-scale drought across the country.

According to the General Directorate of Meteorology’s 3-month drought analysis results published on Friday, some regions in Turkey’s Northwest are experiencing "extraordinary drought", state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Data published by the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI) on Friday also showed that the mega-city’s water levels have reached as low as 32 percent.