As received
The night between Thursday and Friday is called Thaawar Raat in the ginans. There are many verses of the ginans in which Pirs have mentioned about the significance of this day. Here are few ginan verses:
1. Je Koi Bhannashe Thaavar Raat, Te To Thaashe Te Amar Jaat........11
Whoever prays on Thursday night, he will be come closer to Amar Dhaat (Noor of the Imam)
(Garbi: Evi Garbi Sampuran Saar)
2. Thaavar raat-e je padd-se duaa, oos-kaa sarag-me hoye vadhaavaa;
Whoever will do ibadaat on Thursday night, he will be praised in paradise.
(Ginan: Satveni Ji Vel)
3. Eji Taare Nar Har Noorshaah boliyaa, ane aavshun te thaavar raat;
Amaaro aasan khaanaa maanhe naakhjo, tyaan deshun didaar ne karshun vaat ... .... ..43
Thereupon the Shah said: "We shall come on Towar (Friday) night; prepare our throne in the Jamât-khâna, there shall we give (him) the didaar, and hold conversation."
(Ginan: Jannat Puri by Sayyed Imam Shah)
4. Eji Taare thaavar raate Prabhu padhaaryaa, ane aaviyaa trann bramhandnaa naath;
Didaar keedhaa Shaah Ali tannaa, man thayaa rarriyaat ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...44
The Lord of the three worlds then came on that night .We had the didaar of Shah Ali our heart was elated by the vision.
(Ginan: Jannat Puri by Sayyed Imam Shah)
Sahih Muslim:
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The gates of Paradise are not opened but on two days, Monday and Thursday. and then every servant (of Allah) is granted pardon who does not associate anything with Allah except the person in whose (heart) there is rancour against his brother. And it would be said: Look towards both of them until there is reconciliation; look toward both of them until there is reconciliation; look towards both of them until there is reconciliation. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Suhail who narrated it on the authority of his father with the chain of transmitters of MaIik, but with this variation of wording:, (Those would not be granted pardon) who bycott each other."
For many Muslims, Monday, Thursday and Friday are important days of the week. Many people fast on Mondays and Thursdays. We all know about the importance of Friday. Also, Prophet Muhammad was born on a Monday and died also on a Monday. Muslims of Indo-Pak (Sunnis and Shias alike) go to shrines and dargahs mainly on Thursday as it is a day of special prayers for them.
Ismailis of Indo-Pak used to recite Choghadias on Thursdays and Sundays in Jamatkhana. According to Hindu Astrology, Choghadia is a system of calculation of 24 hours day – there are two types of choghadiyas – one: Day Choghadia, which is a time period from Sunrise to Sunset divided by 8 and Night Choghadia, which is a time period from Sunset to Sunrise. According to Pirs teachings, We used to start Thursday / Friday night by reciting special ginans (called Choghadias) on Thursday evening and end the time by establishing a Baitul Khayal Majlis, then Bandagi and then Dua on Friday morning. Similarly, Sunday / Monday night choghadia used to be started with the recitation of the special ginan on Sunday night and end the time by establishing a Baitul Khayal Majlis on Monday morning.
The information above is purely my understanding taught to us by our learned teachers, as we can see the relationship between the recitation of Choghadias in the evening and establishment of Baitul Khayal Majlis in the morning on the same night. Further inquiry and quest is required.
Based on the little knowledge I have, many practices were established by our Pirs for various reasons– Over the period of centuries they became traditions. It is not enough to tell the Jamat that it is only a tradition. We need to dig deep down that why those traditions were established in the first place. If we have lost the historical and interpretative connections over the years due to ignorance and lack of interest in religious education, does not mean that these practices have no meanings and they are mere traditions.