“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.” (Al-Qadr 97: 1-6)
The Night of Destiny or the Night of Power is the blessed night during which Allah (swt) sent down our constitution, this discernment which is His Holy Book, The Holy Quran. Surah Al-Qadr highlights this blessed night by explaining that if the Ummat-e-Muhammadiyya (pbuh) does Ibaadat [acts of worship] during this sacred night, his Ibaadat will be better than a thousand months of Ibaadat. What a huge gift of Allah’s bounty/ goodness! Alhamdulillah.
The Ummah [community] of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) was so honoured by the attribution of this great night because not only can they reap more than a thousand months of Ibaadat, but also no people [or followers] of the other prophets had obtained a similar night.
Hazrat Anas bin Malik (ra) reports that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said at the approach of Ramadan: “Truly, a great month is coming, a month in which there is a night which is better than a thousand months. Whoever does not take advantage of this blessed night will have lost all these benefits.” (Ibn Majah, Mishkaat).
The
Night of Qadr, the most superior and
chief of all nights, can be understood, among other things, in two ways:
● Qadr means destiny;
● Qadr also means power like Allah repeatedly tells us in the Holy
Qur'an: “Wallaahu ala kulli shay-’in Qadiir” - Allah is Mighty over all things.
By these two meanings it is to be understood that Allah manifests His power and sends commands for the whole year and also changes the destinies of the people, for example sinners who sincerely repent can see their sins forgiven, thus changing their destiny!
By wisdom, Allah (swt) did not openly reveal to us this blessed night but “hid” it in the last ten nights of the blessed month of Ramadan, so that the Muslims make efforts to seek it. In this way, they will make full efforts in their Ibaadat (acts of worship) during the last third of Ramadan.
According
to a Hadith reported by Hazrat Aisha Siddiqa (ra), Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) did
more Ibaadat in the last ten nights
of Ramadan. According to several Hadiths, the Night of Power is found among the
odd nights of the last third of this month, that is to say, of the last ten
days of Ramadan, therefore among the 21st, 23rd, 25th,
27th, and 29th nights. Hazrat Aisha Siddiqah (ra) reported
that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “Look
for this night among the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.”
(Bukhari & Mishkat).
However, various authorities have spoken on the issue with differing views. Imam Maalik (Rahimatullah Alaih - May Allah have mercy on him) is of the opinion that all the nights of the last decade are equal candidates, none of them more likely than others. According to Imam Shaafi (Rahimullah Alaih) the most likely contender would be the 21st. According to Bilal (ra), the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said on one occasion – “It is the 23rd night”. For Abu Dharr (ra), it is the 25th. Ibn Abbas (ra) and Ubayy ibn Kaab (ra) agree with them.
In
fact about fifty opinions can be identified. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) had wished
that the fact of not knowing the exact date of the Night of the Destiny would
be a benefit for the Muslims.
The question may arise as to why has Allah (swt) not informed His servants? Allah (swt) wants to make sure that His servants do not deceive themselves about the pious works they have performed on this particular night. They should not at any time think thus: “We did pious works during a night which is better than a thousand months; so God has forgiven us, and in His eyes we now deserve to be spiritually uplifted and to have access to paradise.”
They
could then abandon all efforts to practice pious works and rest on their
laurel, to enjoy a deserved rest after success. Being victims of their little
justified optimism, they would be doomed to perdition. So, uncertainty about
the date of Lailat-ul-Qadr is
actually an advantage and not a disadvantage, especially for sincere believers.
They can accomplish more Ibaadat and
not rely on a single day of Ibaadat.
Allah
(swt) has hidden five things in five others. He (swt) hid:
•
His Pleasure [The Pleasure of Allah] in acts of obedience (Ta’at);
•
His Anger in acts of disobedience (Ma’asi);
• The Middle Prayer (As-Salat-Al-Wusta)
among the other daily canonical prayers (Salaat);
•
His friend the Saint (Wali)
among His creatures; and
•
The Night of Destiny (Lailat-ul-Qadr)
in the month of Ramadan.
So we all see the immensity of the values that this sacred night represents. Let’s spend it in Ibaadat in order to make the most of it. Because once that night has passed, no one is sure they will be able to see the Lailat-ul-Qadr again the following year.
Hazrat Aisha Siddiqah (ra) asked the Holy Prophet (pbuh): “If I live until this blessed night, what should I read as the best invocation?” And the Holy Prophet (pbuh) replied, “Read this duah: ‘Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fa’fu anni’” which translates as: “O Allah, You are Forgiving, You love to forgive, so forgive me.” (Mishkaat, Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi).
------May Allah grant you the blessings of Lailat-ul-Qadr and forgive you for your excesses [in conduct] and preserve you from the pangs of hell, in this world and in the hereafter. Ameen.
---Extracts from the Friday Sermon of 07 May 2021~24 Ramadan 1442 AH delivered by Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius.