'In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. Surely We revealed it [i.e. the Quran] on the Laylatul Qadr [the Night of Destiny, The Blessed Night & filled with virtues]; And what will make you understand what the Laylatul Qadr is? The Laylatul Qadr is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by the permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is [They spread peace] until the emergence of dawn.' (Al-Qadr 97: 1-6).
When the companions [Sahaba] heard this, they were saddened, thinking that they cannot match that person in terms of worship (of Allah). To encourage them, Almighty Allah revealed the Surah Al-Qadr, specifying that if the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) worship Allah during this blessed night, their Ibadat will be better than a thousand months of Ibadat.
Hazrat Anas bin Malik (ra) relates that
the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said at the approach of Ramadan, “Truly ahead is a
great month, a month in which there is a night better than a thousand months.
He who does not take advantage of this blessed night, has lost all its
benefits.” (Ibn Majah, Mishkat)
Laylatul Qadr is a night filled with blessings and virtues. We call it Laylatul Qadr for several reasons. The two most important reasons are:
1.
On
this very night Allah sends His commands for the whole year.
2.
To
allow everyone to repent of their shortcomings, weaknesses and sins. So, they
turn to Allah through Tawba, Istighfar and Ibadat, so that they gain
back their worth before the eyes of Allah.
It is a great favour
from Allah upon the Ummat-e-Muhammad (pbuh) that the performance of Ibadat
in the Night of power - Laylatul Qadr, they receive Sawaab
(blessings) more than a thousand months of Ibadat. For the communities
of other prophets (as) before, there was no such night as the Laylatul Qadr.
In this night, Hazrat Jibreel (as) and the angels descend upon the earth. They
send the peace of Allah on the Muslims who do Ibadat in any way and they
ask duahs for these people, and also ask Allah to forgive them.
In His Wisdom, Allah
has kept this night hidden in the last 10 nights of Ramadan so that the Muslims
do their best to seek it. In this way, their courage increase, and in order to
benefit from Laylatul Qadr, they spend those nights in prayers [Ibadat]
for Allah.
According to a Hadith
narrated by Hazrat Aisha (ra), Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) made more Ibadat in
the last ten nights of Ramadan.
According to several
Hadiths, the night of power is one of the odd nights of the last third of this
month, i.e., the last ten days of Ramadan; so among the 21st, 23rd,
25th, 27th, and 29th nights.
Hazrat Aisha (ra)
reported that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “Seek this night among the
odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.” (Bukhari, Mishkat)
From the Holy Quran and
the Hadiths I just mentioned, we can perceive the value and greatness of this
great night and what kinds of blessings there are in it. O Muslim brothers and
sisters, when the Laylatul Qadr comes, spend that night in Ibadat
as much as you can.
IBADAT TO PERFORM
DURING LAYLATUL QADR
Hazrat Aisha (ra) asked
the Holy Prophet (pbuh): “O Messenger of Allah! What if I knew which
night Laylatul Qadr was, then what should I say in it?” And the Holy
Prophet (pbuh) told her to read this supplication: “Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fa’fu’anni.” –
O Allah You are the One Who forgives greatly, and loves to forgive, so
forgive me. (Mishkat, Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi).
During
the 20th Ramadan, the one who will be observing Itikaf [spiritual
retreat] must be in the mosque and stay there before Salat-ul-Asr [or
after Tarawee] and should make the intention (Niyyah) of Itikaf: “Bismillahi Dakhaltu wa’alayhi tawakaltu wa nawaytu
sunnatal Itikaf” and before entering his/ her place of retreat,
[and if in the night after Tarawee, then before Witr ] he/ she should read
2 Rakat of “Tahayyatul Masjid.”
During Laylatul Qadr,
everyone who seeks Laylatul Qadr - not just the Ittikafi - perform Salaat-Ul-Tasbih,
Istighfar, Tilawat Quran, read the Darood Sharif and supplicate
Allah through many duahs.
Read the Nafl
for Laylatul Qadr after Salat-ul-Esha – This is a 4-Rakat
[cycles] prayer. In each Rakah read Surah Al-Fatiha (3 times), Surah Qadr, and
50 times Surah Al-Ikhlaas. After Salam go in Sajdah and read 11
times:
Subhannallahi
Walhamdu Lillahi Wal Laa Ilaaha Illallahu Wallahu Akbar Wala Hawla Wala Quwata
Illaa Billahil Aliyyil Azim.
After that, the one who
read 3 times the Kalima Tayyiba (Laa Ilaaha Illallah Muhammadur
Rasulullah):
o
In the
first reading, Allah (swt) forgives your sins.
o
During
the second reading, Allah (swt) frees him from hell.
o
On the
third reading, Allah (swt) will cause him to enter paradise.
Whoever does Ibadat
in Laylatul Qadr with the intention of gaining Sawaab
(blessings), Allah forgives all his past and future sins.
Whoever succeeds in
obtaining Laylatul Qadr, Allah (swt) will make hellfire Haram
[illicit] for him and will fulfill all his permissible [licit] desires.
One who reads 2-Rakat
Nafl Salat by reciting in every Rakah after Surah Al-Fatiha, 7 times
Astaghfirullah Rabbi Min Kulli Zambiww wa Atubu
ilayh, Allah (swt) forgives his sins before he leaves his place.
Whoever reads 4-Rakat
Nafl Salat by reciting in each Rakah after Surah Al-Fatiha, Surah
Al-Qadr 1 time and Surah Al-Ikhlas 27 times, he will be cleansed from his sins
like a newborn; and Allah (swt) to give him a thousand castles of paradise.
In a Hadith reported by
Hazrat Anas (ra), the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said, “When Laylatul
Qadr comes, Jibreel (ra) comes down with a company of angels who invoke
blessings on everyone who is standing or sitting remembering Allah the Great
and Glorious. Then when their festival day comes, i.e. the Eid day, He (Allah)
speaks proudly of them to his angels saying, “O My angels, what is the
reward of a hired servant who has fully accomplished his work?” They say, “Our
Lord, his reward is that he should be paid his wages in full.” He says, “O
My angels! My male and female servants have fulfilled what I have made
obligatory for them, and then have come out raising their voices in
supplication. By My Might, Glory, Honour, High dignity and Exalted Station, I
will certainly answer them.” Then He says, “Return, I have forgiven you
and changed your evil deeds into good deeds.” The Messenger of Allah (pbuh)
said, “Then they return [after their Eid prayer] having received
forgiveness.” (Mishkat Vol. 1).
May Allah accept our Ibadat and grant us Laylatul Qadr by His Infinite Mercy. May Allah save the Ummah of our beloved Master Hazrat Muhammad (saws) from destruction, from the evil plans of the infidels and may Islam shine once again, and for all time. Insha-Allah, we, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, have to work very hard to bring about this change in the world, and we shall not be able to do all of this without the mighty help of Allah. May Allah accept our Ibadat and devotion for His cause, Insha-Allah, Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of 22 April 2022 ~19 Ramadan 1443 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius.