The Night of Decree
Lailatul Qadr, the Night of Decree, is a
spiritual treasure that Allah has given to humanity. In the Qur’an, Allah says:
“We have sent down the Qur’an in the Night of
Decree” (Al-Qadr 97: 2). This revelation is the beginning of a
light; that is, the light of divine guidance, the light of a Messenger of
Allah, who comes to shine in the darkness, and thus it is a constant reminder
that as long as man exists on earth, divine guidance will never cease. This
guidance is not limited only to past centuries; it is an enlightening principle
that touches every generation, and especially our generation that is living
amidst chaos, wars, calamities, and confusion. Lailatul Qadr is a reminder that
Allah always sends His guidance when people fall into error, and it is a promise
that truth will triumph despite darkness.
Today, our era is filled with tribulations. So-called powers are conspiring, enriching themselves upon the suffering of people; they believe they are eternal upon the earth. But the Qur’an reminds us: “Every soul shall taste death” (Al-Imran 3: 186). They do not realise that their wealth and power will vanish, and they will have to answer for their crimes. In Hadith, our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) announced the coming of the Mahdi and the Messiah, who will appear in a time filled with injustice and oppression. And it is important to clarify, as a Hadith in Ibn Majah states, that the Mahdi and the Messiah are one person, not two different individuals. This truth is a key to understanding our era: a single Chosen One of Allah has come, but people blinded by their own interpretations do not recognise him. They prefer to follow explanations and invented beliefs that they have inherited, instead of the living truth that Allah is manifesting.
Lailatul Qadr is also a symbol of
transformation. In this night – a odd night among the last ten nights of
Ramadan and also the span of the life of a Messenger of Allah who is a
representation or an example of this Lailatul Qadr – the angels descend with “every
decree” (Al-Qadr 97: 5). This means that the destiny of humanity can change
by the will of Allah. Today, in the darkness of tribulations, a humble servant
has come from Allah – this humble servant who is present before you and who is
preaching the Message. Allah has sent me as one of His messengers to remind
people that faith is not dead. I have come to restore the light of authentic
Islam (Sahih al Islam), which conspirators are trying to extinguish. But Allah
says: “They want to extinguish the light of Allah
with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, even if the disbelievers
dislike it” (As-Saff 61: 8). This verse is proof that despite all
kinds of plans that infidels and Satans devise, truth will triumph, whatever
happens.
But Lailatul Qadr is not only a reminder of
justice; it is also a promise of peace and unity. In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet
(pbuh) said: “Whoever spends the Night of Decree with faith and hope, all
his past sins will be forgiven” (Bukhari, Muslim). This means that it is a
night of forgiveness, but also a night of revival, of reform, where Allah
allows a person to be rid of his burden of sins and grants him a new beginning
as if he is being born anew, and his record of bad deeds returns to zero.
Today, humanity needs this revival, this renewal. A Messenger of Allah has come
to remind you – all people – that life on earth is only a test, and soon
everyone will have to answer to Allah. It is only those who are spiritually
blind who do not recognise this Messenger of Allah, those who have doubts and
prefer to remain in their illusions concerning prophecies about the coming of
the Chosen Ones of Allah, especially concerning the Imam Mahdi and the Messiah.
Yet, Allah’s promise is clear: truth will triumph, and peace will be restored. Insha-Allah.
The future that Lailatul Qadr announces is not
only the victory of truth over falsehood, but also the unity of Muslims and
affinity with all humanity. Allah tells us in the Qur’an: “We have made you into nations and tribes so that you may
recognise one another” (Al-Hujurat 49: 14). This verse is a reminder
that diversity is not a weakness, but a strength. In every era when Allah sends
His Messiah and Mahdi, each establishes the mission in the world towards the
unity of believers, until that appointed day – which will surely be fulfilled –
when that Promised One will appear to make the unity of Muslims a reality, not
only in words, but in faith and compassion. Then they will understand that
Islam is not merely an identity, but a mission: that they must become truly
human with human sentiments, be compassionate, and work for the welfare of all
humanity.
I remind you that many in the past have
proclaimed themselves Mahdis, but Allah has revealed to us, the followers of
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), that Mahdiyyat is
not fixed upon a single person alone. The end of times is a very long period in
human reckoning, and a very short moment in Allah’s reckoning. From Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh) until the destruction of the earth, what we call the Hour (As-Sa’ah):
the end of times, there are many periods of renewal within it, and the
prophetic words of our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) are certainly
fulfilled in every blessed era when Allah sends one of His Khalifatullah al-Mahdi
and Promised Messiah into this world.
Remember well that millions of people are born
and die every day. Some are granted the chance to receive the news of the
Chosen One of Allah and to join his mission, while many others do not receive
this blessing. But in so many cycles of life, will Allah not send – after every
hundred years – as He has promised, one of His Messengers, a reformer of Islam
to revive Islam?
What I can tell you, and Allah confirms this
through revelations, is that the first phase of a Mahdiyyat and Messianic
breath has already begun through the advent of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as)
in the world, and until Allah ceases to create mankind upon the earth, several
other Messiahs and Mahdis, reflections of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), will continue
to appear in this world. And you must keep in mind that each Messenger of Allah
confirms the one who preceded him, and thus just as I am the follower of Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh) and Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), so the bright future of
Islam continues through me. Whoever comes after me is from me; he is like a
link in a chain that is joined to another link to show the Tawheed
(Oneness) of Allah and the spiritual beauty of the Prophethood of Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh) until the end of times. We are living at this moment in the As-Sa’ah
(the Hour), and this era is vast until Allah says: STOP EXISTING, and
everything is destroyed and everything ends.
In the future, whether during my lifetime or
after me – Allah knows best – Muslims will unite upon the truth, not upon rigid
interpretations that their ancestors have made of the prophecies of Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh). They will discover that these prophecies are key parables
towards the triumph of Islam. They will understand that the Qur’an and Hadiths
are living sources, which must be applied with sincerity and justice. They will
cease dividing over details that separate one member of the body of Hazrat Muhammad
(pbuh) from the rest of his body, his Ummah. They will, Insha-Allah,
unite upon the essentials: faith in Allah, love for the Holy Prophet (pbuh),
and compassion for humanity. This unity will not be limited only to Muslims,
but it will extend to all humanity. Because the Chosen One who has been marked
to bring this change, just like Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) and myself in
this era, will not come only for one community, but to restore justice and
peace upon the entire earth. In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “The
Mahdi is of my descent; he will fill the earth with justice and equity, just as
it was filled with oppression and injustice” (Abu Dawud). This promise is a
universal vision: this justice is not limited to one people, but extends to all
humanity.
Therefore, Lailatul Qadr is a promise that
peace will descend, and this peace will not be limited only to one night. It
extends throughout the entire life of a Messenger chosen by Allah, and one day
– not just one day – when the veil of blindness is removed from the eyes of
Muslims, they will realise that their definition of the Mahdi or the Messiah
was misleading, and that the truth was before them, had come to them, but they
refused it.
When Muslims unite upon the truth, and they
extend compassion to all humanity, then the promise of Lailatul Qadr will
become reality: there will be peace upon the earth, until Allah destroys this
earth and begins creation anew.
Lailatul Qadr is verily a reminder that Allah
is always present, always active in history. He is not just a memory, but a Living
Reality. In the darkness of trials and tribulations, He is the Light (An-Nur)
that constantly shines, without His light diminishing. In the chaos of wars and
calamities, He is our Source of Peace (As-Salaam). In the plots of the
wicked, He is the Just (Al-Adl) who restores justice and truth in the
world. And in the ignorance of the blind, Allah is that truth which will soon
be unveiled.
Therefore, Lailatul Qadr is a promise that as
long as there are humans and jinns upon the earth, the guidance of Allah will
never cease, and that every generation will have its moment of light, of
guidance that comes from Him. Today, our generation is living this moment, with
the advent of this humble servant, who has come to restore truth and peace upon
the earth.
Insha-Allah,
Allah will continue to perfect His light and make the future of His truth
filled with unity, compassion, and justice. We make duah that Muslims
unite as one body and do not divide (no one should pull to his side, for this
is indeed what the infidels have already begun to do so that Muslims never
unite). We should pray also that humanity finally understands that diversity is
a blessing, and together we can all work for the welfare of humanity. This
future is the promise of Lailatul Qadr, the Night of Decree, which Allah has
given as an eternal treasure. It is a promise that despite darkness, the light
will always shine, and that despite conspiracies, truth will always triumph.
When Allah is the truth, is it possible that the Creator loses against His
rebellious creatures? Never!
Therefore, Lailatul Qadr is a reminder that
peace and unity will soon be restored, and that all humanity – untouched by
Satan’s impurity – will walk together towards a future filled with compassion
and justice. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of 06 March 2026~ 16 Ramadan 1447 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius.