On 'Lailatul Qadr'

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.

The Benefits of Ramadan Fasting

  

Ramadan does not only mean abstaining from eating and drinking, but it is also a complete transformation that touches faith, society, health and spirituality. Whoever practises it with sincerity gets inner discipline, succeeds in drawing closer to Allah, develops a solid brotherhood with the Ummah – his Muslim brothers and sisters – and attains a sure means to purify his body and his soul. The Holy Qur’an and Sunnah have shown us several categories of benefits of Ramadan, and I will cite some of them before you:

 

(1) Taqwa (Fear of Allah) 

 

Allah says in the Qur’an: “O you who have believed, fasting (Roza) has been prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain Taqwa.” (Al-Baqara 2: 184)

The Day of 'Qiyamah'

 

The Signs of the End of Times- 4

اِنَّ السَّاعَۃَ لَاٰتِیَۃٌ لَّا رَیۡبَ فِیۡہَا وَ لٰکِنَّ 

اَکۡثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ

The Hour is certainly coming, there is no doubt about it. But most people do not believe. (Al-Mumin, 40: 60). 

Allah (twt) makes us understand that the Qiyamah [the Last Day / The Day of Judgement/ The End of the World] will certainly come, without a doubt, but many people do not believe it. Allah (twt) has fixed a special day to reward His believers for their good deeds and also to punish them for their evil deeds, and for His good servants, He will grant them the blessings of Paradise, while for those who have sinned, their retribution will be hell. This special day is called Qiyamah. 

'Laila-tul- Qadr' in Ramadan

“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 the Night of Decree is? 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.” (97: 1-6)  

In the light of these verses of the Chapter Al-Qadr (the Destiny/Decree), it shall be good for us to recall once again how these verses were revealed.

One day, the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was relating the life of a pious man (Wali) by the name of Shamsun (ra) who used to live among the Children of Israel. From what we understand, he was someone who used to pray a lot and struggle hard for the cause of Allah for the duration of a thousand months. When the companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) heard that, they became sad upon thinking that they would never be able to surpass Hazrat Shamsun (ra). As an encouragement, Allah said that if the Community of the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) indulge in acts of worship during the Night of Decree (Laila-tul-Qadr), therefore their prayers would earn rewards better than a thousand months of worship. (Ruh’ul Bayan, Vol. 10 pg. 483)

In Hadith, Hazrat Anas bin Malik (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah stated about the month of Ramadan: “This month (of Ramadan) has begun and there is a night in it better than one thousand month. So, any one deprived of its blessings is actually deprived of all goodness. Indeed, He is truly deprived who is kept away from its good.” (Ibn Majah, Mishkat)

Therefore, the Night of Decree is a night filled with blessings and is very valuable. It is a great divine favour upon the Ummah of the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) when transforming acts of worship made during the Night of Decree into acts of worship (prayers) which is worth more than a thousand months of blessings. For the communities of the past prophets, there were no such designed night reserved for the descent on earth of Hazrat Jibreel (as) and the angels except for the Muslims whereby they send the divine peace on the Muslims absorbed in any act of worship and thus these angels prays for them and ask forgiveness for them. In His wisdom, Allah has hidden that special night in the last 10 holy nights of Ramadan so that the Muslims make efforts to seek it. In this way, their courage increase and they spend their time in worship for Allah so as to reap the blessings concealed in the Night of Decree.