The Ramadan Series: Live a lifetime in one night! - Reflections on Laylatul Qadr

Dear sisters,

Assalamoalaikum

We've been hearing about the importance of Laylatul Qadr since childhood. Back then, this was that one night we were allowed to stay up way past bedtime, to pray with our parents (and we used to be pretty calm too!). SubhanAllah, even as kids we felt a sense of tranquillity and peace.

"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." (97:1-5)

What is it?

• Allah calls it a “Blessed Night” (44:3).

• It is called the night of power and the night of Qadr (decree). Whatever we will go through in the coming year (how much provision we'll get, whether we will live or die, etc.) is all written during this night (44:4).

• As stated in the Quran (97:3), it is a night better than a thousand months! All you math people calculate... That's over 83 years! So doing an act of worship in this night is as if you've done the same act of worship for 83 years! Whao, now that's an awesome deal, alhumdulillah :D

• It is a peaceful night until the emergence of dawn (97:5).

• It was during this night, that the Quran was revealed to a place called Bayt'l-'Uzza (in the first heaven) and after that it was sent down (revealed to our Prophet (saw)) for 23 years (97:1) (44:3).

Did you know?

• The lifespan of ancient humans was many hundred years (a person could live up to 200-300 years)! Over time, our lifespan has decreased drastically. By utilising this night (that is equal to over 83 years) every year inshallah, we can catch up (in earning reward) to the level of those who did good deeds for hundreds of years during their life.

• The amount of angels that decent during this night is phenomenal. According to one hadeeth, the number of angels on this night are MORE than the number of pebbles on the entire Earth! SubhanAllah! The earth is packed with angels on this night, we probably bump into one every minute! The angels come down to send salam upon and pray for the believers. (97:4)

• Among the signs of Laylatul Qadr are: it is a rainy night (Bukhari), it is neither too hot nor too cold (al-Tarbani), it is a bright night (Ibn Hibban), you feel peaceful during prayer because SO many angels are present around you, and the sun of the following morning is not as bright (Muslim). Remember, these signs are NOT proofs of Laylatul Qadr.

When is it?

• We don't know exactly. But we're told to seek Laylatul Qadr during the last ten nights of Ramadan. Specifically, during the odd nights (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th).

Aishah (ra) said: “The Prophet would exert himself in worship during the last ten nights more than at any other time of the year.” (Muslim)

She also narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, “Seek laylat'l-qadr during the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.” (al-Bukhāri)

Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrates that the Prophet (saw) said, “Laylat'l-qadr is the twenty-seventh or twenty-ninth and the number of angels exceeds the number of pebbles on that night.” (Ahmad, Ibn Khuzaymah)

• According to majority of the scholars and the widespread view among Muslims, it is on the 27th. But some scholars are of the opinion that it moves between the odd nights since they have evidence for different dates. Allah knows best.

• Instead of picking and choosing one night to do all our worship, it is best to increase ibadaah during ALL the odd nights. That way we won't miss Laylatul Qadr inshallah!

Misconceptions/ What we should NOT do:

• Many people believe that spirits of their loved ones come to visit them during this night O_O and I think they get that from the verse in the Quran: "The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter" (97: 4). Fellow desies, spirit/ rooh here does NOT refer to souls of people who have passed away. This is referring to the most powerful angel, Angel Jibreel (a.s.), who descends to earth on important occasions only (such as revealing Allah's Word to the Prophets (peace be upon them all) and on Laylatul Qadr). We need to understand that once a person's soul is taken, it does not return to any other place except the grave and until the Day of Judgement, stays in its own realm.

• Many desies get caught up in praying specific numbers of sunnah or nafl prayers with specific surahs to be recited many times in every rakah. For instance, praying 4 rakahs and in every rakah, reciting surah iklaas 30 times. Whether our parents tell us to do that or we read it in a book, the first thing we need to do is check for references. Where is this information coming from? Did the Prophet (saw) tell us this? If so, where is the hadeeth? Or is it in the Quran? If so, where is the verse? If you are unable to find references from the Quran or hadeeth, then please, DO NOT perform prayer in that manner. We are only supposed to pray in a way shown by Prophet (saw)... every other way, even if it is seemingly good, should not be followed.  As Muslims we claim that Islam is the perfect religion, and it is, so nothing new can be added and nothing old can be subtracted from it. It is perfect the way it is.

What we should do:

During all the odd nights, we should do acts of worship that have been mentioned in the Quran and taught by our Prophet (saw). Here are some things you can do:

• Lots of dhikr (get those handy dandy tasbeehs!)

• Taraweeh (increase the amount... let's say you pray 8 rakahs regularly, pray 20 during the odd nights inshallah)

• Make lots of dua! (remember to make lots of dua for forgiveness, success in this life and the next, for our brothers and sisters all around the world, for guidance, and for just about anything and everything beneficial)

• Give charity generously and contribute towards building/ improving a masjid

• Read the Quran as much as possible

• Aishah (ra) asked the Messenger of Allah (saw) what she should say if she knew which night was laylat'l-qadr. He said: You should say, “Oh, Allah, You are the Most-Forgiving, and You love forgiveness, so forgive me.” (Ahmad)

• Bathe every night and wear nice clothes (many of the sahaba used to do this)... and it makes sense. When we go to parties we dress up, look our best for people. So it only makes sense to look even more decent in front of Allah (swt)... Remember, salah/namaz is a one-on-one dialogue between you and Allah :)

• Itikaaf (both men and women can do so... for more information please read the article posted below).

• Gain knowledge, put on some amazing lectures that will motivate you. Also, share the knowledge you gain with others.

• Be kind to your family and friends... and seek everyone's forgiveness. This is the month of mercy so please forgive people who have hurt you.

• Don't underestimate the reward of small good deeds... Ex. water the plants at home, smile (not at random guys though!), help around the house, clean up, etc. 

• Purify your intention. We should do good deeds only to please Allah (swt) and we should remind ourselves that constantly. 

• Pray Tahajjud

The Prophet (saw) said, “Whoever prays the night prayer on laylat'l-qadr for the sake of Allah, all his sins will be forgiven.” (al-Bukhāri & Muslim) Kā 'b al-Ahbar said, “This night will wipe out sins completely.”

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And so ends the Ramadan Series! I hope you found this post beneficial inshallah. I basically summarized the article below so if you need to verify references or find out more, it's all there. I've also posted a link for the fiqh (ruling) of Zakah/Zakat... please share with your parents as most of us don't know the correct way of calculating it.

May Allah (swt) enable us to make the most of these last ten days, Ameen!

Sincerely,
D.M.

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Article on Laylatul Qadr:
http://muslimmatters.org/2012/08/07/the-best-for-last-rulings-acts-of-worship-in-the-last-10-days-of-ramadan/

Lecture on Laylatul Qadr:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Put8Cd1evbU

Fiqh of Zakah:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YHg2uaVers