|
Peace
Until Fajr
In
each of the daily prayers we offer, we solemnly declare to Allah,
“Iyyaka na`budu” (You alone do we worship). While the
intelligent and committed believer realizes that his very
lifestyle spells worship, he knows, remembering the words of our
Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, that “Du`a’
(supplication) is worship” [At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud] Allah, the
Most Merciful, has encouraged the believers to take advantage of
certain times during the year to make Du`a’. Such an occasion
presents itself annually during Ramadan — especially on the
Laylat Al-Qadr, the Night of Power. On this night, the single most
important event in human history unfolded as, after the Glorious
Qur’an was preserved in the Protected Tablet, Jibril descended
with the blessed book to reveal it, upon Allah’s command, to His
Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Accentuating its
significance, Allah says, {and how would you know (the value of
the) Night of Qadr}. (Al-Qadr:2)
So
valuable is this Night of Qadr that the Qur’an devotes a special
surah to it. {Laylat Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months}.
[Al-Qadr:3] This one night surpasses the value of 30,000 nights.
The most authentic account of the occurrence of the Night
indicates that it can occur on any one of the last ten,
odd-numbered nights of Ramadan. The fact that the exact night is
unknown reflects Allah’s will in keeping it hidden. Indeed, the
Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, was prevented from
telling us its precise time. One day, he came out to tell the
companions the exact night. On the way he saw two men arguing with
each other. By the will of Allah, he, peace and blessings be upon
him, forgot and subsequently remembered it.
Afterwards
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him,) was instructed not
to divulge this information. “Had I been allowed,” he, peace
and blessings be upon him, remarked once, “I would have told you
(of its exact time).” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad] The Almighty in
His wisdom kept this hidden from us for many reasons. Perhaps He
wants us to strive hard in our worship during the last ten days of
Ramadan so that we don’t become lazy, worshipping hard on just
that one night and denying ourselves the benefit of doing the same
on the other nights. “Had people not left their Salah except for
that (one) night, I would have informed you (of its exact
date).” [At-Tabarani] The sincere believer who worries day and
night about his sins and phases of neglect in his life patiently
awaits the onset of Ramadan.
During
it he hopes to be forgiven by Allah for past sins, knowing that
the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, promised that all who
bear down during the last ten days shall have all their sins
forgiven. To achieve this, he remembers the Prophet’s, peace and
blessings be upon him, advice in different sayings wherein he used
words like “seek”, “pursue”, “search”, and “look
hard” for Laylat Al-Qadr.
Moreover,
Allah and His Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, provided us
some signs of its occurrence. Allah (swt) describes the night as
{…peace until the rise of the morn}. [Al-Qadr:5] In various
sayings, the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, described
the night as serene, tranquil, and peaceful. The sun at sunrise
would appear reddish and without its normal blazing and sharp
rays. The Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, added that
“the angel of earth on that night of Qadr will be more numerous
than all the pebbles of the earth.”
What
should one do during the last ten days in pursuit of Laylat
Al-Qadr? The devoted servant of Allah makes these nights alive
with prayer, reading and reflecting on Qur’an. He makes Du`a’
to Allah, penitently beseeching Him for His forgiveness. He is
inspired by the Prophet’s, peace and blessings be upon him,
words “Our Lord, most Exalted, Most high comes down to the
lowest heaven during the last third of each night and announces
(reassuringly): Whoever makes Du`a’, I shall answer it. Whoever
asks (for something Halal) I shall grant it; and whoever seeks
forgiveness, I shall forgive him.” [Bukhari] The believer,
conscious of Allah and their sins, will continue to beseech Allah,
in and out of prayer, during his prostration. For a time, the only
concern will be cleansing oneself of the forgetfulness that this
life propagates in one’s heart, the sins that accumulate,
darkening the heart, making it insensitive to disobeying Allah. He
begs Allah to keep him away from misfortunes in this world, the
punishment of the grave, and the torment of Hell. He asks Allah to
make him patient and steadfast in struggling to maintain his Islam
in this world and asks Him to overlook his shortcomings, periods
of laziness and neglect. Sincere devotion on that night will
render the believer forgetful of the time, until he is surprised
by the Adhan of Fajr. After Fajr, as the sun creeps above the
horizon, reddish and weak in its appearance, without any rays, the
effort at night will have been worthwhile. The believer rejoices,
knowing that this was quite possibly Laylat Al-Qadr and “whoever
stays up (in prayer and remembrance of Allah) on the Night of Qadr
fully believing (in Allah’s promise of reward for that night)
and hoping to seek reward (from Allah alone and not from people),
he shall be forgiven for his past sins.” [Sahihs Bukhari and
Muslim]
Excerpted
from www.islaam.com with
slight modifications
|
