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Peace Until
Fajr*
Excerpted
from Manaar As-sabeel
Al-Muntada Al-Islami
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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 Lailat ul-Qadr, the Night of
Power. On this night, the single most important event in human
history unfolded as, after the Glorious Quran 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 Quran devotes a special
surah to it. {Lailat ul-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 blessing 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 Lailat ul-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 Lailat
ul-Qadr? The devoted servant of Allah makes these nights alive with
prayer, reading and reflecting on Quran. 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 Lailat ul-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.
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