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Peace Until Fajr
Excerpted
from Manaar As-sabeel
Al-Muntada Al-Islami
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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