NIGHT OF AL-QADR
Praise to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May Allah raise the rank of our master Muhammad, his kind Al and companions, and protect his nation from that which he fears for it.
The Night of al-Qadr is a very great night in the blessed month of Ramadan. It is "the Night of Greatness." In it, Allah brought down a great Book (al-Qur'an). During this Night, a great mercy and great angels come down. The Night of al-Qadr is not a night specifically occuring after the revelation to Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, rather the Night of al-Qadr occured during Ramadan in the eras of the previous prophets. However, what is a specification for the nation of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, is that Allah guided them that the month of Ramadan would be their fasting month.
Allah said in al-Qur'an (al-Qadr, 1-5):
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
(إنا أنزلناه في ليلة القدر" وما أدراك ما ليلة القدر" ليلة القدر خير من ألف شهر" تنزل الملائكة والروح فيها بإذن ربهم من كل أمر" سلام هي حتى مطلع الفجر)
1 ) (إنا أنزلناه في ليلة القدر) means: Allah brought al-Qur'an down on the Night of al-Qadr. On that night, Allah ordered Jibril to take al-Qur'an from the Guarded Tablet (al-Lawh-ul-Mahfuz). Jibril took it in its totality down to a place in the lowest sky called Bayt-ul-^Izzah. From Bayt-ul-^Izzah, Jibril came down Qur'an in parts upon the Prophet, according to the events and reasons. It is mentioned in a Hadith that at-Tawrah was brought down on the sixth night of Ramadan, al-'Injil on the thirteenth night of Ramadan, and al-Qur'an on the twenty-fourth night of Ramadan. This Hadith informs us that al-Qur'an was revealed on the twenty-fourth night of Ramadan. The Qur'an tells us it was the Night of al-Qadr. It is not definite that the Night of al-Qadr would be the night of the twenty-seventh or twenty-ninth, but most likely it would be. The Messenger of Allah said:
روى البخاري عن ابن عباس أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:
"إلتمسوها في العشر الأواخر"
It means: Seek it in the last ten days of Ramadan. This is because it would be most likely in the last ten days. This does not exclude it being in other than those last ten nights. It might be on the first, second, or other nights. The wisdom of concealing it is that in order to catch it, people would be diligent in worship troughout all the night of Ramadan.
2. (وما أدراك ما ليلة القدر ) means: The Night of al-Qadr has a great status.
3. (ليلة القدر خير من ألف شهر) means: Doing good deeds on that night is better than doing them in one thousand months (that do not have that night).
4. (تنزل الملائكة والروح فيها بإذن ربهم من كل أمر) On that night Jibril and the angels come down with what Allah ordered and willed to happen for the next year, such as the givings of the people and how long they will live.
5. (سلام هي حتى مطلع الفجر) means: This night has peace, goodness, and blessing upon the awliya' (rightous Muslims) and the obedient Muslims.
Moreover, ash-Shaytan (Satan) cannot do any evil or harm. This safety lasts until al-Fajr.
^A'ishah asked the Prophet what du^a' (supplication) she should say if she knew it was the Night of al-Qadr. He told her to say:
عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قلت يا رسول الله أرأيت إن علمت ليلة القدر ما أقول فيها؟ قال قولي:"أللهم إنك عفو تحب العفو فاعفوا عني". رواه الترمذي وقال: حديث حسن صحيح.
Which means: O Allah You are the one who pardons and loves to pardon. I ask you to pardon me. The prophet's most frequent du^a' in Ramadan and otherwise was:
كان أكثر دعاء النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في رمضان وغيره:
"ربنا ءاتنا في الدنيا حسنة وفي الآخرة حسنة وقنا عذاب النار"
Which means: O our Lord, give us good things in this world and good things in the Hereafter and protect us from the torture of Hellfire.
We are now in the month of Ramadan, let the person not waste his time during this blessed month.
