Tweet
Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the Quran as, "better
than a thousand months" (97:3). Any action done on this night such as
reciting the Quran, remembering Allah, etc. is better than acting for
one
thousand months which do not contain the night of Qadr.
Allah's Messenger used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten
nights to a greater extent than at any other time." (Muslim). Allah's
peace
and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet.
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, related that the Prophet said:
Look
for Laylatul Qadr on an odd-numbered night during the last ten nights of
Ramadan (Bukhari).
The Prophet said: "Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and
hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven."
(Bukhari
and Muslim recorded from Abu Huraira).
Here are some tips of things we can do on the Night of Power and the
time
before and after it.
1. Take a vacation for Allah
We take a break from our jobs for almost everything in life. Why not
this
time to focus on worshiping and thanking our Creator.
If this is not possible at least take a few days off if you can. This
can
make it easier to stay awake at night to do extra Ibadah, not having to
worry about getting to work the next day.
It will also facilitate doing Itikaf.
2. Do Itikaf
It was a practice of the Prophet to spend the last ten days and nights
of
Ramadan in the masjid for Itikaf.
Those in Itikaf stay in the masjid all this time, performing various
forms
of zikr (the remembrance of Allah), like doing extra Salat, recitation
and
study of the Quran. They do not go outside the masjid except in case of
emergencies, therefore, they sleep in the masjid. Their families or the
masjid administration takes care of their food needs.
Itikaf of a shorter period of time, like one night, a day or a couple of
days is encouraged as well.
3. Make this special Dua
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of
Allah:
'O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what
should I say during it?' He said: 'Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and
You
love to pardon, so pardon me.' "(Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi).
The transliteration of this Dua is "Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul
`afwa
fa`fu `annee"
4. Recite the Quran
Perhaps you can choose Surahs or passages from the Quran which you have
heard in Tarawih this past Ramadan to recite.
If you attend a class where the recitation of the Quran is taught, this
is a
great time to put your knowledge into practice.
5. Reflect on the meaning of the Quran
Choose the latest Surah or Surahs you've heard in Tarawih and read their
translation and Tafseer. Then think deeply about their meaning and how
it
affects you on a personal level.
(If you want to study the Quran with more understanding, check out Way
to
the Quran and Access to Quranic Arabic.
6. Get your sins wiped out
Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger said: Whoever stands (in prayer)
in
Laylatul Qadr while nourishing his faith with self-evaluation, expecting
reward from Allah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven. [Bukhari
and
Muslim).
Don't just pray using the shorter Surahs that you know. Try to make your
prayers longer, deeper and meaningful. If you are familiar with longer
Surahs, read the translation and explanation and then pray reciting
these
Surahs, carefully reflecting on the meaning while you pray.
Even if you are only familiar with the shorter Surahs, read the
translation
and explanation beforehand, and then pray reflecting on the message of
the
Surahs.
This is a good way to develop the habit of concentration, even in
regular
prayers, where many of us tend to be fidgety and/or easily distracted.
7. Make a personal Dua list.
Ask yourself what you really want from Allah. Make a list of each and
everything, no matter how small or how big it is, whether it deals with
this
world or not. Allah loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready, you
can
do three things:
* Ask Allah to give you those things
* Think about what actions you have taken to get those things
* Develop a work plan to get those things in future.
8. Evaluate yourself.
Ask yourself those questions that need to be asked. Do an evaluation of
where you are and where you are going. Let this evaluation lead you to
feel
happiness for the good you have done and remorse for the bad you have
done.
(see a short and a long evaluation guide) This latter feeling should
make it
easier to seek Allah's sincere forgiveness when making the Dua mentioned
in
tip number one above.
9. Make long, sincere and deep Duas
One of the best times to do this is during the last part of the night.
Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet
said:
When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One
descends towards the heaven of the earth and proclaims: Who is that who
supplicates for Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is that who begs
Me
for anything and I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My
forgiveness, and I forgive him? (Bukhari, Muslim).
That means for instance, waking up one hour before Suhoor time to ask
Allah
for anything and everything you want that is Halal. This can be done
using
the Duas of the Sunnah, but also Dua in your own language, with
sincerity
and conviction.
For some tips on making Dua please see the article Some personal Duas
you
can make.
10. Memorize a different Dua every night
They don't have to be long. They can be just one line. And be sure to
know
what they mean generally at least, even if you don't know the exact
translation in English.
You can put them on index cards (or and keep them with you during the
day,
glancing at them during work, while driving, waiting in line, etc.) Then
practice them at night in prayer.
11. Have Iftar with the family
If you've spent Iftar time on weekdays in your cubicle at work alone
with a
couple of dates, now is the last few days you'll have this Ramadan to
spend
with your family. Use it wisely.
12. Take the family to Tarawih
Have your spouse and kids missed Tarawih most of Ramadan because you
weren't
there to drive them to the Masjid, which is too far away to walk to? If
so,
do all of yourselves a favor and bring everyone for Tarawih in these
last
ten nights.
13. Attend the Dua after the completion of Quran recitation
Almost all Masjids where the Imam aims to finish an entire reading of
the
Quran in Tarawih prayers in Ramadan will be completing their recitation
in
these last ten nights. They may try to end on one of the odd nights and
read
the Dua at the end of a reading of the Quran. Attend this particular
night's
Tarawih prayer with your family. See if you can attend different
Masjids'
Tarawih prayers the night they finish reading the Quran.
14. Finish reading a book on the Prophet
Read about the Prophet's life, which can increase your love for him and
Islam by seeing how much he struggled for Allah's sake. It may inspire
you
to push yourself even harder during these last ten nights. This
community is
built on sacrifice.
15. Plan for the next year
Once you've done a self-evaluation, you can plan on where you want to
go, at
least in the next 12 months. Laylatul Qadr is a great night to be
thinking
about this (without taking away from your worship), since you'll Insha
Allah, be in a more contemplative state. You may choose to dedicate one
night of power for evaluation and one night for planning for the next
year.
16. To do list for the Night of Power
Make a to do checklist for each Night of Power. This should define how
you
would like your night, the one better than a thousand months, to be
used.
Pick things from this list and define the sequence you would like to do
things in. This will help you avoid wasting your time in unproductive
chats
which common in the festive atmosphere of Masjids at the Night of Power.
than a thousand months" (97:3). Any action done on this night such as
reciting the Quran, remembering Allah, etc. is better than acting for
one
thousand months which do not contain the night of Qadr.
Allah's Messenger used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten
nights to a greater extent than at any other time." (Muslim). Allah's
peace
and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet.
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, related that the Prophet said:
Look
for Laylatul Qadr on an odd-numbered night during the last ten nights of
Ramadan (Bukhari).
The Prophet said: "Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and
hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven."
(Bukhari
and Muslim recorded from Abu Huraira).
Here are some tips of things we can do on the Night of Power and the
time
before and after it.
1. Take a vacation for Allah
We take a break from our jobs for almost everything in life. Why not
this
time to focus on worshiping and thanking our Creator.
If this is not possible at least take a few days off if you can. This
can
make it easier to stay awake at night to do extra Ibadah, not having to
worry about getting to work the next day.
It will also facilitate doing Itikaf.
2. Do Itikaf
It was a practice of the Prophet to spend the last ten days and nights
of
Ramadan in the masjid for Itikaf.
Those in Itikaf stay in the masjid all this time, performing various
forms
of zikr (the remembrance of Allah), like doing extra Salat, recitation
and
study of the Quran. They do not go outside the masjid except in case of
emergencies, therefore, they sleep in the masjid. Their families or the
masjid administration takes care of their food needs.
Itikaf of a shorter period of time, like one night, a day or a couple of
days is encouraged as well.
3. Make this special Dua
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of
Allah:
'O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what
should I say during it?' He said: 'Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and
You
love to pardon, so pardon me.' "(Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi).
The transliteration of this Dua is "Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul
`afwa
fa`fu `annee"
4. Recite the Quran
Perhaps you can choose Surahs or passages from the Quran which you have
heard in Tarawih this past Ramadan to recite.
If you attend a class where the recitation of the Quran is taught, this
is a
great time to put your knowledge into practice.
5. Reflect on the meaning of the Quran
Choose the latest Surah or Surahs you've heard in Tarawih and read their
translation and Tafseer. Then think deeply about their meaning and how
it
affects you on a personal level.
(If you want to study the Quran with more understanding, check out Way
to
the Quran and Access to Quranic Arabic.
6. Get your sins wiped out
Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger said: Whoever stands (in prayer)
in
Laylatul Qadr while nourishing his faith with self-evaluation, expecting
reward from Allah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven. [Bukhari
and
Muslim).
Don't just pray using the shorter Surahs that you know. Try to make your
prayers longer, deeper and meaningful. If you are familiar with longer
Surahs, read the translation and explanation and then pray reciting
these
Surahs, carefully reflecting on the meaning while you pray.
Even if you are only familiar with the shorter Surahs, read the
translation
and explanation beforehand, and then pray reflecting on the message of
the
Surahs.
This is a good way to develop the habit of concentration, even in
regular
prayers, where many of us tend to be fidgety and/or easily distracted.
7. Make a personal Dua list.
Ask yourself what you really want from Allah. Make a list of each and
everything, no matter how small or how big it is, whether it deals with
this
world or not. Allah loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready, you
can
do three things:
* Ask Allah to give you those things
* Think about what actions you have taken to get those things
* Develop a work plan to get those things in future.
8. Evaluate yourself.
Ask yourself those questions that need to be asked. Do an evaluation of
where you are and where you are going. Let this evaluation lead you to
feel
happiness for the good you have done and remorse for the bad you have
done.
(see a short and a long evaluation guide) This latter feeling should
make it
easier to seek Allah's sincere forgiveness when making the Dua mentioned
in
tip number one above.
9. Make long, sincere and deep Duas
One of the best times to do this is during the last part of the night.
Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet
said:
When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One
descends towards the heaven of the earth and proclaims: Who is that who
supplicates for Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is that who begs
Me
for anything and I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My
forgiveness, and I forgive him? (Bukhari, Muslim).
That means for instance, waking up one hour before Suhoor time to ask
Allah
for anything and everything you want that is Halal. This can be done
using
the Duas of the Sunnah, but also Dua in your own language, with
sincerity
and conviction.
For some tips on making Dua please see the article Some personal Duas
you
can make.
10. Memorize a different Dua every night
They don't have to be long. They can be just one line. And be sure to
know
what they mean generally at least, even if you don't know the exact
translation in English.
You can put them on index cards (or and keep them with you during the
day,
glancing at them during work, while driving, waiting in line, etc.) Then
practice them at night in prayer.
11. Have Iftar with the family
If you've spent Iftar time on weekdays in your cubicle at work alone
with a
couple of dates, now is the last few days you'll have this Ramadan to
spend
with your family. Use it wisely.
12. Take the family to Tarawih
Have your spouse and kids missed Tarawih most of Ramadan because you
weren't
there to drive them to the Masjid, which is too far away to walk to? If
so,
do all of yourselves a favor and bring everyone for Tarawih in these
last
ten nights.
13. Attend the Dua after the completion of Quran recitation
Almost all Masjids where the Imam aims to finish an entire reading of
the
Quran in Tarawih prayers in Ramadan will be completing their recitation
in
these last ten nights. They may try to end on one of the odd nights and
read
the Dua at the end of a reading of the Quran. Attend this particular
night's
Tarawih prayer with your family. See if you can attend different
Masjids'
Tarawih prayers the night they finish reading the Quran.
14. Finish reading a book on the Prophet
Read about the Prophet's life, which can increase your love for him and
Islam by seeing how much he struggled for Allah's sake. It may inspire
you
to push yourself even harder during these last ten nights. This
community is
built on sacrifice.
15. Plan for the next year
Once you've done a self-evaluation, you can plan on where you want to
go, at
least in the next 12 months. Laylatul Qadr is a great night to be
thinking
about this (without taking away from your worship), since you'll Insha
Allah, be in a more contemplative state. You may choose to dedicate one
night of power for evaluation and one night for planning for the next
year.
16. To do list for the Night of Power
Make a to do checklist for each Night of Power. This should define how
you
would like your night, the one better than a thousand months, to be
used.
Pick things from this list and define the sequence you would like to do
things in. This will help you avoid wasting your time in unproductive
chats
which common in the festive atmosphere of Masjids at the Night of Power.