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It was
narrated that in the days that Musa (Alahi salaam) wandered with Bani
Israel in the desert an intense drought befell them.
Together, they raised their hands towards the heavens praying for the
blessed rain to come. Then, to the astonishment of Musa
(Alahi salaam) and all those watching, the few scattered clouds that were
in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought intensified.
It was
revealed to Musa that there was a sinner amongst the tribe of Bani Israel whom
had disobeyed Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) for more than forty years of
his life. “Let him separate himself from the
congregation,” Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) told Musa (Alahi
salaam). “Only then shall I shower you all with
rain.”
Musa
(Alahi salaam) then called out to the throngs of humanity, “There is a
person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah for forty years.
Let him separate himself from the congregation and only then shall we be
rescued from the drought.” That man, waited, looking
left and right, hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one
did. Sweat poured forth from his brow and he knew that
he was the one.
The man knew
that if he stayed amongst the congregation all would die of thirst and that if
he stepped forward he would be humiliated for all eternity.
He raised his
hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with a humility he had never
tasted, and as tears poured down on both cheeks he said: “O Allah, have mercy on
me! O Allah, hide my sins! O
Allah, forgive me!”
As Musa
(Alahi salaam) and the people of Bani Israel awaited for the sinner to
step forward, the clouds hugged the sky and the rain poured.
Musa (Alahi salaam) asked Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala), “O
Allah, you blessed us with rain even though the sinner did not come
forward.” And Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala)
replied, “O Musa, it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed
all of Bani Israel with water.”
Musa
(Alahi salaam), wanting to know who this blessed man was, asked, “Show
him to me O Allah!” Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala)
replied, “O Musa, I hid his sins for forty years, do you think that after his
repentance I shall expose him?”
Allah
(Subhanahu wa ta’ala) revealed the Qur’an in the most blessed month; the
month of Ramadan, the month in which the Qur’an was sent down.
On the most
blessed night, the Grand night: Laylatul Qadr; “Verily, we revealed the Qur’an
on the night of Qadr.”
Ibn Jareer
narrates, on the authority of Mujaahid that there was a man from Bani Israel who
used to spend the night in prayer. Then in the morning
he would fight the enemy in the Way of Allah during the day, until the evening
and he did this for a thousand months.
And so Allah
revealed the Surah: “Verily, We sent it down in the night of Al-Qadr” until the
verse “The night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months”
That is, standing in prayer on that night is better than the actions of
that man.
Sufyaan
ath-Thawree reports, on the authority of Mujaahid (also), that the night of
Al-Qadr being better than a thousand months means that the good deeds performed
on it, fasting on it, and standing in prayer on it are better than a thousand
months’ good deeds, prayers and fasting. (Narrated by
Ibn Jareer)
It is
reported from Abu Hurairah that he said: “When the month of Ramadan came, the
Messenger of Allah said: ‘The month of Ramadan has come, a blessed month in
which Allah has made it obligatory for you to fast; in it the gates of Paradise
are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained. In it is a night better than a thousand months, whoever loses
the benefit of it has lost something irreplaceable.’” (Narrated by Imam Ahmad
and An-Nasaa'i).
It is
reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah, that Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever stood in prayer on the night of Al-Qadr, in
faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, he will have all of his previous sins
forgiven.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
This one
night surpasses the value of 30,000 nights. 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 (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) for past sins,
knowing that the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) promised that all
who bear down during the last ten days shall have all their sins forgiven. To achieve this, the believer remembers the Prophet’s
(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) advice in different sayings wherein he used
words like “seek”, “pursue”, “search” and “look hard” for Laylatul Qadr.
Laylatul Qadr
is the most blessed night. A person who misses it has
indeed missed a great amount of good. The Mu’min should
search for it in the last ten nights of Ramadan, passing the nights in worship
and obedience.
For those who
catch the opportunity, their gift is that of past sins wiped away.
The Messenger
of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) illustrated for us some of the
things we should be doing on this Grand Night. From his
blessed Sunnah we find the following:
“Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee - O
Allah! You are forgiving, and you love forgiveness. So forgive me.” [An authentic
Hadith recorded by Ahmad, Ibn Majah and at-Tirmidhi.]
Abandoning Worldly Pleasures for the Sake of
Worship: It is further recommended to spend more
time in worship during the nights on which Laylatul Qadr is likely to fall. This calls for abandoning many worldly pleasures in order to
secure the time and thoughts solely for worshipping Allah (Subhanahu wa
ta’ala).
‘A'ishah
reported: “When the (last) ten started, the Prophet
(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would
tighten his izaar (i.e. he stayed away from his wives in order to have more time
for worship), spend the whole night awake (in prayer) and wake up his
family.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
And she said:
“Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam) used to exert more (in worship) on the last
ten than on other nights.” [Muslim]
Abu Dah Daah
was one of those who found an opportunity and won that which is greater than the
heavens and the earth. An adult companion of the Prophet
(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) cultivated his garden next to the property
of an orphan. The orphan claimed that a specific palm
tree was on his property and thus belonged to him. The
companion rejected the claim and off to the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam) went the orphan boy to complain.
With his justness, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam) measured the two gardens and found that the palm tree did indeed
belong to the companion. The orphan erupted crying. Seeing this, the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)
offered the companion, “would you give him the palm tree and to you is a palm
tree in Jannah?” However, the companion in his disbelief
that an orphan would complain to the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam) missed the opportunity and went away angry.
But someone
else saw the opportunity, Abu Dah Daah - radi Allahu ‘anhu.
He went to the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and asked,
“Ya Rasul Allah, if I buy the tree from him and give it to the orphan shall I
have that tree in Jannah?” The Messenger of Allah
(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) replied, “Yes.”
Abu Dah Daah
chased after the companion and asked, “Would you sell that tree to me for my
entire garden?” The companion answered, “Take it for
there is no good in a tree that I was complained to the Prophet about.”
Immediately,
Abu Dah Daah went home and found his wife and children playing in the
garden. “Leave the garden!” shouted Abu Dah Daah, “we’ve
sold it to Allah! We’ve sold it to Allah!” Some of his children had dates in their hand and he snached
the dates from them and threw them back into the garden.
“We’ve sold it to Allah!”
When Abu Dah
Daah was later martyred in the battle of Uhud, Rasul Allah (Sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam) stood over his slain body and remarked, “How many shady palm
trees does Abu Dah Daah now have in paradise?”
What did Abu
Dah Daah lose? Dates?
Bushes? Dirt? What did he gain? He gained a
Jannah whose expanse is the heavens and the earth.
Abu Dah Daah
did not miss his opportunity, and I pray to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala)
that we do not miss our opportunity of standing to Allah (Subhanahu wa
ta’ala) on Laylatul Qadr.
Dear brothers
and sisters, we do not obey, worship and revere Allah (Subhanahu wa
ta’ala) in a way befitting of His Majesty.
Allah
(Subhanahu wa ta’ala) revealed: “No just estimate have they made of
Allah, such as is due to Him. On the Day of Resurrection
the whole of the earth will be but His handful, and the heavens will be rolled
up in His right hand: Glory to Him!
High is He above the partners they attribute to Him” (Surat al-An’aam,
Ayat 91).
Everything
that we have belongs to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala).
When someone dies we say, Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon,
Indeed to Allah we belong and indeed to Him we shall return.
This is not a supplication just for when a soul is lost.
It is a supplication for every calamity that befalls a believer, even if
his sandal were to tear. Why?
Because everything belongs to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) and
everything shall come back to him. Sit and try to count
the blessings Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) has bestowed upon you. Have you ever tried to count stars?
“And He
giveth you of all that ye ask for. But if ye count the
favors of Allah, never will ye be able to number them.
Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude” (Surat Ibrahim,
Ayat 34).
We have not
understood the weight of this Qur’an that we rest on our high shelves, this
Noble book that was sent to give life to the dead. For
even if our hearts were as solid as rock they would have crumbled to the ground
in fear and hope of Allah’s (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) punishment and
Mercy. Could it be that our hearts are harder than that
mountain?
“Had We sent
down this Qur’an on a mountain, verily, thou wouldst have seen it humble itself
and split asunder in fear of Allah (Surat al-Hashr, Ayat 21).
Dear brothers
and sisters, as you fill the Masajid for Qiyamul Layl in the last ten nights of
Ramadan, remember what Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) wants you to
know:
“Know ye that
Allah is strict in punishment and that Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most
Merciful.”
There shall
be a night, some night in your life that you shall awaken in Jannah or Hell
fire. Anas ibn Malik, on his deathbed, prayed to Allah, (Subhanahu wa
ta’ala), “O Allah, protect from a night whose morning brings a journey to
hell fire.” Think about that morning.
Peace shall descend on Laylatul Qadr until the dawn.
It may be that you shall leave the Masjid after Fajr one day soon
forgiven by Allah, Glorious and Most High.
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