We have now embarked on the last ten nights of Ramadan. The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time.
Laylat al Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the Qur’an as, {better than a thousand months}. [Surah Al-Qadr: 3] The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said: "Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven." [Sahih al-Bukhaari and Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurairah].
May Allah forgive our sins and free us from the penalty of the fire, Ameen.
Qadr means honor and dignity. Laylat al Qadr means the night of honor and dignity. It is this night in which the first Divine Revelation came to the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam, when he was in prayer in the cave of Hira. Since this night enjoys the honor of having the first revelation brought to the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam, it has been named Laylat al Qadr.
This is one of the holiest and most blessed nights, which is likely to occur on one of the odd nights on the last ten days of Ramadan and most likely to be the 27th. The reward of worship on this night is better than the worship of a thousand months of worship, equivalent to a person's lifetime. So, on this night one should pray Nafil Salaat, recite the Qur’an, do Tasbih, Zikr, Du’a, etc as much as possible.
This night had already opened its gates of treasures when the angel for the first time had come with the Divine Message in the cave of Hira, but its auspiciousness has continued to be with us permanently. Every year in the month of Ramadan, this night is given to the Ummah. Muslims engage in prayers, recitation of Qur’an and praying to Allah[swt], as the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam said: "The person who offered prayers to Allah in the night of Dignity with faith and with hope of reward from Allah[swt], all his past sins have been forgiven." (Sahih al-Bukhaari)
As the rainy season is suitable for farming, similarly for the attainment of nearness to Allah, specific times, specific days and specific nights are most suitable, e.g. the time of Tahajjud prayers, Friday prayers, month of Ramadan, the Day of Arafat, etc. So also the Night of Power is the most suitable night for attaining nearness to Allah[swt].
In the Hadith, we have been asked to seek The Night in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Hazrat Aa'ishah radhiyallahu anhaa narrates that the Messenger of Allah[swt] sallalahu alayhi wasallam has said, 'Seek the night of Dignity in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan'.(Sahih al-Bukhaari).
By odd nights, the reference is made to the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th night of the month of Ramadan. No one night has been fixed so that the yearning to find it may increase and people may spend more nights in worshipping Allah[swt]. From this aspect, the importance of `Itikaaf (seclusion) during the last ten days of Ramadan, is clear.
Some special prayers and Zikr for Lailat-ul-Qadr:
1. Seeking Forgiveness. Hazrat Aa'ishah radhiyallahu anhaa asked the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam that if she happened to get the night sublime what prayer should she say. The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam replied that she should say the following prayer :
"Allahumma innaka afuwwun kareemun tuhib-bul af-wa fa-afo anni"
(O Allah, You are the One who grants pardon for sins, loves forgiving, so forgive me.)
2. Reciting Astaghfar. The following should be recited as much as possible:
"Astaghfirullah hallazi la-ila-ha illa huwal Hayyul Qayyumo wa atu-bu ilaihe"
(I seek forgiveness from Allah, the Almighty; there is no God but He. He is self-Existent, the Eternal and I return to Him)
3. Reciting Surah `Lailat-ul-Qadr...'
"Inna anzalnahu fee lailatul Qadr, Wa maa adraka maa lailatul Qadr.
Lailatul Qadri khairum min alfi shahr. Tanazzalul malai-katu var-roohu
fee ha bi izni Rabbihim min kulle amr. Salaamun heya hatta matla-il fajr."
4. Do Salaat-ul-Tasbih.
Source: Fiqh-us-Sunnah, vol 2, # 33
‘Ikrimah reports from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Messenger[saw] of Allah said to ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdal-Mutalib: “O ‘Abbas, O Uncle, shall I not give you, shall I not present to you, shall I not donate to you, shall I not tell you ten things which, if you do, Allah will forgive your first and last sins, past and present sins, intentional and unintentional sins, private and public sins? The ten actions are: pray four rak’at, reciting in every rak’ah al-Fatihah and a surah. And when you finish the Qur’anic recitation of the first rak’ah, say, while standing, ‘Subhanallah, al-hamdulillah, wa la ilaha illallah, wa Allahu Akbar‘ ['Glory be to Allah. All praise is due to Allah. There is no God except Allah. Allah is the greatest.'] fifteen times. Then make ruku’, and while you are in ruku’, say the same ten times; then stand, and say the same ten times. Then go down and make sajdah, and while you’re in sajdah, say the same ten times. Then sit after the sajdah, and say the same ten times. Then make sajdah, and say the same ten times. Then sit after the second sajdah, and say the same another ten times. That is seventy-five [repetitions of the phrases] in each rak’ah. Do that in each of the four rak’at. If you can pray it once a day, do so. If you cannot, then once every Friday. If you cannot do that, then once a year. And if you cannot do that then once in your life.“
This Hadith is related by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ibn Khuzaimah in his Sahih, and at-Tabarani. About this Hadith al-Mundhiri says: “This Hadith has been related through many chains and from a number of companions. The best of them is this one from ‘Ikrimah. A group of scholars have graded it to be Sahih, including al-Hafez Abu Bakr al-’Ajari, (al-Mundhiri’s teachers), Abu Muhammad ‘Abdurrahim al-Misri, and Abu al-Hassan al-Maqdisi.” Ibn alMubarak says: “The Tasbih prayer is a greatly desired act and it is desirable that one should punctually observe it and never neglect it.
Suggestions:
1. You can pray it any part of the day and night except of course during the forbidden times for performing Salaat. It is encouraged during the potential nights of Laylat al Qadr because of the amazing blessings during that blessed night as stated in the Qur’an itself (Surah Qadr, Chapter 97).
2. Your aim is to recite the above Tasbih 300 times in Four Rakah as stated in the Hadith narrated above, however, please do not count loudly or fingers or by holding beads in your hand.
3. You may count by pressing the fingers as a reminder. For example if you are in Ruku. You may press the first finger of your right hand first for the first count, then the finger next to it for second count, then, the middle finger for third count, following this method until you reach the little finger of your left hand, and that will give you a count of ten. Use the same method during the whole Salaat.
5. Do Afzul Zikr i.e. La ilaha illallah..
Allah Hummagh-firli maa antaa aalamo behi minni fa'ain udtu faa udli bil mughfiraatay...Allah Hummaghfirli maa wa'aito min nafsi walam taajid lahu wafa'a indi...Allah hummaghfirli rama zatil al haade wasahawatil jinaanay wahafawatay lilsaanay. ameen
O Allah forgive my sins of which You are aware and if I repeat it then forgive me again. O Allah! I couldn't get an opportunity to fulfill the covenants done against my evil deeds, forgive these sins too. O Allah forgive the sins done by the action of eyes, mistake of the lips, negligence of the heart and by the movement of the tongue. ameen
~Via EK!
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