Searching for the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr)
In all the uneven nights we should aim to pray Tahajjud every night in the last 10 nights. If not then we should pray it in as many nights as we possibly can particularly in the nights of the 21,23,25,27 & 29.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ (1) وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ (2) لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ (3) تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ (4) سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ (5)
1 ) Verily! We have sent it (this Qur'ân) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree)
2 ) And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is?
3 ) The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allâh in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).
4 ) Therein descend the angels and the Rûh [Jibrael (Gabriel)] by Allâh's Permission with all Decrees,
5 ) Peace! (All that night, there is Peace and Goodness from Allâh to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn. (Qadar-1-5)
One should wake up a little earlier for Sehri, making Wudu & pray a minimum of 2 Raka’ahs of Tahajjud. It is best to pray at least 8 Raka’ahs.
Abu Hurayrah (RA), related that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One descends towards the heaven of the earth & proclaims: Who is that who supplicates for Me, & I grant his supplication? Who is that who begs Me for anything & I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My forgiveness, & I forgive him?(Bukhari, Muslim).
The last third portion of the night is the most blessed & dua’s are readily accepted at this time. So by praying Tahajjud it gives us the best opportunity to get closer to Allah & to make sincere dua, repenting for our sins past & present & to crying & asking of Allah for whatever we want.
If we cannot cry due to the hardness of our hearts then we should at least make the face as if we are crying. Just as a mother tends to her baby quicker & more promptly when it is crying in the same way Allah tends to his servants quicker when they are crying.
Ibn Mas`ud (Allah be pleased with him) was asked, “I cannot pray at night.” He said, “Your sins have prevented you.”
6. Excessive Remembrance of Allah
Whilst in I’tikaf we should spend as much time as possible in the remembrance of Allah, keeping our lips moist in his glorification & praises. Surely we will have utter regret in the hereafter for each second wasted without remembering Allah:
Mu`adh Ibn Jabal (RA) said that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “The People of Paradise will not regret anything except one thing alone: the hour that passed them by in which they made no remembrance of Allah.” Narrated Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-iman (1:392 #512-513)
The highest rank in Jannah are for those who remembered Allah the most:
Abu Sa`id (RA) narrates the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was asked, “Which of the servants of Allah is best in rank before Allah on the Day of resurrection?” He said: “The ones who remember him much.”I said: “O Messenger of Allah, what about the fighter in the way of Allah?” He answered: “Even if he strikes the unbelievers & mushrikin with his sword until it broke, & becomes red with their blood, truly those who do Dhikr are better than him in rank.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, & Bayhaqi)
Therefore we should remember Allah as much as we can & glorify him night & day, not just in Ramadan or in I’tikaf but until our very last breath. What better time to start remembering Allah more than during I’tikaf when we can sit in seclusion remembering Allah:
The following are 11 Dhikr, supported by Hadith that we can recite throughout the duration of I’tikaf:
Note: We should try & aim to recite each of these 10 Dhikr a 100 times each which makes a total of 1000 a day minimum.
1. Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘annee – Recite this abundantly during the last ten nights of Ramadan.
2. Subhaanallah
3. Alhamdulillah
4. Allahu Akbar
5. Laa ilaaha illallah
6. LA HAWLA WA LA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH-HIL ALIYYIL ADHEEM
7. Asthaghfirullah-halladhee Laa ilaaha illa-huwal Hayyul Qayyuumu Wa athoobu Ilay
Or short version: Asthaghfirullah
8. SUB-HAAN’ALLAAHi WA BI-HAM’DIHI SUB-HAAN’ALLAH-IL ADHEEM
Or short version: SUB-HAAN’ALLAAHi WA BI-HAM’DIHI
9. Subhāna-llāhi, wa-l-hamdu li-llāhi, wa lā ilāha illā-llāhu, wa-llāhu akbar. Wa lā hawla wa lā quwwata illā bi-llāhi-l-aliyyi-l-azīm
10. Lā ilāha illā-llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu lahu-l-mulku wa lahu-l-ḥamdu yuhyi wa yumītu wa huwa ḥayyu-llā yamūtu abadan abada, ḏū-l-jalāli wa-l-ikrām, biyadihi-l-khayr, wa huwa alā kulli Shay-in qadīr
Or the shortened version:
Laa ilaaha illal-laahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer
11. Radeetu billahi Rabban Wa bil Islami deenan Wabi Muhammadin Nabiyyan
We should also recite much of durood e Ibrahim which is the durood that is recited towards the end of Salaah.
Or the shortest durood is: Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallim
7. Making Excessive Dua & Repentance
What better opportunity to repent & make long & sincere dua’s to Allah than whilst devoting oneself to Allah in his house.
Almighty Allah says in the Qur’an:
“When my servants ask you concerning me, (tell them) I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on me.” [2:186]
The place of Dua is so high in front of Allah, that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallim) has said: “Nothing is more honourable to Allah the Most High than Dua.” [Sahih al-Jami` no.5268].
Allah loves repentance & loves those who turn to him in sincere repentance, so repent unto him sincerely as much as possible:
Truly Allah loves those who turn [to Him] in repentance… (Qur’an 2:222)
Many of us rush our Dua’s & quite often our hearts are not present whilst we are making dua to Allah. That is why we lose out on much of the benefits & blessings of Dua. Therefore we should not let our minds wonder whilst in Dua & we should concentrate more, making sure our hearts are present whilst asking of Allah. Whilst we are in dua we should imagine Almighty Allah in front of us & so we should humble ourselves in front of him in a state of meekness & humility.
It may also help if we made a list of what we want to ask Allah during our dua’s. We can then refer to this list as a reminder so that we can cover everything we need to ask him, which may help in making our Dua’s longer & more sincere. This is because we will not always remember everything we want to ask Allah unless we note it down & refer back to it when we need to.
The times when Dua’s are most accepted during I’thikaf are:
1. The third portion of the night shortly before sehri ends. 2. Whilst fasting. 3. Between Asr & Maghrib. 4. Just before fast opens. 5. On Jumma before & after khutba. 6. Between Adhan & Iqamah. 7. After Qur’an recitation. 8. The Night of Qadr
Let us not be of those who pass by Ramadan without gaining any forgiveness:
Rasullullah (sallahu’ ‘alaihi wasallam) said: …the angel Jibra’il appeared before me & said: Destruction to him who found the blessed month of Ramadan & let it pass by without gaining forgiveness…’ Upon that I said: ‘Amin.’ (Al-Bukhari, Al-Tabrani)
We should ask of Allah whilst in I’tikaf to accept all of our good deeds & efforts throughout Ramadan & be hopeful that Allah will accept it from us. We should also have FULL hope that Allah will accept our Dua’s if not in this world then in the hereafter. We should accept his decree for he knows best in all matters.
8. Practising the Sunnah
Following the Sunnah is a command from Allah:
“Say (O Muhammad to mankind): “If you (really) love Allah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic monotheism, follow the Quran & the Sunnah), Allah will love you & forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Quran: 3:31)
Almighty Allah says: “There certainly is an excellent example in Allah’s messenger for he who fears Allah & the last day & remembers Allah abundantly” (al-Ahzaab 21)
By following the Sunnah in every aspect of our daily lives, everything we do will become worship, even going to the toilet, having a bath, dressing & undressing etc.
Annas (RA) reports Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) advised, “Whoever cherishes my Sunnah, indeed he cherishes me & whoever loves me will be with me in Jannah.” (Tirmidhi: 2678: Ibid)
We should practise & implement the Sunnah throughout the duration of I’tikaf like for eg the Sunnah’s of awakening, using miswak, of eating, drinking, going to the toilet, before sleeping etc. Then EVERYTHING we do whilst in I’tikaf will become worship & reward. Doing voluntary good deeds in Ramadan carrys the reward of FARD! Subhanallah!
Reviving the Sunnah:
Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward.” (Tirmidhi)
The following free E book contains complete daily Sunnah’s & dua’s from waking up in the morning until going to sleep at night:
Download Beautiful Daily Sunnah’s
9. Refraining from sin & idle talk
The person sitting in I’tikaf must take extra care & attention to ensure that they refrain from committing any sins. That includes guarding the ears, eyes, tongue, privates & heart, thus deriving the maximum benefit from I’tikaf & attaining a special closeness to Allah & an increase & strengthening of imaan (faith).
The mu’takif (person sitting I’tikaf) should remember that they are the guest of Almighty Allah in his house so therefore they should be extremely vigilant of their behaviour in the House of Almighty Allah.
They must also avoid getting into idle discussions, debates & arguments which will be of no benefit but cause more harm than good.
Remember: Time will go quick & if we waste our precious time during I’tikaf then surely we will regret it forever. So let us use this valuable time wisely as this may be our last I’tikaf so let us treat it like our very last.
10. Avoiding over eating & sleeping
Excessive eating & sleeping during I’tikaf is a major factor in stopping a person from maximizing their I’tikaf.
Ibrahim al-Nakha’i (RA), one of the teachers of Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) mentioned: “The people ruined before you were done in by three characteristics: too much talking, too much eating, & too much sleeping.”
Ash-Shafi’I (RA) said: I have not filled myself in sixteen years because filling oneself makes the body heavy, removes clear understanding, induces sleep & makes one weak for worship.
It used to be said: Whoever takes control of his stomach gets control of all good deeds.
So a person must ensure that they do NOT over eat or over sleep during I’tikaf. Doing so will make a person feel heavy,tired & lazy resulting in that person not being as productive as they should be during I’tikaf.
Remember: Set yourself limits & stick to them. Stay focused on your main goals & purpose for sitting in I’tikaf & what you hope to achieve out of it.
11. Not leaving Masjid unless necessery
It is not permitted for a man or woman to leave the Masjid during I’tikaf unless:
1. To answer the call of nature.
2. To pass wind.
3. To make wudhu.
4. To take an obligatory bath.
5. To proclaim the adhan even if one is not the muadhin.
It is not permitted for a person sitting in I’tikaf to leave the Masjid to have a Sunnah Friday bath only obligatory bath. It is also not permitted to go out of Masjid to use mobile phone. One should also try not to disturb others. It is permissable to Take head out of the window in the Masjid.
12. Searching for the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr)
So valuable is the Night of Qadr (Power) that the Quran devotes a special surah to it: “Lailatul Qadr is better than a thousand months”[97:3]
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, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29. It may also occur on any of the even nights.
Therefore we should strive to stay up & worship on all of the last 10 nights of Ramadan. If we can’t do that then we should at least worship the odd numbered nights of the last ten days.
Dua for Lailatul Qadr (the Night of Power)
اَللَّهُمَّ اِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ ، تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
Allahumma innaka ‘affuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘anni’ ‘
O Allah You are The One Who forgives greatly, and loves to forgive, so forgive me. [at Tirmidhi]
May Allah enable us to make the best of the last ten days & nights of Ramadan.
May Allah enable us to find the night of power &
May Allah accept our I’tikaf & make it a salvation for us on the day of Judgement.
Ameen Ya Rab Ul Ameen آمين يا رب العالمين
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