In each of the daily prayerswe offer, we solemnly declare to Allah,
"Iyyaka na'budu" (You alone do weworship). While the intelligent and
committed believer realizes that his very lifestyle spells worship, he
knows, remembering the words ofour Prophet (pbuh) that "Du'aa'
(supplication) is worship" [Tirmidhi, Abu Daud]
Allah, the Most Merciful, has encouraged the believers to take
advantage of certain timesduring the year to make du'aa'. Such an
occasion presents itself annually during Ramadan — especially on the
Lailat-ul-Qadr, the Night of Power. On this night, the single most
important event in human history unfolded as, after the Glorious Quran
was preserved in the Protected Tablet, Jibril descended with the
blessed book to reveal it, upon Allah's command, to His Messenger
(pbuh).
Accentuating its significance, Allah says "And how would you know (the
value of the) Night of Qadr." [97:2] So valuable is this Night of Qadr
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. The fact that theexact night is unknown reflects Allah's will
in keeping it hidden. Indeed, the Prophet (pbuh) was prevented from
telling us its precise time. One day, he came out to tell the
companions the exact night. On the way he saw two men arguing with
each other. By the will of Allah, he (pbuh) forgot andsubsequently
rememberedit. Afterwards the Prophet (pbuh) was instructed not to
divulge this information. "Had I been allowed," he (pbuh) remarked
once, "I would have told you (of its exact time)." [Ahmad]
The Almighty in His wisdom kept this hidden from us for many reasons.
Perhaps He wants us to strive hard in our worship during the last ten
days of Ramadan so that we don't become lazy, worshipping hard on just
that one nightand denying ourselves the benefit of doing the same on
the other nights. "Had people not left their salah except for that
(one) night,I would have informed you (of its exact date)."
[Al-Tabarani]
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 for past sins, knowing that
the Prophet (pbuh) promised that all who bear down during thelast ten
days shall have all their sins forgiven. To achieve this, he remembers
the Prophet's (pbuh) advice in different sayings wherein he used words
like "seek", "pursue", "search", and "look hard" for Lailat-ul-Qadr.
Moreover, Allah and His Prophet (pbuh) provided us some signs of its
occurrence. Allah (swt) describes the night as "..peace until the rise
of the morn." [97:5] In various sayings, the Prophet (pbuh) described
the night as serene, tranquil, and peaceful. The sun at sunrise would
appear reddish and without its normal blazingand sharp rays. The
Prophet (pbuh) added that "the angels on earth on that night of Qadr
will be more numerous than all the pebbles of the earth."
What should one do during the last ten days in pursuit of Lailat-u-
Qadr? The devoted servant of Allah makes these nights alive with
prayer, reading and reflecting on Quran. He makes du'aa' to Allah,
penitently beseeching Himfor His forgivness. He is inspired by the
Prophet's (pbuh) words "Our Lord, most Exalted, Most high comes down
to the lowestheaven during the last third of each night and announces
(reassuringly): Whoever makes du'aa', I shall answer it. Whoever asks
(for something halal) Ishall grant it; and whoeverseeks forgiveness, I
shall forgive him." [Bukhari] Thebelievers, conscious of Allah and
their sins, will continue to beseech Allah, in and out of prayer,
during their prostrations. For a time, the only concern will be
cleansing oneself of the forgetfulness that this life propagates in
one's heart, the sins that accumulate, darkening the heart, making it
insensitive to disobeying Allah. The believer begs Allah to keephim
away from misfortunes in this world, the punishment of the grave, and
the torment of Hell. He asks Allah to makehim patient and steadfast in
struggling to maintain his Islam in this world and asks Him to
overlook his shortcomings, periods of laziness and neglect.
Sincere devotion on that night will render the believer forgtful of
the time, until he is surprised by the Adhaan of Fajr. After Fajr,
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