2] Laylat ul-Qadr: Peace Until Fajr

2]
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,

How to Seek Laylat-ul-Qadr

Laylat ul-Qadr is the most blessed night. A person who misses it has
indeed missed a great amount of good. If a believing personis zealous
to obey his Lord and increase the good deeds in his record, he should
strive to encounter this night and to pass it in worship and
obedience. If this is facilitated for him, all of his previous sins
will be forgiven.
Praying Qiyaam
It is recommended to make a long Qiyaam prayer during the nights on
which Laylat ul-Qadr could fall. This is indicated in many hadeeths,
such as the following:
Abu Tharr (radhiallahu `anhu) relates:
"We fasted with Allah's Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) in
Ramadaan. He did not leadus (in qiyaam) at all until there were seven
(nights of Ramadaan) left. Then hestood with us (that night - in
prayer) until one third of the night had passed. He did not pray with
us onthe sixth. On the fifth night, he prayed with us until half of
the night had passed. So we said, 'Allah's Messenger! Wouldn't you
pray with us the whole night?' He replied:
'Whoever stands in prayer with the imaam until he (the imaam)
concludes the prayer, it is recorded for him that he prayed the whole
night.' …" [Recorded by Ibn Abi Shaybah, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmithi (who
authenticated it), an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, at-Tahawi (in Sharhu Ma`an
il-Athar, Ibn Nasr, al-Faryabi, and al-Bayhaqi. Their isnad is
authentic.]
[Point of benefit: Abu Dawud mentioned: "I heard Ahmad being asked,
'Do you like for a man to pray with the people or byhimself during
Ramadan?' He replied, 'Pray with the people.' I also heard him say, 'I
would prefer for oneto pray (qiyaam) with the imaam and to pray witr
with him as well, for the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
"When a man prays with the imaam until he concludes, it is recorded
that he prayed the rest ofthat night." [Masaa'il]]
Abu Hurayrah (radhiallahu `anhu) narrated that the Messenger
(sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever stands (in qiyaam) in Laylat ul-Qadr[and it is facilitated
for him] out of faith and expectation (of Allah's reward), will have
all of his previous sins forgiven." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim; the
addition "and it is facilitated for him" is recorded by Ahmad from the
report of `Ubaadah Binas-Samit; it means that he is permitted to be
among the sincere worshippers during that blessed night.]
Making Supplications
It is also recommended to make extensive supplication on this night.
`A'ishah (radhiallahu `anha) reported that she asked Allah's Messenger
(sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), "O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which
night is Laylat ul-Qadr, what should I say during it?" And he
instructed her to say:
"Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuh.ibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee - O Allah! You
are forgiving, and you loveforgiveness. So forgive me." [Recorded by
Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and at-Tirmithi. Verified to be authentic by
Al-Albani]
Abandoning Worldly Pleasures for the Sake of Worship
It is further recommended to spend more time in worship during the
nights on which Laylat ul-Qadr is likely to be. This calls for
abandoning many worldly pleasures in order to secure the time and
thoughts solely for worshipping Allah.
`A'ishah (radhiallahu `anha) reported:
"When the (last) ten started, the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa
sallam) would tighten his izaar (i.e. he stayed away from his wives in
order to have more time for worship), spend the wholenight awake (in
prayer), and wake up his family." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
And she said:
"Allah's Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) used to exert
more(in worship) on the last tenthan on other nights." [Muslim]

Are there any saheeh ahaadeeth which speak of the ransoming of the living and the dead during Ramadaan?

I heard from someone that Allaah ransoms just one of the dead Muslims
every night, and that He does not ransom any of the living except on
the last night of Ramadaan, when He ransoms the same number as the
number of dead whom Heransomed during the month. Is this true?.
Praise be to Allaah.
After researching the matter, we did not find any ahaadeeth which say
such a thing.
There are ahaadeeth which say that Allaah ransoms people from the Fire
during Ramadaan, and that happens every night.
Some of these ahaadeeth are saheeh (sound), some are da'eef (weak),
and some are mawdoo' (fabricated).
Among the saheeh ahaadeeth which speak ofthat are the following:
1 – It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaahbe pleased with him)
said:The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "When the first night of Ramadaan comes, the devils and
mischievous jinn are chained up, and the gates of Hell are closed, and
none of its gates are opened. The gates of Paradise are opened and
none of its gates are closed. And a caller cries out: 'O seeker of
good, proceed; O seeker of evil, desist.' And Allaah has people whom
He frees (from the Fire), and that happens every day."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 682; Ibn Maajah, 1642; classed as hasan by
Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 759.
2 – It was narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "At every breaking of the fast Allaah has people whom He redeems
from the Fire, and that happensevery night."
Narrated by Ahmad, 21698; Ibn Maajah, 1643; classed as saheeh by
Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.
The da'eef (weak) and mawdoo' (fabricated) ahaadeeth that have
beennarrated on this topic include the following:
1 – The report narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with
him), according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "When the first night of Ramadaan comes,
Allaah looks at His creation, and if Allaah looks at a person He will
never punish him. And every day Allaah has one thousand thousand whom
He ransoms from the Fire. On the twenty-ninth night Allaah ransoms a
number equivalent to the number whom He has already ransomed during
the entire month."
This is a mawdoo' hadeeth. See Da'eef al-Targheeb, 591 and al-Silsilah
al-Da'eefah, 5468.
2 – It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that he heard the Messenger ofAllaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) say: "Paradise is scented with incense and adorned
throughout the year, in preparation for the beginning of the month of
Ramadaan. On the first night of the month of Ramadaan, a wind called
al-matheerah comes from beneath the Throne… And on each day of the
month of Ramadaan at the time of breaking the fast, Allaah has one
thousand thousand whom He ransoms from the Fire, all of whom deserved
to go to Hell. And on the last day of the month of Ramadaan, Allaah
ransoms on that day a number equivalent to all those whom He
ransomedfrom the beginning of themonth to the end.
This is a mawdoo' hadeeth. See Da'eef al-Targheeb, 594.
3 – It was narrated that al-Hasan said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Every night of
RamadaanAllaah has six hundred thousand whom He ransoms from the Fire.
And on the last night Allaah ransoms a number equivalent to those whom
He has already ransomed."
This is a da'eef hadeeth. See Da'eef al-Targheeb, 598.

The reason why fasting is prescribed

What is the reason why fasting is prescribed?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly we must note that one of the names of Allaah is al-Hakeem (the
Most Wise). The word Hakeem is derived from the same root as hukm
(ruling) and hikmah (wisdom). Allaah alone is the One Who issues
rulings, and His rulings arethe most wise and perfect.
Secondly:
Allaah does not prescribe any ruling but there is great wisdom behind
it, which we may understand, or our minds may not be guided to
understand it. We may know some of it but a great deal is hidden from
us.
Thirdly:
Allaah has mentioned the reason and wisdom behind His enjoining of
fasting upon us, as He says (interpretation of themeaning):
"O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for
you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become
Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)"
[al-Baqarah 2:183]
Fasting is a means of attaining taqwa (piety, being conscious of
Allaah),and taqwa means doing that which Allaah has enjoined and
avoiding that which He has forbidden.
Fasting is one of the greatest means of helpinga person to fulfil the
commands of Islam.
The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) have mentioned some of
the reasons why fasting isprescribed, all of which are characteristics
of taqwa, but there is nothing wrong with quoting them here, to draw
the attention of fasting people to them and make them keen to attain
them.
Among the reasons behind fasting are:
1 – Fasting is a means that makes us appreciate and give thanks for
pleasures. For fasting means giving up eating, drinking and
intercourse, which are among the greatest pleasures. By giving them up
for a shorttime, we begin to appreciate their value. Because the
blessings of Allaah are not recognized,but when you abstain from them,
you begin to recognize them, so this motivates you to be grateful for
them.
2 – Fasting is a means of giving up haraam things, because if a
person can give up halaal things in order to please Allaah andfor fear
of His painful torment, then he will be more likely to refrain from
haraam things. So fasting is a means of avoiding the things that
Allaah has forbidden.
3 – Fasting enables us to control our desires, because when a person
is full his desires grow, but ifhe is hungry then his desire becomes
weak. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "O young men! Whoever among you can afford to get married, let
him do so, forit is more effective in lowering the gaze and protecting
one's chastity. Whoever cannot do that, let him fast, for it will be
ashield for him."
4 – Fasting makes us feel compassion and empathy towards the poor,
because when the fasting person tastes the pain of hunger for a while,
he remembers those who arein this situation all the time, so he will
hasten to do acts of kindness to them and show compassion towards
them. So fasting is a means of feeling empathywith the poor.
5 – Fasting humiliates and weakens the Shaytaan; it weakens the
effects of his whispers (waswaas) on a person and reduces his sins.
That is because the Shaytaan "flows through the son of Adam like
blood" as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, but fasting narrows the passages through which the Shaytaan
flows, so his influence grows less.
Shaykh al-Islam said in Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 25/246
Undoubtedly blood is created from food and drink, so when a person
eats and drinks, the passages through which the devils flow – which is
the blood – become wide.But if a person fasts, the passages through
which the devils flow become narrow, so hearts are motivated to do
good deeds, and to give up evil deeds.
6 – The fasting person is training himself to remember that Allaah is
always watching, so he gives up the things that he desires even though
heis able to take them, because he knows that Allaah can see him.
7 – Fasting means developing an attitude of asceticism towards this
world and its desires, and seeking that which is withAllaah.
8 – It makes the Muslim get used to doing a great deal of acts of
worship, because the fasting person usually does more acts of worship
and gets used to that.
These are some of the reasons why fasting is enjoined. We ask Allaah
tohelp us to achieve them and to worship Him properly.
And Allaah knows best.