Special Virtues of the Night of Decree

Allaah The Almighty has attached a special value to theLaylat Al-Qadr,
and has given this night special characteristics which make it unique,
such as:
It is the night on which the Quran was sent down. Ibn
'Abbaassaid,"Allaah sent down the Quran at one time from Al-Lawh
Al-Mahfooth )the Preserved Tablet in the Seventh Heaven( to Bayt
Al-'Izzah )House of Pride( in the first Heaven, then it was revealed
to the Messenger of Allaahin stages according to events over
twenty-threeyears."]Ibn Katheer[
Allaah The Almighty described it as being better than a thousand
months, as He Says )what means(:}"The Night of Decree is better than a
thousand months."{]Quran 97:3[
Allaah The Almighty described it as being blessed, as He Says )what
means(:}"Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night."{]Quran 44:
3[
On this night, the angels and the Spirit ]Jibreel)Angel Gabriel([
descend,"i.e., many angels descend on this night because it is so
blessed, and the angels come down when the blessingsand mercy of
Allaah The Almighty come down, just as they come down when the Quran
is recited, and they surround the circles of Thikr )gatherings where
Allaah The Almighty is mentioned(, and they spread their wings for the
one who sincerely seeks knowledge, out of respect for him."]Ibn
Katheer[Jibreelis specifically mentioned as a sign of respect for him.
This night is described as peace, i.e., it is safe, for the devils
cannot do any evil or cause any harm onthis night, as Mujaahidsaid,"On
this night, many people are saved from punishment because of what they
do to worship Allaah, The Most Exalted."
Allaah The Almighty Says)what means(:}"On that night is made distinct
every precise matter."{]Quran 44:4[, the affairs of that year are
dispatched from the Preserved Tablet to the angels who record the
decrees: who will live, who will die, what provision people will be
given, what will happen until the end of that year,every matter of
ordainment is decreed, and it cannot be altered or changed. ]Ibn
Katheer[
Allaah The Almighty revealed a Chapter concerning this night which
will be recited until the Day of Resurrection, in which Allaah The
Almighty Says)what means(:}"Indeed, We sent the Qur'an downduring the
Night of Decree. And what can make you know what is the Night of
Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The
angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for
every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn."{]Quran 97:1-5[
The Prophet,, said:"Seek Laylat Al-Qadr in thelast ten days of Ramadan."]Muslim[
It is more likely to be oneof the odd-numbered nights, because of the
narration of 'Aa'ishahwho said that the Messenger of Allaah,, had
said:"Seek Laylat Al-Qadr in the odd-numbered nights of the last ten
nights."]Al-Bukhaari[
It is most likely to be on the night of the twenty-seventh, according
to thesaying of the Prophet,sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam:"Laylat
Al-Qadr is the night of the twenty-seventh."]Ahmad and Abu Daawood[
This isthe preponderant view of most of the Companions and the
majority of scholars. Ubayy ibn Ka'bused toassert, without saying "In
shaa' Allaah)God willing(" that: "…it was the night of the
twenty-seventh. Zurr ibn Hubaysh,,said to Ubayy: 'I said, What makes
you say that, O Abu'l-Munthir )i.e. Ubay(?'Hesaid, 'By the signs of
which the Messenger of Allaah,told us: that the sun rises that morning
with no visible rays.'" ]Muslim[
The fact that it is more likely the night of the twenty-seventh does
not mean that this is always the case. It could be any of the other
odd-numbered nights of the last ten days ofRamadan. Some of the
scholars ruled that it is more likely that it moves and does not come
on a specific night each year.

Fathwa, - Praying When Pregnant: Obligatory?

Question:
Is it fard upon a woman in her 9 monthpregnancy to pray, as she finds
it very difficult?
Answer:
Wa Alaykum Assalam wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu,
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate
It remains obligatory for a pregnant woman to pray: if she can pray
standing, she must; if shecan�t do so without genuine hardship or
unbearable pain, then sitting down on the ground, with prostration; if
she can�t, then sitting with head motions. But she must pray.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) told us
that the first deed the believer will be asked about on the Day of
Judgment is their prayer

Fathwa, - Women’s prayer different than men

Question:
I�ve heard that there�s a hadith, that says that the prophet (saw)
says ''pray as you see me'', and that this means that men and women
pray in exactly the same way, but I�ve been taught that women pray
differently than men. So I would be grateful if you could clarify this
for me, inshaAllah
Answer:
Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah,
It is true that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him
peace) said, �Pray as you see me pray.�
At the same time, it is decisively established�as the answer below
shows�that the leading female Companions (Allah be pleased with them
all) prayed differently from the way male Companions (Allah be pleased
with them all)prayed. This returns to how the Messenger of Allah
(Allah bless him andgive him peace) himself taught the former to pray,
and to the wisdom of the Lawgiver in noting the physical differences
between men and women and thebest expression of modesty, humility, and
reverence before Allah befitting each.
And Allah alone gives success.

Fathwa, - Nifas – Postnatal Bleeding

Question:
In the first link below this email [1], it says that the labouring
women should pray until most of the baby is out. How is this possible
when she would be bleeding at the time of her child's birth? That is,
women bleed for about 40 days after the birth of the baby, and I did
not think that salat was possible at this time since it's similar
to/same as menstruating? I believe we would make up these salats, but
we obviously cant pray when we are bleeding?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate
Assalamu alaykum
A woman in post natal bleeding (nifas) is under the same restrictions
as amenstruating woman, namely she is not to pray, fast or have sexual
relations with her husband. This period of nifas commences once half
of the baby exits. Before this, any bleedingseen is to be considered
abnormal uterine bleeding (istihada) and does not prevent one from
prayer and fasting; rather this bleeding has the same rules as
bleeding from anywhereelse on the body, namely that it is impure and
nullifies ablution. Shouldthe bleeding persist to the end of a prayer
time, however, then one is to perform ablution and pray even if one
continues bleeding as one is excused due to ones difficult
circumstances.
One may therefore pray in the period prior to childbirth even if one
has continuous bleeding as one is excused during continuous bleeding
from the normal rules of purification. One's ablution would not be
nullified by the bleeding and nor would one be obliged to wash the
blood from one's clothing if the clothing would just become bloodied
again after washing. One's ablution would, however, be nullified by
the entry of the next prayer time, andone would have to renew one's
ablution to be able to pray in the new prayer time.
As mentioned in the link provided in the question,if one is unable to
perform the ritual ablution one may perform tayammum.
And Allah knows best.