7] When the Night Equals a Thousand

7]
It was narrated that in the days that Musa (alayhis-salaam) wandered
with Bani Israa'eel in the desert an intense drought befell them.
Together, they raised their hands towardsthe heavens praying for the
blessed rain to come. Then, to the astonishment of Musa
(alayhis-salaam) and all those watching, thefew scattered clouds that
were in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought
intensified.
It was revealed to Musa that there was a sinner amongst the tribe of
Bani Israa'eel who had disobeyed Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) for more
than forty years of his life. "Let him separate himself from the
congregation," Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) toldMusa
(alayhis-salaam)."Only then shall I shower you all with rain." Musa
(alayhis-salaam) then called out to the throngs of humanity, "There is
a person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah for forty years. Let him
separate himself from the congregation and only then shall we be
rescued from the drought." That man, waited, looking left and right,
hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one did. Sweat
poured forth from his brow and he knew thathe was the one.
The man knew that if he stayed amongst the congregation all would
dieof thirst and that if he stepped forward he wouldbe humiliated for
all eternity.
He raised his hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with a
humility he had never tasted, and as tears poureddown on both cheeks
he said: "O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah,
forgive me!" As Musa (alayhis-salaam) and the people of Bani Israa'eel
awaited for the sinner to step forward, theclouds hugged the sky
andthe rain poured. Musa (alayhis-salaam) asked Allah (Subhanahu wa
ta'ala), "O Allah, you blessed us with rain even though the sinner did
not come forward." And Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) replied, "O Musa,
it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed all of
Bani Israa'eel with water." Musa (alayhis-salaam), wanting to know who
this blessed man was,asked, "Show him to me O Allah!" Allah (Subhanahu
wa ta'ala) replied, "O Musa,I hid his sins for forty years, do you
think that after his repentance I shall expose him?"
Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) revealed the Qur'an in the most blessed
month; the month of Ramadan, the month in which the Qur'an was sent
down.
On the most blessed night,the Grand night: Laylatul Qadr; "Verily, we
revealed the Qur'an on the night of Qadr."
Ibn Jareer narrates, on the authority of Mujaahid that there was a man
from BaniIsraa'eel who used to spend the night in prayer. Then in the
morning he would fight the enemy in the Way of Allah during the day,
until the evening and he did this for a thousand months.
And so Allah revealed the Surah: "Verily, We sent it down in the night
of Al-Qadr" until the verse "The night of Al-Qadr is better than a
thousand months." That is, standing in prayer on that night is better
than the actions of that man.
Sufyaan ath-Thawree reports, on the authority of Mujaahid (also), that
thenight of Al-Qadr being better than a thousand months means that the
good deeds performed on it, fasting on it, and standing in prayer on
it are better than a thousandmonths' good deeds, prayers and fasting.
(Narrated by Ibn Jareer)
It is reported from Abu Hurairah that he said:"When the month of
Ramadan came, the Messenger of Allah said: 'The month of Ramadan has
come, a blessed monthin which Allah has made it obligatory for you to
fast; in it the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are
closed and the devils are chained. In it is anight better than a
thousand months, whoever loses the benefit of it has lost something
irreplaceable.'" (Narrated by Imam Ahmad and An-Nasaa'i).
It is reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah, that Allah's
Messenger (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: "Whoever stood in prayer
on the night of Al-Qadr, in faith and hoping for a reward from Allah,
he will have all of his previous sins forgiven." (Narrated by
Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
This one night surpasses the value of 30,000 nights.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 (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) for past sins,
knowing that the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) promised that
all who bear down during thelast ten days shall have all their sins
forgiven. To achieve this, the believer remembers the Prophet's
(Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) advice in different sayings wherein he
used words like "seek","pursue", "search" and"look hard" for Laylatul
Qadr. :->

4c] Laylat al-Qadr: The Night of Power

to worship. (5) Realization that the angels are aroundis encouragement
for the servants to devote more time to good deeds as a man will work
harder when a foreman is present.
"...And the Spirit..." (Al-Qur`an 97:4)
There are several explanations for the meaning of the Spirit: (1) The
Spirit is comprised of groups of special angels who are seen only on
the Night of Power; (2) it is referring to Al-Qur`an , as Allah (SWT)
stated: "And thus have We, by Our command sent inspiration (spirit) to
thee..." (Al-Qur`an 42:52) , (3) This is a reference to Angel Jibreel,
as this is a special honor to Jibreel who has been mentioned twice
Surah 42 first with anotherangel, and separately as the spirit of
Allah (SWT) as the Qur`an says: "Verily this is a revelation from the
Lord of the Worlds. With it came down the spirit of faith and truth."
(Al-Qur`an, 26:192-193) Thus the correct explanation of the spirit,
Ruuh , is Jibreel in this verse to indicate the angels on one side and
Jibreel on the other, while they were descending.
"...By Allah`s permission..."
This indicates the angels extend a request to come to meet the
believers; and to underscore the fact thatangels are infallible; that
they do not make a move without explicit permission from their Lord.
Allah (SWT) states:"They speak not before He speaks, and they act (in
all things) by His command." (Al-Qur`an, 21:27) "(The angels say) We
descend not but by command of thy Lord..." (Al-Qur`an 19:64)
"(Their) Lord." It indicates honor for the angels. It is as if Allah
(SWT) is saying ``They are for Me and I am for them''. Similarly,
Allah (SWT) said regarding us:"Verily your Lord is Allah Who created
the heavens and the earth in six days..." (Al-Qur`an, 10:3) And
regarding Prophet Muhammad (saas) Allah said: "Behold, your Lord said
to the angels..." (Al-Qur'an, 2:30)
It has been reported that when Prophet David was terminally ill, he
asked Allah to be for his son Solomon, as He was for him. Allah (SWT)
replied, saying: "Tell Solomon to be for Me as you are for Me.
(Al-Qur`an 2:30)
"...On every errand..."
This indicates the angels and the Spirit descend for different
purposes: some come down for prostration, some for bowing, and others
for supplications for the believers and salutations. Or they come down
carrying with them the proclamations of the coming year.
"Peace!..." (Al-Qur`an 97:5)
There are several explanations to this verse: (1) The whole Night of
Power, from sunset to the break of dawn, will be spent by the angeles
in salutation. (2) The purposeis to describe the night with peace
because of the salutation from the angels.That is very important,
because when seven angels visited Prophet Ibrahim (saas) and saluted
him, he was very happy, and when Nimrod threw him in the fire, it
turned ice-cold when the angels saluted him. (3) This is a wish of
safety and peace from all evil and harmful things, or the angels will
only bring on this night, good things!
"...Until the rise of morn." (Al-Qur`an 97:5)
All the honor, blessings and peace of the Night of Power will continue
in every second of the night until Fajr. Allah (SWT) is the Best
Knower./

4b] Laylat al-Qadr: The Night of Power

4b]
:-> twenty-ninth.''
Seeking The Night
It is recommended to seek the night and spend it diligently in
devotion, including night Sunnah prayers ( Tahajjud ), recitation of
Al-Qur'an and supplications. In a hadith related by Abu Hurairah
(raa), the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: "He who spends the night in
prayer on the Night of Power, as a sign of His faith, and seeking
rewards from Allah, his previous sins willbe forgiven."
(Bukhari/Muslim) This citation indicates that regardless of whether a
person knows the night or not, Allah will grant him forgiveness for
previous shortcomings.
" And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is?; The Night
of Power is better than a thousand months." (Al-Qur`an 97:2-3)
Allah (SWT) is emphasizingby putting the second verse in question
form. The answer being no one knows, or comprehends, the awesomeness
and the depth of honor of the night. As if to say whatever merits
Allah informs you about the night is just nothing compared to the
things you have no idea about. Nonetheless, He mentions three honors
in the credit of the night: 1."The Night is better than a thousand
months. 2. "Therein, come down the angels..." and 3."Peace!"
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. This indicates
thatacts of worship such as prayer, charity, and recitation done on
this night are better in reward than the same act done onother nights.
The rewards ( thawaab ) are being multiplied several-fold.
Imam Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (saas) was shown the
long life span of people of previous nations, so the Prophet bemoaned
the shortness of the life span of the Ummah, fearing that they might
not be able to save many good deeds for the Hereafter. Therefore,
Allah gave him the Night of Power to compensate for their lack of
longevity. Hence, the devoted believer has as chance of adding 80
something years of worship to his life on the Night of Power. You see,
for instance, if you worshipAllah on this night every year for 65
years, by multiplying 65 by 80, you would have lived for 5,200years,
or achieved the reward of a person who lived that long.
You can see why the devotions were highly encouraged by the Prophet.
Indeed, you can achieve the honor of the Night of Power if you so wish
by spending the odd nights of the last ten days in acts of worship.
"Therein, come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission,
on every errand." (Al-Qur`an 97:4)
This is far from the earlier cry of the angels who, when Allah told
them, "...I will create a vicegerent on earth," they said, "Will
youplace therein one who willmake mischief therein and shed blood?..."
(Al-Qur`an, 2:30)
You see, when the angels first looked at our spirit with its traits of
mischief, vanity and desires, and therages of anger, they, the
embodiment of all that is good, did not like us at all. That explains
their response in the above verse. So is the case with parents, when
they first conceptualize the shape ofthe offspring, semen and
congealed blood; they do not like it. They will even wash their hands,
clothes and everything that this substance touches, a gruesome thing.
They mayeven think about aborting the baby in the beginning.
But after the baby is being fashioned in the most beautiful shape and
they feel the movement of life, they change from dislike to caring
love.
That is seemingly what happened to the angels. When they saw in us
this beautiful spirit of knowingthe Creator, and worshipping Allah
alone, they changed from dislike to complete love, and cannot wait for
another Night of Power to come down so they can pray for us. Allah
states: "...And they implore forgiveness for those who believe..."
(Al-Qur`an, 40:7)
He used the form ( tanazzal ) "They come", to indicate that the angels
descend on the Night of Power, group after group; some coming down to
earth while others ascend into the heaven. This heavenly, angelic
organized traffic of good will continues until the break of dawn.
As for the reasons why they come, there are several explanations
including: (1) they descendto witness how we worship and obey Allah,
and (2) to show their deeplove for the believers. This is why they
seek permission from Allah to come and meet us. This is a once-a-year
opportunity they do not like to miss. (3) Allah promised the believers
that in the hereafter, angels will approach on them with greetings:
"...And the angels shall enter into them from every gate (with the
salutation): Peace be unto you for thatyou persevered in patience..."
(Al-Qur`an, 13:23-24)
Now, if you preoccupy yourself with worship of Allah, the angels will
descend on you with salutations. (4) Allah (SWT)singles out this night
with honors on the earth so theangels can come down and increase their
rewards,and as a means to encourage the human raceto worship. :->

4a] Laylat al-Qadr: The Night of Power

4a]
:-> preordained or, in other words, has full knowledge of all that
the human being will do with his free will. A man's decision to act
freely in good conscience or bad conscience is all known to Allah
(SWT), past, present and future.
Qadr also implies measurement, that is all the events of the year will
occur in accordance to the exact measurement of what is in the
knowledge of Allah, Who states:"Verily, all things have We created in
proportion and measure." (Al-Qur`an, 54:49)
Why the name, the Night of Power?
As mentioned above, it is the night of Taqdeer, meaning the one in
which Allah (SWT) announces to the angels His already decreed
commands, rules, events, etc., for the comingcalendar year, from the
present Night of Power to the next Night of Power. Allah (SWT) states:
"We sent it down during a blessed night; We forever wish to warn
(against evil).In that (night) is made distinct every affair of
wisdom." (Al-Qur`an, 44:3-4)
It should be known that most scholars believe Allah's commands and
rules are not made on thatnight. It has already been decreed in the
eternity what is known to Allah, but that knowledge is not known to
anyone, including the angels, until He announces it to the angels on
that night so that they will record it on the protective slate.
This is also the night of honor and prestige which may be awarded to
the servant who devotes himself to special deeds, orto the deeds
themselves for the higher value they contain on that night.
The Night Is Concealed
Allah (SWT) in His mercy, has concealed the Night of Power from us for
the following reasons: The problems pertaining to an exact night on
which the honors are attained are not unique with this Night.It seems
that Allah conceals many things. He conceals his pleasure from us in
all our good deeds sothat we will strive in all of them. He conceals
His wrath from us in all of the sins we commit so that wewill avoid
them. He conceals His most beloved servants (' awliya ) so that we
will respect all the believers. He has concealedthe time of His
acceptance of our supplications so that we will strive in all our
supplications. He concealed his greatest name, so that we mention all
His names. He has concealed the time of death so that we will be
conscious of Him and our deeds all the time.
He has concealed the exactdate of the Night of Powerso that we would
double our the efforts in the whole month of Ramadan,or at least the
last ten days. He has concealed it also to test the serious andthe
non-serious. The seriously interested personwill search for the night
late and in the early hours until he or she attains it, regardless of
the hardship.
Where Is The Night?
The majority of the scholars who agreed that the night occurs in the
month of Ramadan, disagreed on the exact night. Some said it comes on
the first day of Ramadan. Others said it is on the seventh; while
others say its on the 19th night. All these opinions are not built on
sound proof. There is evidence that the night comes on the last ten
days of Ramadan, specifically on the odd numbered nights. In a report
by Bukhari, the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: "Seek it on the odd
nights of the last ten days of Ramadan."
In a hadith by Ibn Umar (raa), some men among the companions saw the
night in a dream occurring in the last seven nights. Responding to
this, the Messenger of Allah (saas) told them, "I see your dreams
coincide on the last seven, whoever wants to seek it should do so in
the last seven." (Agreed upon)
In Muslim's report, the Prophet (saas) said, "Seek the night in the
last ten days, and if any of you is weak, or can't observe it, he
should not miss the remaining seven days." In Hadith by Ubayy bin
Ka'ab (raa), he said: "By Allah, I know which night it is. It isthe
night the Messenger commanded us to observe,the night of the 27th."
(Ahmed/Tirmidhi)
Analyzing all these citations indicates still no one knows for sure
which night is the Night of Power, at least in a given year. It seems
that the night shifts and rotates to different nights from one year to
another. It may occur on the 27th in one year, while the next year
itwill be on the 25th, while on the following year it will be
occurring on the 29th, etc. There is an indication to this in hadith
by Bukhari, when the Messenger of Allah (saas) states: "Seek it on the
twenty-ninth; it may be onthe twenty-seventh, or on the twenty-fifth."
Imam Ibn Hajr, in his book, "Fathul Bari" , in the commentary of the
Book of Bukhari, said: ``I accept the ruling that the night occurs on
the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan, namely the
twenty-first, twenty-third, twenty-fifth, twenty-seventh and or
twenty-ninth.'':->