THINGS YOU CAN DO ON THE NIGHT OF POWER
by: Abdul Mlik Mujahid*
Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the Quran as:
لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
The grand night is better than a thousand months. (QS:Al-Qadr : 3)
Any action done on this night such as reciting the Quran, remembering God, etc. is better than acting for one thousand months which do not contain the Night of Power.
“Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time.” (Muslim)
Aisha related that the Prophet said:
“Look for Laylatul Qadr on an odd-numbered night during the last ten nights of Ramadan.” ( H.R. Al Bukhari)
“Whoever prays during the night ofQadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven.” ( H.R. Al Bukhari and Muslim)The Prophet said:
Here are some tips of things we can do on the Night of Power and the time before and after it.
Take a Vacation for Allah (God)
We take a break from our jobs for almost everything in life. Why not this time to focus on worshiping and thanking our Creator.
If this is not possible at least take a few days off if you can. This can make it easier to stay awake at night to do extra worship, not having to worry about getting to work the next day.
It will also facilitate doing I’tikaf.
Do I’tikaf (Retreat in Mosque)
It was a practice of the Prophet to spend the last ten days and nights of Ramadan in the mosque for I’tikaf.
Those in I’tikaf stay in the mosque all this time, performing various forms of remembering God, like doing extra prayers, recitation and study of the Quran. They do not go outside the mosque except in case of emergencies, therefore, they sleep in the mosque. Their families or the mosque administration takes care of their food needs.
Itikaf of a shorter period of time, like one night, a day or a couple of days is encouraged as well.
Make This Special Du’a
Aisha said: I asked the Prophet: “O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?’ He said:
‘Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.'” (Ahmad)
The transliteration of this Du’a is “Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee”
Recite the Quran
Perhaps you can choose chapters or passages from the Quran which you have heard in Taraweeh prayers past Ramadan to recite.
If you attend a class where the recitation of the Quran is taught, this is a great time to put your knowledge into practice.
Reflect on the Meaning of the Quran
Choose the latest chapter (s) you’ve heard in Taraweeh prayers and read their translation and tafseer (interpretation). Then think deeply about their meaning and how it affects you on a personal level.
(If you want to study the Quran with more understanding, check out way to the Quran and access to Quranic Arabic.)
Get Your Sins Wiped Out
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet said:
“Whoever stands (in prayer) in Laylatul Qadr while nourishing his faith with self-evaluation, expecting reward from Allah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven. (Al Bukhari and Muslim)
Don’t just pray using the shorter chapters that you know. Try to make your prayers longer, deeper and meaningful. If you are familiar with longer chapters, read the translation and explanation and then pray reciting these chapters, carefully reflecting on the meaning while you pray.
Even if you are only familiar with the shorter chapters, read the translation and explanation beforehand, and then pray reflecting on the message of the chapters.
This is a good way to develop the habit of concentration, even in regular prayers, where many of us tend to be fidgety and/or easily distracted.
Make a Personal Du’a List
Ask yourself what you really want from God. Make a list of each and everything, no matter how small or how big it is, whether it deals with this world or not. God loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready, you can do three things:
- Ask God to give you those things.
- Think about what actions you have taken to get those things.
- Develop a work plan to get those things in future.
Evaluate Yourself
Ask yourself those questions that need to be asked. Do an evaluation of where you are and where you are going. Let this evaluation lead you to feel happiness for the good you have done and remorse for the bad you have done. (see a short and a long evaluation guide) This latter feeling should make it easier to seek God’s sincere forgiveness when making the Du’a mentioned above.
Make Long, Sincere and Deep Du’as
One of the best times to do this is during the last part of the night.
Abu Hurairah related that the Prophet Muhammad said:
“When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious one descends towards the heaven of the earth and proclaims: Who is that who supplicates for Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is that who begs Me for anything and I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My forgiveness, and I forgive him?” (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)
That means for instance, waking up one hour before Suhoor (early breakfast) time to ask God for anything and everything you want that is Halal. This can be done using the Du’as of the Sunnah, but also Du’a in your own language, with sincerity and conviction.
Memorize a Different Du’a Every Night
The du’as don’t have to be long. They can be just one line. And be sure to know what they mean generally at least, even if you don’t know the exact translation in English.
You can put them on index cards (or and keep them with you during the day, glancing at them during work, while driving, waiting in line, etc.) Then practice them at night in prayer.
Have Iftar with the Family
If you’ve spent Iftar time on weekdays in your cubicle at work alone with a couple of dates, now is the last few days you’ll have this Ramadan to spend with your family. Use it wisely.
Take the Family to Taraweeh
Have your spouse and kids missed Taraweeh most of Ramadan because you weren’t there to drive them to the mosque, which is too far away to walk to? If so, do all of yourselves a favor and bring everyone forTaraweeh in these last ten nights.
Attend the Du’a After The Completion of Quran Recitation
Almost all mosques where the Imam aims to finish an entire reading of the Quran inTaraweeh prayers in Ramadan will be completing their recitation in these last ten nights. They may try to end on one of the odd nights and read the Du’a at the end of a reading of the Quran.
Attend this particular night’s Taraweeh prayer with your family. See if you can attend different mosques’ Taraweeh prayers the night they finish reading the Quran.
Finish Reading a Book on the Prophet
Read about the Prophet’s life, which can increase your love for him and Islam by seeing how much he struggled for God’s sake. It may inspire you to push yourself even harder during these last ten nights. This community is built on sacrifice.
Plan for the Next Year
Once you’ve done a self-evaluation, you can plan on where you want to go, at least in the next 12 months. Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is a great night to be thinking about this (without taking away from your worship), since you’ll Insha Allah, be in a more contemplative state.
You may choose to dedicate one night of power for evaluation and one night for planning for the next year.
To Do List for the Night of Power
Make a “to do” checklist for the Night of Power. This should define how you would like your night, the one better than a thousand months, to be used. Pick things from this list and define the sequence you would like to do in.
This will help you avoid wasting your time in unproductive chats which common in the festive atmosphere of mosques at the Night of Power. (T/Imt/R03)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
Source: On Islam
