As-Sayyid Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani speaks on Laylat al-Qadr
Peckham Mosque, London on Laylat ul-Qadr Ramadan 1415 (Feb-Mar 1995)
Also
Ramadan - The Gates of Allah's Mercy Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqani
The Last Ten Days of Ramadan Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
ON LAYLAT AL -QADR The Night of God's Decree in the last ten days of the month of Ramadan from NUZHAT AL-MAJALIS
section Taken from Ramadhan with Imam an-Nawawi, Imam Ghazail , Shaykh Nazim , Shaykh Hisham Last 10 days MS Word Format
Nights are the time which Allah `azza wa jall has designated for the attainment of spiritual blessing and power. Allah told His Beloved in the Quran: Rise to pray in the night except a little (73:1)
Allah ordered Prophet (s) to spend most of the night in worship in order to prepare his heart for the tremendous revelation of Quran. This night worship was the means for the Prophet (s) to ascend and to attain more and more power. His Companions would join him for the night prayer and would be rising up in station and spirituality:
Surely We will make to descend on you a weighty Word. Surely the rising by night is the firmest way to tread and the best corrective of speech. (73, 1-5)
Laylat al-Qadr is a holy night. All nights of Ramadan are holy nights but Laylat al-Qadr is the holiest night of this holy month. It is also the holiest night among all other holy nights throughout the entire year. It comes only once a year and Allah Almighty grants to His most praised, most respected and most beloved servant Sayyidina Muhammad (s) this holy night, the Night of Power. About this night, God, the Glorious and Exalted said:
In the name of God, the Beneficent the Merciful
Indeed We sent it [the Holy Quran] down on the Night of Power.
What will convey to you what the Night of Power is like!
Better is the Night of Power than a thousand months
in that Night the angels and the Spirit descend
by the permission of their Lord for every affair.
Peace it is, till the break of dawn.
[Quran, Chapter 97]
"Night of Power" is a very strange translation for "Laylat al-Qadr" but it attributes to it a good meaning: whoever may attain the blessings of this holy night should attain perfect power in his spiritual life. One can attain perfect power by means of this night because its value is more than one thousand months of worshipping. Every worship performed increases the spiritual power of people and in this night any worship is going to be valued as one thousand months of worshipping on any other night. It is condensed power. God, the Almighty, makes it a mighty night by placing in it such incredible power, making it a much mightier night than other nights. Allah Almighty says it is much more valuble than one thousand months of worshipping. That means Allah Almighty granted such huge power to that night.
It is just such a mighty night which is highly respected and given such a high value by the Lord Almighty. It is so mighty that it is said that it is the most mighty night, that Night of Power. Allah Almighty puts in it power for His servants to come closer to His Divine Presence. In a short time a that great power adorns worshippers in this night and they may be able to penetrate through the entire heavens and reach the Divine Presence.
People on this night are going to be on several different levels. No doubt we are on the lowest level, so we are hoping in this night to attain the honor and illumination granted in it. When we reach a higher level and as it is a holy night in the heavens as well, we will begin to sense something [of the great power being manifested] on this night. Whoever is at the highest spiritual level must be present for this night in the Divine Presence of the Lord.
That appearance will occur in a matter of seconds, perhaps within a single second. Perhaps one second is an enormous unit of time [in comparison] to that moment. It may be more than a second or much less, but it is an instant in time when an appearance from Divine Presence is manifested to creation. When that Divine Appearance manifests (Ar. tajalli), no one will remain standing throughout the heavens and the earth. Everything falls into prostration, throwing themselves down in prostration for that moment. That manifestation of Divine Power--that Divine Light--appears, and whoever is prepared and who has also been invited to attend that appearance sees it and falls in prostration. Everything in that moment falls in prostration (Ar. sajda): all animals--even ants, even elephants, even giraffes, even dogs--on that night they are not sleeping but are hurrying to make prostration on experiencing that divine manifestation. All trees-- even buildings--bow down in prostration and then rise up to their original positions. This is mentioned in Quran:
And unto Allah falleth prostrate whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening hours. (ar-R`ad, 15)
and
Hast thou not seen that unto Allah payeth adoration whosoever is in the heavens and whosoever is in the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the hills, and the trees, and the beasts, and many of mankind, while there are many unto whom the doom is justly due. He whom Allah scorneth, there is none to give him honour. Lo! Allah doeth what He will.(al-Hajj, 18)
May God forgive us because we are sinners. Every few minutes, or even every few seconds we commit so many sins, thus we are in need of our Lord's forgiveness for the honor of His Most Praised Servant Sayyidina Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him. This holiest of nights is granted to him from his Lord Almighty Allah. In it all powers adorn him, all lights illuminate him and all angels come to him. the Archangel Gabriel comes to him, and he is dressed with countless honors on this holy night. The angels ask forgiveness [from Allah for people] for the sake of the master of humanity (Sayyid al Bashar), to the Owner of creation (Rabb al-Ka'inat).
For his honor, may God forgive us and take away our bad states. May Allah change our conditions from bad to good and change everything in us to be for His Sake. May we be good servants, obedient servants, beloved servants, respected servants, praised servants. Try to be servants such as this. For that reason, attend humbly to worship on that night as our Beloved Prophet (s) directed us:
"Whosoever offers voluntary prayers during the Night of Power out of belief and expecting from Allah its reward will have his past sins forgiven." [Bukhari and Muslim]
Now I would like to pray the Prayer of Recollection (salat ul-tasabih) to express a little bit of praising from our side to glorify our Lord Almighty Allah. That glorifying Allah Almighty in salat ul-tasabih consists four cycles of prayer (raka'ats) in which we are glorify our Lord 300 times by saying "Glory be to God, all praise be to God, there is no god but the One God Allah, God is Most Great!" (Ar. "Subhanallahi wal hamdulillahi wa la ilaha illa Allahu wa Allahu Akbar." May Allah Almighty glorify His beloved and most praised servant, Sayyidina Muhammad (S), and may mercy from His endless mercy oceans fall on you, and fall on our descendents, and fall on our ancestors, fall upon east and west, and may its blessing fall upon all from North to South, upon all oceans and upon all continents.
Allah Allah...Karim Allah...Aziz Allah...Subhan Allah...Sultan Allah Oh our Lord You are the only Sultan. Raise up Your Work and bring down the work of destructive disbelief and evil which seeks to harm Your human beings and all other creations by means of a destined appointed and authorized sultan from your Divine Presence.
Bihurmat al habeeb wa bi hurmat al fatiha. [for the sake of the Beloved, for his sake we recite the Opening Chapter of Quran]
Ramadan - The Gates of Allah's Mercy Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil al-Haqqani
The Prophet (s) gave good tidings about this holy month. The first third of this Holy Ramadan is the days of mercy for all people, ten days, the second ten days are the days of forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala, and the last one-third, is freedom from Hell for believers--Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala freeing them from Hell. Therefore, believers who try to keep the Lord's orders during the days of Blessed Ramadan by fasting and during the night by praying Tarawih1 and night prayers (tahajjud), may be rewarded by our Lord giving them immunity safety, (bara`a) from Hell, and they have been given good tidings of Paradise.2
The whole spiritual structure of mankind is built on cleanliness, and it is impossible for a person to improve his spiritual station without first attaining complete cleanliness, physically and spiritually. Fasting is a beginning for spiritual cleanliness. The first step is the common level of fasting: trying to free yourself from your nafs' commands and control. As long as you are under the control of your nafs you remain unclean.
Therefore the first level of fasting is to compel our ego so that we may take control from its hands and put control in our own hands--therefore we abstain from eating, drinking and sexual contact in the daytime.
The first step is to avoid what is halal (permitted) on every day except during Ramadan. Eating and drinking and having sexual intercourse are halal; but in Ramadan, the permitted thing becomes haram--forbidden--during the daytime. That is the basic level of cleanliness, but it is of a higher purpose to seek even greater cleanliness.
To attain greater cleanliness, the second step is to try to be clean from sins: you must guard your eyes, your tongue, your ears, your hands, your feet and all the parts of your body from wrongdoing. You must tell yourself, " O my tongue! Just as you are keeping yourself from tasting food and drink, yet still you must be careful. Don't say anything that is prohibited."
That second step--to clean ourselves from all prohibited actions and sins makes us physically and spiritually lighter; we may move toward higher spiritual stations. Yet it is not enough.
The third step is for hearts: you must attend to your heart. Allah Almighty is telling us: "your heart belongs to Me." Among the Children of Adam, every part of the body belongs to him but one. "Your heart belongs to Me, not to anyone else," He says, "Therefore I am asking that it be clean, absolutely clean."3
How can it be clean? Everything except Allah Almighty and His Pleasure must be put out of your heart. Every time you are by yourself, you can look into your heart to see if you are with your Lord or with someone or something else. Whenever you examine your heart and find yourself with your Lord, Almighty Allah, you must deem yourself fortunate. At that time divine light will enter your heart, and you may reach the true pleasure of faith. The Prophet (s) said, "The lustful glance is one of the poison arrows of Satan. He who because of pity abstains therefrom will receive from Allah a belief, the sweetness of which will fill his heart."
Thus it is important for every believer to control his or her every action. Without guarding our actions we are destined to lose. And every action begins with a thought. Satan is well-aware of the nature of mankind. In every kind of thought he has put some of his tricks. Whoever is able to control his thoughts, may be safe from Satan's promptings; but whoever is unable to control them will have his mind filled with evil ideas and falsehood. Whoever is under Satan's control cannot be an obedient servant to his Lord. As Muslims and believers this must be our first concern--to control ourselves. If you find any of Satan's control affecting yourself, in either actions or thoughts, you must strive to make them clean.
Increased Worship - A Means of Approaching Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala
When Ramadan comes to an end, we may find ourselves "crying for Ramadan". This month gives so much pleasure to us, through our increased obedience and worship of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala. These two are the source of all true happiness--obedience and worship. For that reason the Prophet (s) "and the apple of my eyes is prayer--salaat".
Allah Almighty sent us His messages through His prophets. The summary of those messages is that people should take control of themselves. Therefore Allah Almighty orders prayers five times a day, plus sunnah worship as well. There are the five times of prayer which Allah Almighty makes obligatory on His servants, but the Prophet (s) did Sunnah-prayers by day and by night also, so that those times of praying are always putting control on our limbs and on our hearts. Allah Almighty says in a hadith qudsi, "O My servant! If you take one step toward Me, I take ten toward you." Therefore we are in need to be active for His Sake. Make your steps more firm on the Straight Path and more powerful, day by day.
It is this holy season of worshipping which will cause you to move toward Allah Almighty. "When Ramadan comes... a caller calls out every night: 'Oh seeker of Good, draw near! Oh seeker of Evil, desist!' " [an-Nasa'i]. Therefore, this month presents a special opportunity: one for increased worship and increased devotion. In it are prescribed tarawih and the night prayers by means of which one may move ever closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala. we have an opportunity during Holy Ramadan more than at any other time. The one who is able to control himself during Ramadan is going to be able, with Allah Almighty's support, to take control of himself for the other eleven months. Everything begins small and grows, good things and bad things, good habits and bad habits; for each one we have a beginning. And the beginning is difficult, but you must be patient and continue; if you know that something is right, you must continue to keep on that way, even though it may be so difficult. Difficulties may be overcome by a strong faith and strong faith is with those people who are able to control themselves. Therefore make a firm and continuous intention to increased devotion, not only for for this holy month, Ramadan, but make it continuous always.
Notes
1Yahya related to me from Malik that Yazid ibn Ruman said, "The people used to watch the night in prayer during Ramadan for twenty-three rak'as in the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab." [Al-Muwatta, 6.2.5]
2 "This is a month, the first part of which brings Allah's Mercy, the middle of which brings Allah's forgiveness and the last part of which brings emancipation from hellfire." [Bukhari].
3This is one tafsir of the hadith qudsi: Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Allah said: The Fast is for Me and I will give the reward for it, as he (the one who observes the fast) leaves his sexual desire, food and drink for My Sake. Fasting is a screen (from Hell) and there are two pleasures for a fasting person, one at the time of breaking his fast, and the other at the time when he will meet his Lord. And the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better in Allah's Sight than the smell of musk." [Bukhari]
The Last Ten Days of Ramadan Mawlana Shaykh Hisham KabbaniThe first 10 days of Ramadan are mercy…you have to prepare yourself to receive the mercy, the rahma--the rahma is there. Allah sends it--you only have to receive it. If you take it and put it in your heart your heart will be glowing and shining. Then in the second 10 days is maghfira, forgiveness. And when Allah gives something, it is given. Allah is not like us – hasha! When He says the last ten days is atqun min al-nar, freedom from hellfire, it means just that: freedom from hellfire . Allah 's mercy is vast, wa wasiat rahmati kulla shay – and My Mercy encompasses all things. So these last 10 days are `atqun min al-nar. And everyone is running after freedom from the hellfire.
Don't leave that opportunity hanging between heaven and earth—take it. You are hammering [with your tongues]. In these days don't speak too much. Keep your tongue saying Allah, Allah, Allah and making salawat on the Prophet (s). Don't waste your time talking nonsense. Talk less. Busy yourself with more recalling God, dhikrullah, and busy yourself keeping the presence of Allah in your heart.
How do awliya, Friends of Allah, reach the state of sainthood, wilaya? It is very simple yet very difficult. Allah is not expecting much from you because Allah knows we are weak. He is not asking us to fly from east to west in one second through a rocket we cannot because we are weak. But Allah wants from us to move from east to west. We know we cannot reach the west by means of our movement, it is insignificant, like an ant's. An ant can never reach from east to west--it will die first. You also can never reach but your duty is to move, then Allah (swt) with His mercy will carry you. He will cast His mercy on you to put you onto the other side, with your little exertion, while not asking reward for your deeds.
That is important in tariqa. When you do something you are not bargaining with Allah. “I am doing this so You give me a reward.” No, you are doing it for Allah - alaa lillahi ad-din al-khalis – No doubt to Allah belongs the sincere religion. The only thing accepted is.complete servanthood (ubudiyya), nothing else. The Prophet (s) never asked anything for himself, only for the ummah. For himself he was submitting to Allah (swt). Whatever you do, do it without arrogance and without pride. Slowly, slowly Allah will take you from here to there. That is why we have to be very careful in these last 10 days. Those who are going to sit (in itikaf) Allah (swt) will lift them up send them blessings, mercy, and atqun min al-nar- freedom from hellfire. And those who are busy (with work) can also keep their hearts open to receive that blessing.
And we come back to the question: how did awliya reach that state? Again, it is simple and it is difficult. It is simple because they are walking. It is difficult because they know they cannot reach from east to west. Nonetheless they move slowly, slowly and it becomes simple because Allah (swt) picks them up and takes them and puts them there on the other side. They surrender to Allah's order--which is the Prophet's order. The order of the prophet and the order of Allah is one ati' Allah wa ati' ar-rasul. “Obey Allah and obey the Messenger.” Man `ata ar-rasul faqad `ata-Allah – “Whoever obeys the Prophet (s) is in obedience to Allah”
Ash-shhadu an la ilaha illa Allah is one part of the shahada. Some scholars say there is no need to say wa ash-shhadu anna muhammadun rasulullah--it is enough to say ash-shhadu an la ilaha illa Allah wa anna muhammadun rasulullah because it is one shahada.
So the way is one--there are not two ways. It means you must keep your heart busy with dhikrullah, in Allah's presence at the same time that you are busy working. In sha Allah Allah (swt) will show us the way. Make niyya for itikaf. As for those working for Islam it is also considered itikaf. But don't talk too much. Don't complain. Let it go in these ten days and do purely for Allah. And don't ask creatures for anything .
ON LAYLAT AL -QADR
The Night of God's Decree in the last ten days of the month of Ramadan
from NUZHAT AL-MAJALIS
God the Exalted said: " We have sent it down on the Night of the Decree " (97:1). It means that the Qur'an descended as a whole in one single time from the Preserved Tablet ( al-lawh al-mahfuz ) to the Nearest Heaven ( al-sama' al-dunya ) and then placed in the House of Glory ( bayt al-`izza ), after which Gabriel would descend with its diverse parts over a duration of twenty-three years. The first verse revealed from it was: " Recite in the name of thy Lord Who createth" (96:1) and the last was: " And guard yourselves against a day in which ye will be brought back to God, then every soul will be paid in full that which it hath earned, and ye will not be wronged" (2:281) - Qurtubi said it.
I read in Ibn al-Subki's Tabaqat (Transmission-Layers of the Shafi`i scholars) on the authority of Imam Ahmad ibn Isma`il al-Qazwini that the Prophet (s) lived for seven days after this verse was revealed. Al-Rafi`i* said: "And the same Imam Ahmad died seven days after saying this." I read in Ibn Abu Jamra's commentary on Bukhari that some of the scholars said the first verses revealed were those of "Recite" while others said they were those of "The Cloaked One" (" al-Muddaththir ," sura 74). What reconciles them is that "Recite" is the first revelation to descend was "Recite," while the first order to warn was "The Cloaked One".**
If it is asked: "Why did he say: "Arise and warn, and he did not mention the glad tidings, although the Prophet (s) is both a warner and a bringer of glad tidings?" The answer is that the glad tidings are for those who enter into the fold of submission, and at the time that this sura was revealed, no-one had yet entered Islam, and God knows best...
*The chief legal authority in the late Shafi`i school, followed by Nawawi.
** "O thou enveloped in thy cloak, arise and warn! thy Lord magnify, thy raiment purify, pollution shun!"
Ibn al-`Imad said: "We have sent it down on the Night of the Decree" indicates that the night is better than the day. The scholars differed in the meaning of its excelling a thousand months ( "The Night of the Decree is better than a thousand months" 97:3) which adds up to 83 years and four months, or 30,000 days and 30,000 nights. Ibn `Abd al-Salam said in his Qawa`id (Rules): "The good deed ( al-hasana ) on that night is better than 30,000 good deeds on another." Ibn Mas`ud said: "It is incumbant upon the believer to intend spending it in prayer from the very first night of the month of Muharram (the first month of the year) to the end of the year, so that he will most certainly chance upon it." Nawawi said: "None is granted the benefit of its excellence except he to whom God shows its exact occurrence." Mawardi said: "And it is desirable for him who knows it, not to reveal it."
A large number of the commentators have said that deeds done on that night are better than the deeds of 1,000 months which do not contain a Night of the Decree. Ka`b al-Ahbar said -- may God be well pleased with him:
"There was a righteous king among the Bani Isra'il. God revealed to their Prophet: "Tell him to wish for something." He said: "I wish to strive in the way of God with my possessions and my offspring." God gave him one thousand children. He began to prepare each child for battle until that child died as a martyr, whereupon he prepared the next one, and so forth until they were all killed in a period of 1,000 months. Then the king himself entered the fray and was killed. The people said: "No-one will ever be able to attain to his merit." And (now) God revealed this sura (The Decree)."
Al-Waqidi said: "It is the first sura revealed in Madina." Najm al-Din al-Nasafi, however, says: "Eighty-five suras were revealed in Mecca, the first being al-Fatiha and the last "Woe unto the Defrauders" (sura 83); and twenty-nine were revealed in Madina, the first being "al-Baqara" (sura 2) and the last "al-Ma'ida" (sura 5)."
Abu Bakr al-Warraq said: "Solomon's kingdom was five hundred months, and Dhu al-Qarnayn's kingdom was five hundred months, and God has made the deeds done during that night outweigh both kingdoms."
I saw in Rawd al-afkar (The Meadows of Reflections) that one day the Prophet (s) mentioned four men who had who had worshipped God for eighty years, not disobeying him for one blink of an eye. The Companions were seized by wonder at this, whereupon Gabriel came to him and brought him this sura so that the Prophet (s) and the Companions became happy.
The scholars differ concerning the designation of the Night of the Decree. Most say that it falls on the twenty-seventh of Ramadan. Whoever prays on that night four rak`at (prayer-cycles) in which he recites al-Fatiha, "Rivalry in worldly increase distracteth you" (sura 102) once, and "Say He is God: One" (sura 112) three times, Allah will make the throes of death easy for him, remove from him the punishment of the grave, and give him four pillars of light on top of each of which rest 1,000 palaces.
Al-Shafi`i said -- may God be well pleased with him: "The strongest reports I have is that it falls on the twenty-first." The author of Tanbih al-ghafilin (Abu al-Layth al-Samarqandi, d. CE 983 CE) reportedly said it is not confined to the last ten nights of Ramadan, but al-Rafi`i rejected this opinion. What I did see in the "Tanbih" is that he said that the letters which form "The Night of the Decree" are nine (la-y-la-t-a-l-qa-d-r), and God mentioned it three times in the sura: 9 x 3 = 27, which is an indication that it falls on the twenty-seventh.
This is also the opinion of Ibn `Abbas, who adduced the fact that God created seven heavens, seven earths, seven seas, and seven days; and that He created us from seven elements and nourished us with seven kinds of food, according to His saying (80:27-31):
"And we cause the grain to grow therein" -- this is (1)wheat and (2)barley -- "and (2) grapes, and (3) reeds" -- that is, canes --" and (4) olives and (5) dates, and garden-closes of thick foliage"- - orchards with great trees --" and (6) fruits" -- such as figs -- "and (7) grasses" -- that is, the vegetation which animals eat.
And finally, (Ibn `Abbas adduces) that He ordered us to prostrate upon hearing seven verses. All this is discussed in the chapter on trust ( al-amana ).