LAILATUL QADR
"The Night of Power is better than a thousand Months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allahs permission on every errand: Peace! ... This until the rise of Morn!" (Q97:3-5).
A palpable atmosphere of cynicism prevailed in the early morning of January 1st 1999. As the blue print for their lives in the year was being rendered, most of the over 100million souls were either snoring away their time or just getting along their own businesses. Very few expected any good. Hope was long comatose and man has despaired of all good and mercy from fellow men. With Allah however, hope remains alive and ever living:
"...Despair not of tile Mercy of Allah:.. " (Q39: 53) "... and Put your trust in Allah; and enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. " (Q4: 81).
If the budget drawn by man has failed, Allah's budget never fails. As Ramadan is winding down there comes a night wherein Allah rolls out His own budget for mankind. A night wherein every decreed matter is conveyed.
"that (night) is made distinct every affair of wisdom...As a Mercy from your Lord: for He hears and knows (all things}" (Q44:4-6)
This is the Lailatul-Qadr; literally translated as the Night of Decree.
WHEN? The night occurs in any of the odd nights of the last ten nights as of Ramadan. Aisha (RA) said:
"Allah's Messenger (PBUH) used to practice Itikaf the last ten nights and say: "Seek out LailatuI Qadr in the (odd nights) of the last ten Ramadan" (Bukhari)
However, "...man was created weak (in flesh)". (Q4:28) when he is not rendered indisposed by physical malaise, his wills is weak. Still, when this weakness sets in, a believer should at least not miss the last seven nights for the Prophet (PBUH) said:
"...if one of you is too weak or unable then let him not allow that to make him miss the final seven" (Bukhari) or the last three odd nights (25th, 27th and 29th) (Bukhari).
IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
The importance of the night is such that whoever misses it has missed all good and no one misses it except one who is unfortunate. "Whoever misses such a night has indeed been deprived of all that is good and none is deprived except he who is unfortunate. " (Ahmad)
Rasulullah said. That ones past sins will be forgiven and that ones affairs for the year determined are enough reasons to lose sleep over Lailatul-qadr. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
"whoever stands in prayer and worship on the Night of Power with complete faith and with sincere hope of gaining rewards, all his previous sins are forgiven" (Bukhari).
CELEBRATION?
The culture of distributing envelopes and invitation cards to party-like celebration of the night (even when they are organized by mosques and anchored by imams and sheikhs) is wrong and runs sharply against the sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). Aisha said: "The Prophet (PBUH) used to tighten his waist-wrapper (izaar)spend the night in worship and wake his family in the last ten nights" (Bukhari).
She also asked: "0 Messenger of Allah (PBUH) what if I knew which night Lailatul-Qadr was, then what should I say in it? He replied:
"Say:Allahumma innaka affuwun tuhibbul afwa fa fu annee. ( OAllah! You are the one who pardons greatly, and loves to pardon, so pardon me)" (Tirmidhi)
HOW DO I KNOW?
You might have missed it before you realise it! "On the morning following LailatuI Qadr, the sun rises not having any rays, as if it were a brass dish until rises up ". (Muslim). However, if you keep vigil prayer and dhikr (remembrance of Allah) it is easy: "Lailatul-Qadr is calm and pleasant, neither hot nor cold, the sun arises on its morning being feeble and red" (Ibn Khuzaimah). So keep watch and step up the tempo of devotion.
SECLUSION BY CHOICE
"Nor are alike those that are living and those that are dead... " (Q35:22). Ordinarily when man is secluded away from the rest of the society, he soon lost touch with reality and his mental alertness becomes impaired. Ultimately his humanity dies gradually. However, there is a unique form of seclusion, when a man enters it, he is instantly brought back to life, from spiritual doldrums into active spiritual fullness, from the abyss of the pinnacle, He becomes more attuned to reality of times and assumes wider and profound understanding of life and living as well as their purpose. The mental alertness is sharpened as all the senses are in sublime communion with Allah, the Lord and Source of all life. That excommunication is by choice and that seclusion is Itikaf.
IS IT IMPORTANT?
The Prophet said about the man who performs ltikaf: "He isolates himself from sins, and good deeds bring their rewards for him like those of one who acts all the good deeds" (Ibn Majah). Now is it not important?
WHEN & WHERE?: Itikaf is performed in the last ten days of Ramadan according to the sunnah of Rasullullah, though it is allowed in other months as well. likaf could be wajib (compulsory) when a Muslim vows to do it, sunnah, to follow the practice of the Prophet (PBUH) in the last ten days of Ramadan or nawaafil which is voluntary seclusion that has no special time or fixed duration. Itikaf is performed in the mosque, preferably ajumaat mosque. Itikaf is best performed in the three foremost mosque in Islam: masjid al-haram (Kabbah) (Q2:125), masjid an-nabawi (the Prophets mosque in Madina) and masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem). During the seclusion, a mu'tekif( one who is in l'tikaf) should engage only in six activities: salaat; saum (fasting); reading/studying the Quran; dhikr (rememberance of Allah); fiqr (reflection and meditation) and dua (supplication).
Aisha (RA) narrated further rules for I'tikaf; "The sunnah for one who is observing itikaf (in a mosque) is not to visit a patient, or to attend a funeral, or touch or embrace ones wife, or go out for anything but necessary purposes. There is no itikaf without fasting, and there is no itikaf except in a congregational mosque. "(Abu-Dawood).
HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH?
Everything has its price: faith, honour, pedigree and ...more. The price of each could even be haggled out! But think about this - the pangs of hunger, the parched mouth and cracked fasting lips. Remember the sunny days as well? Those days that even donkeys would not envy you seeing you at work; those Ramadan days when the last drop of your energy is drained by the fast. Perhaps you could also recall nights when sleep was most enjoyable, but you still had to drag your limbs out of bed one after the other to offer your tahajjud/tarawih prayer.
Those night when, half asleep, you stood alone in prayer swaying as a lone reed would against the gentle gale of coast, wind. Remember all these? So how much do you think they are all worth? For how much are you prepared to dangle them in the air while the auctioneer shouts:"Going! Going!! Gone!!!? Would you be contented to give away all you have toiled (or in the month of Ramadan for a saa (beaker) of grains or just about N150 equivalent in money? What a terrible bargain that would be! But this is what you would be doing-frittering all your toil of a month away, by not being prompt at generosity or more precisely, by refusing to offer zakaatul-jitr. Ibn Abbas (RA) narrated that "the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) has mandated the obligation of the zakaatul-Fitr as a cleanser of the fasting Muslims (from what one may have done) mistakes or obscene acts..." (Abu Dawud)
ON WHOSE BEHALF?: Ibn Abbas(RA)also reported that: "Rasulullah ordered sadaqatul-Fitr on behalf of the young and the old, the free and the slave whom you provide for (Daraqutni)
TO WHOM IT IS DUE: It is meant for the poor: "...to provide for the poor. " (Abu Dawud)
WHEN TO GIVE IT?: "Whoever gives it before Eid prayer; it is an accepted alms but whoever gives it after Eid prayer; then it is like ordinary charity (Abu Dawud)