KHUTBAH BY THE LATE USTADH DR. SULIMAN DONIA

THE NIGHT OF POWER

 

“Before Al-Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet (pbuh), he would very often leave home and seek a place far away from everyone. He would walk to a mountain on the outskirts of Mecca, and go to a cave called Hira, where he would contemplate and feel sorry about the condition of his people. He found solace in thinking about Allah (shwta) the Creator of all the worlds. He observed with great admiration that at night the Heavens were ornamented by the Moon and the stars, and how they gave light to the earth at night. He noticed that during the days the sun threw its rays on the corners of the earth, giving illumination and heat.

 Observing all these things around him, he realized there must be a Creator, a God Powerful and Wise. He would kneel and say to himself, there is no doubt that the creator of all these beautiful things must be more perfect than anything He has created. He is indeed the greatest. So deep in thought he would spend days, nights and weeks there. Sometimes he would spend a month there, sometimes he would take food, or bring his wife Khadijah (raah). About this time Muhammad (pbuh) had reached his 40th year.    

One night during the month of Ramadan, he was in the Hira cave fast asleep when an Angel came down and called Muhammad (pbuh). He was awakened by this sudden call. The Angel said, "READ, Muhammad said, I do not know how to read". The Angel repeated the order, IQRAH but received the same answer from the startled Muhammad (pbuh). The third time the Angel squeezed him strongly and said, "READ". Muhammad (pbuh) again said, “What shall I read?” The Angel said “READ IN THE NAME OF THY LORD WHO CREATED MAN FROM A CLOT, READ AND THY LORD IS MOST GENEROUS, WHO TAUGHT BY THE PEN, TAUGHT MAN WHAT HE KNEW NOT…”(96:1-5)

 Muhammad (pbuh) repeated these words and memorized then as if they were engraved on his mind. When the Angel left, Muhammad rushed from the cave so that he could see the speaker and know about him. Then he heard a voice saying, “I am Jibreel, the Angel who brings Messages from Allah to the Prophets. (Peace and Blessings be on them all)  You are the Messenger of Allah who is to guide humanity to the right path.”  This Message that Muhammad received this night from the Angel Jibreel was the first part of the Holy Qur'an revealed from Allah (awj) to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

 Since that night Muhammad (pbuh) became a Prophet of Allah, and that night Allah called Laylat-tul-Qadr, which means night of Power, night of Majesty, or Grand Night.  About this night the Holy Qur'an says, “SURELY WE REVEALED IT (AL-QUR'AN) ON THE NIGHT OF POWER, AND WHAT WILL MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE NIGHT OF POWER IS? THE NIGHT OF POWER IS BETTER THAN A THOUSAND MONTHS, THE ANGELS AND THE SPIRIT DESCEND THEREIN BY THE PERMISSION OF THEIR LORD FROM EVERY AFFAIR. PEACE UNTIL THE RISING OF THE DAWN”. (97:1-5)

 From His Holy saying, "THE ANGELS AND THE SPIRIT DESCEND THEREIN", it should be known that the verb descend in the Arabic language means both the present tense and future tense. Thus it is possible to draw the conclusion that the Angels and the Spirit descend every year on that night. This is besides what has been stated that "THIS NIGHT IS BETTER THAN A THOUSAND MONTHS". Another point to consider is whether Laylat-tul-Qadr is definitely on the 27th night of Ramadan, or on some other night in Ramadan. The most probable thought (opinion) is that the 27th night is the correct idea...”

 

COMMENTARY

The blessings of  Laylat-tul-Qadr

Abu Huraria (rah) reports that Rasulullah (pbuh) said, “Whoever stands in prayer and ebada on the Night of Power with sincere faith and with sincere hope of gaining reward, his past sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari, Muslim) “…Imaam Bayhaqi reports a Hadith by Anas (rah) wherein Rasulullah (pbuh) is reported to have said, on Laylat-tul-Qadr, Jibreel comes down with a group of Angels and make dua’a for mercy for everyone whom they find busy in ebadah.”⁽The virtues of Ramadhan by Shaikhul-Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya, page 47.)

 “In the above Adhadith “standing” refers to salat as well as any other form of ebada, for example Zikr, Tilawah, etc.  The phrase...‘with sincere hope of gaining reward’ according to Khattabi’ means that one should have complete faith in the promise that deeds shall be rewarded and thus stand before Allah in utmost humility and sincerity. Neither should one have the idea that this form of Ebadah is a burden, nor should there be any doubt as to whether reward will be granted.  After all it is a known fact that when one aims at a high goal and desires to have a great reward, while at the same time having complete certainty of receiving it, the burden of striving hard along an arduous path to attain that goal becomes easy.  Similarly, the burden of standing for long hours becomes easy…” (The virtues of Ramadhan pg.48) It is best, however, that when a night like Laylat-tul-Qadr comes along, one should first of all repent with a heart full of sincere longing for forgiveness so that Allah in His infinite Mercy may forgive all forms of sins.” ⁽The virtues of Ramadhan pg.49)

Anas (rah) reports: Once when Ramadan commenced the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: Verily a month has dawned over you wherein lies a night that is better than one thousand months.  Whoever is deprived of its blessings has indeed been deprived of (almost) all good.  And none of you is deprived of its good accept one who is completely unfortunate.” (Ibn Majah)  Who can have any doubt as to the misfortune of one who is either deprived or deprives himself of the great good of Laylat-tul-Qadr?  Who can doubt the misfortune of him who misses all the bestowed favors?  Indeed there are so many of us.  There are those who during the course of their services and duties of employment have to stay awake throughout the year by night.  How difficult can it be for people like these should they, for the sake of gaining the reward of over eighty years of ebadah, stay awake in the way of Allah’s service?  For them the task should not be too difficult, but because of lack of interest, there is no urge in the heart” (The virtues of Ramadhan pg.49-50) “…It is that urge and desire that we must create.  Look at our Holy Prophet (pbuh): he had been promised time and again that he had nothing to fear in the Hereafter and had time and again been given the good news as to his high position.  Yet night after night he was seen in Ebadah, so much so that his feet had become swollen.”  (The virtues of Ramadhan pg.50)  

Laylat-tul-Qadr on the 27^th night?

Although many Hadith state that Laylat-tul-Qadr is among the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan, one mentions a specific night.  The idea that Laylat-tul-Qadr is on the 27^th night is based on the Hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Companion Ubayy Ibn Ka’ab (rah) states that it was the 27^th night. Sahih Muslim translated by Abdul Hamid Siddiqi Vol. 2 pgs.573-574 “One of the principles of Hadith (Usul-al-Hadith) is that any narration supported by the constant practice of the Companions and Followers will acquire enough strength to be used as evidence.” (Fiqh al-Imam, Key proofs in Hanafi Fiqh by Abdur-Rahman Ibn Yusuf pg 168)  This means that despite the criticism leveled at a hadith’s chain/isnad or any other perceived deficiency, the practice that comes from it can be accepted as legitimate proof. In this case among the principals are: Abdullah Ibn Abbas (rah), Abdullah Ibn U’mar (rah), Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (rah) and the majority of the early Ulama. Therefore, the Hadith mentioned and the numerous Sahabi (rah) and Tabieen maintaining this view gives it a level of religious/legal authority, especially when understanding that the Sunnah (as we call it today) started as the practices the early Muslims adopted from the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Thus, as the development/history of the fiqh sciences indicate what started as Sunnat-Rasul, became Sunnat-Muslemeen. “…Allah’s protection is over the main body”. (Tirmidhi)

 A small sampling of the documentation for the view of the 27^th in both Arabic and English can be found in these books:

     1)          Imam Nawawi’s Minhaj-At-Talibeen (Arabic) (Shafi Math’hab)

2)      Ahmed Ibn Naqib al-Misri’s Reliance of the Traveler, Umdat-al-Salik (Arabic/English) translated by Noah Hamim Keller, page 294 (Shafi Math’hab)

3)      Ibn Abidin’s Raadul-Mukhtar (Arabic) (Hanafi Math’hab)

4)      Se’adet-I-Ebediyye, Endless Bliss (English) Huseyn Hilmi Isik, Third Fascicle, page 155 (Hanafi Math’hab)

5)      The Translation of Fadl-Al-Bari, Commentary on the Sahih Bukhari, Discourses of Allama Shabbir Ahmed Uthmani, Compiled by Qadi Abdur Rahman, Vol. 1, page 452

6)      Maulana Maududi’s Tafim-ul-Qur’an, The Meaning of the Qur’an, Vol. 16, page 145

7)      The Virtues of Ramadan, Shaykh-ul-Hadith by Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya, page 61

8)    The Meaning and Message of the Traditions by Muhammad Manzoor Nomani, translated from Urdu by Mohammad Asif Kidwai Vol. 3 pages 55-56.

 

AND SURELY ALLAH KNOWS BEST!