Amal Al-Sibai
Within the beautiful, blessed month of Ramadan, we are now upon its most blessed and bountiful nights, we are in the last nights. We are seeking the Night of Decree, Laylatul Qadr.
The Night of Decree could fall on any of the last ten nights of Ramadan. There is a greater chance that the Night of Decree coincides with one of the odd nights, but it is possible that it could fall on an even night as well. Many people believe that the highest possibility is on the 27th night.
In the narrations of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), we learn that each year the Night of Decree can move around, it is not fixed on one particular night. So one year it could occur on the 23rd night for example, and the next year it could be on the 27th night of Ramadan.
The reason that Allah has concealed the exact date from us is that so we will be diligent in our worship on all the nights of Ramadan, and more so on the last ten nights. If we knew which night it was on, we would become lazy and lose our fervor to pray and supplicate to Allah on all the other nine nights. We should not miss out on any single night.
To gain the bounties and rewards from Allah, we should stand in prayer, supplicate to Allah, and read the Holy Qur’an on these last blessed nights. We should sleep little and avoid distractions such as being glued to the TV or our smart phones, shopping, and eating.
It is an extremely special night; it is better than 1,000 months. By being in a state of worship on that magnificent night, you will earn rewards of devoutly worshiping Allah for an equivalent of 83 years.
This is a gift and a blessing from Allah to all Muslims because our lifetimes are short; an average of 60 or 70 or 80 years. So Allah gave us the opportunity to earn more rewards if we spend the Night of Decree in worship.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said, “Whoever stands in prayer on the Night of Decree with firm belief and expecting reward for it, his previous sins are forgiven.”
The best supplication to say and repeat on the Night of Decree is, “Oh Allah, you are Forgiving and love forgiveness so forgive me.”
The angels and Angel Jibreel descend to the Earth on the Night of Decree and they listen to the recitation of the Qur’an of those faithful servants standing in prayer. The presence of the angels amongst us brings peace and tranquility to the hearts of the worshipers.
The Night of Decree has signs that we can look out for. But again, we should not use these signs to worship on only one night and be negligent on the remaining nine nights because we can never be fully certain.
The Night of Decree is a pleasant and peaceful night. It is a gentle night, not too hot or too cold. On the morning following the Night of Decree, the sun’s intensity is weaker. You could look directly at the sun without hurting your eyes and it appears that it has no sun rays and its color is reddish.
Even if you think you saw the signs on a previous night or messages are going around that the Night of Decree has already occurred, you should still exert yourself in worship on every night of Ramadan.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged his companions to continue seeking the Night of Decree until the very last night.
“Oh Allah, you are pardoning and generous. You love to forgive so forgive me.”
