LAILATUL QADR, VIRTUES AND BENEFITS (LAILATUL QADR Part 2 of 2)

LAILATUL QADR, VIRTUES AND BENEFITS

ASSEMBLED BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA

http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com

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emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com; abba.abana@gmail.com

SATURDAY 9^th RAJAB 1440 AH- 16^th MARCH 2019 CE

 (Part 10 of 11: LAILATUL QADR, VIRTUES AND BENEFITS)

(LAILATUL QADR Part 2 of 2)

9.0 Make this special Dua.
Aisha, May Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of Allah: 'O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?' He said:

"Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuh'ibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'annee -"O Allah! You are forgiving, and you love forgiveness. So forgive me." "(Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi).
The transliteration of this Dua is "Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'annee"

10.0 RECITE THE QURAN.
Perhaps you can choose Surahs or passages from the Quran, which you have heard in Tarawih this 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.

11.0 REFLECT ON THE MEANING OF THE QURAN.
Choose the latest Surah or Surahs you've heard in Tarawih and read their translation and Tafseer. Then think deeply about their meaning and how it affects you on a personal level.

12.0 GET YOUR SINS WIPED OUT.
Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger 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. [Bukhari and Muslim).
Don't just pray using the shorter Surahs that you know. Try to make your prayers longer, deeper and meaningful. If you are familiar with longer Surahs, read the translation and explanation and then pray reciting these Surahs, carefully reflecting on the meaning while you pray.
Even if you are only familiar with the shorter Surahs, read the translation and explanation beforehand, and then pray reflecting on the message of the Surahs.
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.

13.0 MAKE A PERSONAL DUA LIST.
Ask yourself what you really want from Allah. Make a list of each and everything, no matter how small or how big it is, whether it deals with this world or not. Allah loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready, you can do three things:

·       Ask Allah 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.

14.0 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. This latter feeling should make it easier to seek Allah's sincere forgiveness when making the Dua mentioned in tip number one above.

15.0 MAKE LONG, SINCERE AND DEEP DUAS
One of the best times to do this is during the last part of the night.
Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet 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? (Bukhari, Muslim).

That means for instance, waking up one hour before Suhoor time to ask Allah for anything and everything you want that is Halal. This can be done using the Duas of the Sunnah, but also Dua in your own language, with sincerity and conviction.

10. MEMORIZE A DIFFERENT DUA EVERY NIGHT
They 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.

16.0 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.

17.0 TAKE THE FAMILY TO TARAWEEH
Have your spouse and kids missed Tarawih most of Ramadan because you weren't there to drive them to the Masjid, which is too far away to walk to? If so, do all of yourselves a favour and bring everyone for Tarawih in these last ten nights.

18.0 ATTEND THE DUA AFTER THE COMPLETION OF QURAN RECITATION
Almost all Masjids where the Imam aims to finish an entire reading of the Quran in Tarawih 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 Dua at the end of a reading of the Quran. Attend this particular night's Tarawih prayer with your family. See if you can attend different Masjids' Tarawih prayers the night they finish reading the Quran.

19.0 FINISH READING A BOOK ON THE PROPHET (Sallalahu Alaihi wa Salaam)
Read about the Prophet's life, which can increase your love for him and Islam by seeing how much he struggled for Allah's sake. It may inspire you to push yourself even harder during these last ten nights. This community is built on sacrifice.

20.0 PLAN FOR THE NEXT YEAR (IN SHAA ALLAH)
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 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.

21.0 TO DO LIST FOR THE NIGHT OF POWER
Make a to do checklist for each 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 things in. This will help you avoid wasting your time in unproductive chats which common in the festive atmosphere of Masjids at the Night of Power.

22.0 LAYLATUL QADR FALLS SOMETIME WITHIN THE LAST 10 DAYS OF RAMADHAN.

Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, "Seek it (Laylatul-Qadr) in Ramadan in the last ten nights. For verily, it is during the odd nights, the twenty-first, or the twenty-third, or the twenty-fifth, or the twenty-seventh, or the twenty-ninth, or during the last night." [Sahih Hadith Ahmad 5:318]

 23.0 HOW TO SEEK LAYLATUL-QADR BY  SHAYKH MUHAMMAD NASIR-UD-DEEN AL-ALBANI 

Adapted from "The Night Prayers: Qiyam & Tarawih from works by Muhammad Nasir ud-Deen al-Albani (and other scholars)"Compiled by Muhammad al-Jabari,? 1997 QSS
Laylat ul-Qadr is the most blessed night. A person who misses it has indeed missed a great amount of good. If a believing person is zealous to obey his Lord and increase the good deeds in his record, he should strive to encounter this night and to pass it in worship and obedience. If this is facilitated for him, all of his previous sins will be forgiven.

PRAYING QIYAAM

It is recommended to make a long Qiyaam prayer during the nights on which Laylat ul-Qadr could fall. This is indicated in many hadeeths, such as the following:
Abu Tharr (radhiallahu `anhu) relates: "We fasted with Allah's Messenger (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) in Ramadaan. He did not lead us (in qiyaam) at all until there were seven (nights of Ramadaan) left. Then he stood with us (that night - in prayer) until one third of the night had passed. He did not pray with us on the sixth. On the fifth night, he prayed with us until half of the night had passed. So we said, 'Allah's Messenger! Wouldn't you pray with us the whole night?' He replied:
'Whoever stands in prayer with the imaam until he (the imaam) concludes the prayer, it is recorded for him that he prayed the whole night.'?"
[Recorded by Ibn Abi Shaybah, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmithi (who authenticated it), an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, at-Tahawi (in Sharhu Ma`an il-Athar, Ibn Nasr, al-Faryabi, and al-Bayhaqi. Their isnad is authentic.]
Point of benefit: Abu Dawud mentioned: "I heard Ahmad being asked, 'Do you like for a man to pray with the people or by himself during Ramadan?' He replied, 'Pray with the people'
I also heard him say, 'I would prefer for one to pray (qiyaam) with the imaam and to pray witr with him as well, for the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
"When a man prays with the imaam until he concludes, it is recorded that he prayed the rest of that night." [Masaa'il]
Abu Hurayrah (radhiallahu `anhu) narrated that the Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever stands (in qiyaam) in Laylat ul-Qadr [and it is facilitated for him] out of faith and expectation (of Allah's reward), will have all of his previous sins forgiven."
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim; the addition "and it is facilitated for him" is recorded by Ahmad from the report of `Ubaadah Bin as-Samit; it means that he is permitted to be among the sincere worshippers during that blessed night.]

24.0 MAKING SUPPLICATIONS
It is also recommended to make extensive supplication on this night. 'A'ishah (radhiallahu 'anha) reported that she asked Allah's Messenger (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam),
 "O Messenger of Allah! If I knew which night is Laylat ul-Qadr, what should I say during it?" And he instructed her to say: "Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuh'ibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'annee -
 O Allah! You are forgiving, and you love forgiveness. So forgive me."[Recorded by Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and at-Tirmithi. Verified to be authentic by Al-Albani]

25.0 ABANDONING WORLDLY PLEASURES FOR THE SAKE OF WORSHIP
It is further recommended to spend more time in worship during the nights on which Laylat ul-Qadr is likely to be. This calls for abandoning many worldly pleasures in order to secure the time and thoughts solely for worshipping Allah. 'A'ishah (radhiallahu `anha) reported:
"When the (last) ten started, the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) would tighten his izaar (i.e. he stayed away from his wives in order to have more time for worship), spend the whole night awake (in prayer), and wake up his family." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
And she said: "Allah's Messenger (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) used to exert more (in worship) on the last ten than on other nights." [Muslim]

O Allah ! For us let this month of Ramadan be a period of peace, faith safety and total submission to Thy will; make us walk apace swiftly to that which Thou likes and approves.
O Allah ! Pour out much blessings on us in this month, make available for us its generous good and assistance, and keep us safe from the harm, evil, misfortune and mischief that may try to trap us in this month. (Aameen)

26.0 WHAT ANAS IBN MALIK (RAA) SAYS:

1. Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas Ibn Malik Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported that when Ramadan came, the Holy Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam said,

“Indeed this month has come to you, and in it is a night more virtuous than a thousand months. So, whosoever is deprived of its blessings is deprived of all blessings. No one is kept deprived of its blessings, but only those who are unfortunate.” [Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, Page 119][1]

2. Hadrat Sayyidah ‘Aishah Siddiqah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha reported that the Messenger of Allah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam has said,  “Seek Lailatul Qadr on an odd numbered night (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and the 29th) among the last ten (nights) of Ramadan.” [Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Page 270]
3. Hadrat Sayyidah ‘Aishah Siddiqah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha reported: “I asked the Messenger of Allah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam: tell me what should I say (pray) on Lailatul Qadr if I know which night it is?” He said: say, “O Allah, You are forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me.” [Sunan Tirmidhi, Vol. 2, Page 191]
4. Hadrat Sayyidah ‘Aishah Siddiqah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha reported that "The Messenger of Allah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam used to strive hard in devotion in the last ten nights more than at any other time. [Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1, Page 372]
5. Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu reported that the Messenger of Allah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam has said, “When Lailatul Qadr comes, Gabriel comes down with a company of angels who invoke blessings on everyone who is standing or sitting remembering Allah the Great and Glorious. Then when their festival day comes, i.e. the Eid day, He (Allah) speaks proudly of them to his angels saying, “O My angels, what is the reward of a hired servant who has fully accomplished his work?” They say, “Our Lord, his reward is that he should be paid his wages in full.” He says, “O My angels! My male and female servants have fulfilled what I have made obligatory for them, and then have come out raising their voices in supplication. By My Might, Glory, Honour, High dignity and Exalted Station, I will certainly answer them.” Then He says, “Return, I have forgiven you and changed your evil deeds into good deeds.” The Messenger of Allah said, “Then they return having received forgiveness.” [Mishkat, Vol. 1, Page 182]
6. Hadrat Sayyidah ‘Aishah Siddiqah Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anha reported that

When the last ten days began, the Messenger of Allah used to prepare himself rigorously for devotion; remain awake at night and (also) keep his family awake. [Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Page 271]

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Haq “Muhaddith-e-Dehlwi” states under the commentary of the above Hadith that:

“Shadda Mizarahu” (tied his lower garment) is a metaphor that the Messenger of Allah used to devote himself completely for the worship of Allah, more than usually in the last ten days of Ramadan. Or, this is metaphor that the Messenger of Allah isolated and secluded himself from his blessed wives. [Ashi’ah al-Lam’at – Vol. 2, Page 115].

To be continued Part 11 of 11:

Zakaat Al-Fitr And Benefits

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[1] Extracted From, Anwaar al-Hadith, Chapter 6, Pages 249 to 251; by Hadrat Allama Mufti Jalal al-Din Qadiri al-Amjadi