Seeking the Virtues of Laylat al-Qadr - Shaykh Ahsan Hanif

Seeking the Virtues of Laylat al-Qadr

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا.

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا، وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ، وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ، وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ.

The Glory of Laylat al-Qadr

These last few days and nights of this blessed month of Ramadan are marked by that one night that Allah azza wa jal praises in the Quran — the night of Laylat al-Qadr. It is for that one night that we strive in order to seek it and attain its many rewards and its virtues. It is for that one night that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam established the sunnah of i'tikaf — that he would come and he would stay in the masjid and seclude himself in the house of Allah, not leaving, not moving from that house of Allah azza wa jal, engaged in worship.

Allah azza wa jal in the Quran dedicates a surah to this very night, Laylat al-Qadr. And in today's khutbah I want to go briefly over this surah, because it is a surah that many of us hear and listen to and probably even memorise and know, but perhaps we've never stopped to think about some of its meanings and some of its benefits.

The Revelation of the Quran on Laylat al-Qadr

From the greatest virtues of the night of Laylat al-Qadr — and what adds to its virtue and to its glory and to its prestige and status — is what Allah azza wa jal mentions in the first verse of this surah:

"We revealed it" — meaning the Quran — "on the night of Laylat al-Qadr." And it is the position of the scholars of Islam, from the companions and those who came after them, رضي الله عنهم أجمعين, that Allah on the night of Laylat al-Qadr allowed for the Quran to come down from the Lawh al-Mahfuz, the Preserved Tablet, to the lowest heaven. And on the night of Laylat al-Qadr the first verses then came down to the earth and were revealed to our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

That is one of the reasons why Allah azza wa jal calls it Laylat al-Qadr. According to the scholars of Islam, there are two meanings to this word. The first of them is to do with what we just mentioned — that it is the night of virtue, a night of status, a night of glory. Its glory and its status is because the Quran was revealed in it. Allah azza wa jal says in Surah al-Dukhan:

"We caused the Quran to be revealed on a blessed night." And likewise, from its virtue and status — as some of the scholars mentioned, as Allah azza wa jal mentions in the same surah — from its virtue is that Allah azza wa jal allows the angels to descend en masse to the earth, and they descend with the mercy of Allah and the forgiveness of Allah and the blessings of Allah. That's the first meaning of Al-Qadr — it is a night of virtue, a night of great reward, a night that people should strive to seek.

To the extent that we know that our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to wake up his family during those nights — tell them to get up and worship and spend the night in the worship of Allah azza wa jal.

The Hadith of Standing in Prayer on Laylat al-Qadr

In the hadith of Abu Hurairah, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, as recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2014; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 760)

"Whoever spends the night of Laylat al-Qadr standing in prayer, having iman, hoping for Allah's reward, Allah will forgive them for all of their previous sins."

The Du'a of Laylat al-Qadr

And because the companions understood its virtue and its importance, the status of this night, we have the hadith of Aisha رضي الله عنها, our mother, recorded in Sunan al-Tirmidhi. She said: "O Messenger of Allah, if I find this night of Laylat al-Qadr, what do I say? Which du'a should I make?" And he instructed her — and therefore, by extension, you and I — that we should say:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3513)

"O Allah, You are the Pardoner, You love to pardon, so pardon me." Because that is a night of forgiveness — it is a night when the angels descend with the rahma of Allah.

The Second Meaning: The Night of Decree

The second meaning of Laylat al-Qadr is that it is a night of decree — that Allah azza wa jal decrees the affairs of humankind for the next coming year on that particular night. And it is the established principle in the shari'ah that when we have moments like that — like Laylat al-Qadr — when the decree of Allah azza wa jal descends, you should spend that time in worship. Just as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam told us that when there are natural phenomena like the eclipse, you should return to Allah azza wa jal and worship. That is a general principle in the shari'ah.

And so Laylat al-Qadr is that night that Allah azza wa jal is causing your and my decree to be sent down. We don't know what it is, we don't know what is in store for us, we don't know what this next year holds — who will live and who will die, and who will be born, and who will be rich and who will be poor, and who will be sick. Allah azza wa jal brings all of that down. As He says in Surah al-Dukhan:

"In it, every single matter of wisdom is ordained." And so Allah azza wa jal told us that we should spend that night in worship. And because of this prestige and because of this virtue:

"What would allow you to understand the virtue of that night?" — that you should spend the whole of that night in worship.

Why Allah Concealed the Exact Night

And not only that, but from the hikmah of Allah azza wa jal and His wisdom is that Allah concealed from us the very night that Laylat al-Qadr is. To the extent that some of the scholars said that there are forty positions amongst the scholars as to which night is exactly Laylat al-Qadr. Why? Because Allah azza wa jal wants us to seek that night — He wants us to strive and find it. Because otherwise what would happen would be the norm, which is that most people would just turn up for that one night of the year. If they knew when it was, they wouldn't worship all of Ramadan, they wouldn't worship those last ten nights of Ramadan, they wouldn't seek it out — they would just wait for the night that they knew it would be on. So Allah azza wa jal concealed that from us.

But we know, most likely, that it is in the last ten nights of Ramadan, and the odd nights are most likely. And from those odd nights, according to the majority of the scholars, the 27th is most likely. But Allah knows best — He kept that knowledge hidden. But all of that is to seek what?

"A night that is better and greater in terms of its virtue and reward than a thousand months of worship" — 83 plus years.

Why This Ummah Was Given Laylat al-Qadr

And what is collected by Imam Malik in his Muwatta — he said that our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, when he looked at the lifespan of our ummah, the average lifespan of this nation, and then he compared it to the average lifespan of those that came before us. Because we know, for example, in the Quran that Allah azza wa jal tells us that the Prophet Nuh spent 950 years as a messenger amongst his people. So the comparison between lifespans between us and some of those that proceeded before us is vast. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saw that they had an extended lifespan — so for them to worship for 100 years, 200 years, 300 years would be something which was fairly normal. But for you and I, most of us probably won't even live for 80 years.

So Allah azza wa jal compensated this ummah, from His rahmah, by His mercy, by giving us a single night — خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ — that is greater in virtue and reward than a thousand months of worship.

It is collected in a mursal report on the Tabi'i Mujahid that he said that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam once told the companions that from the people of Bani Israel, there were people who used to worship Allah for a thousand months. Can you imagine — a thousand months of dedicated worship? Day, night, morning, evening — all you do is worship Allah. Some of the people of the past were given such ability — that's what they had. So when the companions heard this, they were amazed, because it's beyond our comprehension.

So Allah azza wa jal gave us something in its place — Laylat al-Qadr. And that is why you and I, as Muslims, these nights we should strive. Despite your work, despite your job, despite your commitments, despite your family — despite all of those things, you have to be up at 8 o'clock in the morning and Fajr doesn't come in till about 5am — but you should spend these nights awake, even if it means that you have to bear some difficulty, you have to adjust your schedule. A thousand months of worship — Allah azza wa jal gives to you in a single night. What greater virtue is there than that?

The Descent of the Angels

So Allah tells us that this is a night of amazing reward — an opportunity for those who wish to seek it. And from its virtue then is that Allah azza wa jal says:

That on this night, the angels descend en masse, including Jibreel peace be upon him, and they descend with the affairs of Allah, with the commands of Allah azza wa jal. The angels come down — to the extent that the Prophet told us, peace be upon him, in what is collected in the hadith of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, that the number of angels on that night of Laylat al-Qadr upon the face of the earth is more than the number of the pebbles on the earth. On mass they descend.

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 7679)

And some of the scholars said that it is the greatest and most noble of the angels that come down. And some of the scholars were of the position — such as Imam al-Sha'bi, the famous Mufassir from amongst the Tabi'een — that most likely their place is in the masajid. They come to the masajid to see how many people are engaged in the worship of Allah — those that are reading Quran, those that are praying, those that are making du'a, those that have restricted themselves to the house of Allah engaged in worship. And they bring with them the rahmah of Allah, the mercy of Allah, and the salutations and peace of Allah. They come down on this night because Allah azza wa jal commands them to come down. And that is why it is a night that is blessed — it is a night that is full of safety and peace and tranquillity, as Allah azza wa jal says, concluding the surah:

"It is a night of peace until the emergence of dawn." And that is why some of the scholars were of the position that from the moment of Laylat al-Qadr as it comes in at the time of Maghrib until the time of Fajr, all of that is Laylat al-Qadr — all of that is a time of virtue.

And one of the mistakes that we often make is that we restrict ourselves only to the Tarawih prayer, or we read Quran for half an hour, or we make that one single du'a with the imam in return, and we think we have done our Laylat al-Qadr. But that wasn't the practice of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. It wasn't the understanding of the companions. They would spend from the moment that that night came in until the moment that that night left — as much as they could, as humanly possible — in the worship of Allah, seeking that night and its reward and its virtues.

Allah azza wa jal in this surah, in a very succinct, beautiful, concise way, encompasses for us the beauty of this night, its virtue, its rewards — what is on offer for you and I for those of us that are willing to make that effort and to take grasp and hold of that opportunity. May Allah azza wa jal make us from amongst those people, and may Allah allow us to witness that night of Laylat al-Qadr and to be from the people who spend it in worship.

بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لِي وَلَكُمْ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَالسُّنَّةِ، وَنَفَعَنِي وَإِيَّاكُمْ بِمَا فِيهِمَا مِنَ الْآيَاتِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ، أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ لِجَمِيعِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ.

Second Khutbah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ، وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَمَنْ وَالَاهُ، وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا. أَمَّا بَعْدُ.

The Night of Decree: What is Written for the Coming Year

From the things, as we said, that make the night of Laylat al-Qadr extremely virtuous and important is — as is the position of a number of the scholars of Islam — that this is the night that Allah azza wa jal chooses to send down the decrees of humankind for the following year. It is the position of the companion Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما, and his famous student Mujahid, and others from amongst the scholars of Tafsir such as Qatada عليهم رحمة الله, that this is the night that Allah azza wa jal decrees and sends down His decree for how much the people will earn the following year — how much you will make from your rizq, how much is written for you in terms of your lifespan, what type of year you will have in terms of ease and in terms of difficulty, the hardships and calamities that will befall you.

So the shari'ah, the sunnah of our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — because it's not an obligation, it's not something that is wajib, but it is highly recommended — is that you spend that night in as much worship as you can. And from the greatest acts of worship that you can do is to worship Allah by making du'a — asking Allah azza wa jal for ease, asking Allah to fulfil your needs, asking Allah azza wa jal for His 'afw, His pardon.

Because Allah azza wa jal's pardon — as mentioned in the hadith of Aisha رضي الله عنها with the du'a:

— that word 'afw and pardon not only refers to forgiveness, but pardon also means that Allah azza wa jal eases your affairs — that Allah grants you what is best, that Allah pardons you and makes easy for you what may transpire over the next year. Because sometimes Allah azza wa jal can save you from hardship and difficulty. But sometimes the pardon of Allah azza wa jal comes through the difficulty — it comes as a result of the trial that you have. But the way that you traverse and handle that trial — it's a trial that brings you closer to Allah, it increases you in worship, it strengthens you in iman. So that trial comes to you, but because you turn to Allah azza wa jal, Allah makes it a means of expiating your sins and purifying you and increasing you in your reward. So you ask Allah azza wa jal for help — whatever He has decreed. Because Allah's decree will always come to pass; nothing can repel the decree of Allah. But only Allah azza wa jal gives us the ability to handle that decree in a way that is pleasing to Him.

The Prophet's Practice in the Last Ten Nights

It is for that reason that the scholars of Islam, since the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and the people of ibadah and righteousness from that time until today — these last ten nights are nights of seriousness. And that is why the companions described the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as being someone who would spend the whole night awake in these last ten, and he would tighten his belt. And from the meanings of tightening his belt is that he would stay away from other things that are halal — they're permissible — such as spending time with his family and being intimate with them. It's permissible during the nights of Ramadan, but he would tighten his belt — meaning he would forego some of those pleasures, some of those luxuries, some of those comforts, and instead he would sacrifice for the sake of the worship of Allah. And he would awaken those around him, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — his family members — which shows that that wasn't his normal practice, but in these ten nights he would do so, so that they too would partake in some of that virtue and that reward.

These nights are precious. And already a few of them have passed us by, but we still have a number of the last nights left — including some of the odd ones, including the 27th and 29th. These are nights that you shouldn't allow to just frivolously go away, just to waste away, without you really doing anything or doing very minimal amounts. Use this time wisely. Who knows if Allah azza wa jal will ever allow us to have this opportunity again? And perchance this one night — that gives you that thousand months of worship and reward — that's the difference between your salvation on the Day of Judgement.

Du'a

We ask Allah that He makes us from the people of iman and that Allah azza wa jal bestows upon us the ability to worship Him, and that Allah guides us to that night of Laylat al-Qadr. We ask Allah azza wa jal that He accepts from us our deeds, our fasting, our worship, our prayer, our Quran, and all of our righteous deeds. We ask Allah azza wa jal that He allows us to witness many more months of Ramadan whilst we're in a state of iman and good health. We ask Allah azza wa jal that He descends His mercy and forgiveness upon us and upon the ummah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — that He eases our affairs and the affairs of our brothers and sisters across the world, and that Allah azza wa jal makes this month a month of ease and blessing and reward for all of us.