Searching For Laylatul Qadr with Shaykh Kamal El Mekki

Khutbah Opening

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

The Last Ten Nights of Ramadan

Brothers and sisters in Islam, after this many days of Ramadan have passed, it is only natural that we speak about the last ten nights of Ramadan, and more specifically speak about Laylatul Qadr. From the importance of the last ten nights, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was described — when the last third of the month of Ramadan comes in — that he would tighten his belt, he would wake his family up for prayer, and he would increase and intensify in acts of worship. So we have this opportunity.

The first thing is: some of us maybe were not too pleased with how the month has gone. We had a higher standard for our acts of worship and we are not very pleased with what we have done so far. So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 38; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 760)

Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan seeking the reward with Allah and with full Iman (belief), he will have his past sins forgiven. Maybe I am not too pleased with my worship there — there is still another opportunity. And Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

Whoever stands — and by "standing" here it means he is praying — whoever stands on the night of Laylatul Qadr, he will have his past sins forgiven. The scholars said: when an act of worship is mostly comprised of one action, like standing for example, then it will be expressed in terms of that same action. And there are many examples of this in the Quran where Allah mentions "standing," and by standing it means Salah.

The Prophet's Search for Laylatul Qadr

From the importance of Laylatul Qadr, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was trying to figure out when it was so the ummah could benefit from it. So in one Ramadan, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم made I'tikaf and stayed in seclusion in the masjid — which is usually in the last ten — but he did it in the last twenty, just hoping to seek out and identify Laylatul Qadr. Then when the middle ten days of Ramadan passed — now it is the 20th day and we have entered the last ten — it was revealed to him that what he was seeking is ahead of him. So we know that it is in the last ten nights of Ramadan.

The Virtue and Meaning of Laylatul Qadr

Allah says in the Quran:

Indeed We have sent it down in the night of Al-Qadr. And what was sent down? The Quran. One of the famous explanations is that the Quran was sent from the heavens to the worldly heavens on that special night.

Why is it Called Laylatul Qadr?

There are a number of explanations for why it was given this name:

The first explanation is that it is called Laylatul Qadr — لِقَدْرِهَا وَعَظَمِ شَرَفِهَا — because of its position, its rank, and the great honor of this night.

The second explanation is that the earth becomes tight and packed with angels. In one hadith, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said the number of angels on earth on that night equals the number of pebbles on earth — millions and millions of angels. But what does that have to do with me? All these angels are making du'a for the believers on this night. Millions upon millions of angels making du'a for you to be forgiven, for your deeds to be accepted. That is an amazing advantage.

So Al-Qadr here means tightening — when something is tightened and constricted. And we have many examples of that in the Quran. Allah says:

And Allah says regarding Yunus:

So Al-Qadr is from the meaning of tightness and constriction — the earth is tight and constricted, loaded with angels who are there to make du'a for you. Or it is called Laylatul Qadr because of the heavy weight of that night.

The third explanation is that — as the scholars said — Allah revealed in it a book of heavy weight (dha qadr), upon a prophet of high rank (dhi qadr), upon an ummah of high position (dhati qadr).

The fourth explanation — and this is a famous one — is that it is called Laylatul Qadr because on that night, the qadr, the decree of Allah for the next year, is also revealed. Allah says in Surah Al-Dukhan:

Indeed We sent it down in a blessed night — indeed, We were to warn — on that night every precise matter is decreed. This indicates that the decrees also come down on that night. The scholars say that all of these explanations can all be correct at the same time. It is a night of great weight and measure with Allah, and that is also because the angels are many on that night, and it is also a night when the decree is sent down.

Better Than a Thousand Months

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ — as we know, this is common in the Quran: when something is of great weight and measure, Allah will ask you again, "And what would make you know? How would you know how great that night is?"

لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ — the night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months. It is not just equal to a thousand months, or 84 years. Allah said khayr — meaning it is far better than a thousand regular months. The scholars said: if you are worshipping Allah on this night, if Allah gives you tawfiq and you are doing acts of worship, it will be better than doing that act of worship continuously for a thousand months — for 84 years — better than that.

The Descent of the Angels and the Peace of the Night

تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ — the angels descend on this day, and that is similar to what we were saying: the earth is packed full with angels. One of the amazing things is that Jibreel, peace be upon him — since the passing of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — does not have any reason to come down to earth. He does not come down because there is no revelation to bring down upon anyone. So the scholars said: this is such a great night that Jibreel, peace be upon him — the leader of the angels, the most powerful of the angels — he comes down on this night, and only on this night.

سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ — it is a night of peace and tranquility, which also entails the best behavior and peace amongst the believers, until Fajr comes.

And Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم was once told by Jibreel when Laylatul Qadr is, and he was coming to tell the believers — but on the way he saw two men fighting with each other. He said: "So I was caused to forget it." And the scholars said: it is not befitting that the night which is supposed to be a night of peace and tranquility has any type of fighting or that kind of behavior in it.

When Is Laylatul Qadr?

Now the important question becomes: when is Laylatul Qadr? We have so much evidence — all of it authentic — and for the most part you can say conflicting.

We have Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, narrating that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned that when it is Laylatul Qadr, the Fajr of that night he would be making sujood on water and mud — it rained that night. And when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم got up from sujood after Fajr, they saw the signs of mud on his forehead, and there was some water. Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri mentions this, and that happened to be the 21st of Ramadan.

Then there is another narration about the same thing happening on the 23rd of Ramadan. Then we have Ubayy Ibn Ka'b, may Allah be pleased with him, swearing — by Allah — that it is on the 27th of Ramadan. Then we have Abdullah Ibn Umar saying that it is on the 24th of Ramadan.

Then we have the majority opinion that it shifts every year — last year it was on the 21st, this year on the 25th, next year the 27th, and so on and so forth. And then others — a minority opinion — say that it is the same night every single year. The whole point is that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also indicated in some ahadith that it is more likely to be on the odd nights. Then another narration mentions it is more likely to be in the last seven — فَالْتَمِسُوهَا فِي السَّبْعِ الْأَوَاخِرِ — they seek it in the last seven.

The whole point is for the servants of Allah to put effort in the last ten, because if you try to use math and pinpoint where it is going to be, you are not going to settle upon anything certain. So the whole point is for people to put effort in all ten nights, trying to seek it out.

What Should We Do on These Nights?

So then: what should we do? How do we seek it? And how do we balance that with work and other things? The point is to put whatever effort you are able to do, whatever you are capable of. No one is asking anyone to break their neck — to stay up all night, go to work, come back and stay up another night. Everybody knows their schedule. Everybody knows what they can bear.

You are able to put together a combination of different acts of worship — you are going to pray, you are going to make the dhikr of Allah, you are going to recite Quran, you are going to make du'a to Allah.

The Du'a of Laylatul Qadr

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: if it is Laylatul Qadr and I know it is Laylatul Qadr — the scholars said you may get a sense of when it is Laylatul Qadr, through a feeling of peace or what have you — what should I say? And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم told her to say:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3513; Ibn Majah, Hadith 3850 — graded Sahih)

Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'anni — O Allah, You are the Pardoner, You love to pardon, so pardon me.

In this place, in this time — even if you do not know for certain it is Laylatul Qadr — you are asking Allah for al-'afw: to be pardoned. The scholars said there is nothing that is heavier on the believer than their sins, so we are badly in need of our sins to be forgiven and removed. And Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم is telling Aisha to ask for the highest level — not just for forgiveness (maghfirah), where the sin is pardoned but still in your records — but for the highest level, al-'afw, where it is not even mentioned in your records.

But that does not mean that Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, meant she was just going to sit all day or all night and just make that one du'a. We said the foundation — man qama Laylatal Qadr — is the qiyam, which means salah. So you are between salah, dhikr, du'a, and Quran, and making this specific du'a that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم mentioned. And everyone does whatever they can.

What If My Work Schedule Is Difficult?

If your work schedule is so difficult that it does not allow you to do all ten nights, and you are given the option between the odd nights and the even nights — then focus on your odd nights. And then to throw in some further nuance: what if one country fasts a day before another country, and that year the 27th of Ramadan is Laylatul Qadr for one — for the other country it would fall on the 26th? So the scholars say it could even fall on an even night in that case. The whole point is for us to put in efforts.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ جَمِيعِ الذُّنُوبِ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ فَيَفُوزُ الْمُسْتَغْفِرُونَ. Ask Allah for His forgiveness. Indeed those who ask for His forgiveness shall prosper.

Second Khutbah

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ الْأَمِينِ، وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ، أَمَّا بَعْد.

For Sisters During Their Time of Menses or Postpartum

One of the last things we want to mention: in the case of sisters — if they have just given birth (postpartum) or if it is their time of menses — a lot of them also start to panic. What do I do if it is that time for me? The answer is: as we mentioned, it is a combination of different acts of worship. Prayer is not the only thing you are able to do on that night. You are able to stay up and make dhikr. You are able to stay up and make du'a to Allah. There are other things you can do.

The whole point is that Allah wants to see efforts from His servants. He wants to see you try. And even if you try and you do not necessarily break records with your qiyam or break records with the number of ajza' (parts of the Quran) that you recited — Allah also understands your situation and your schedule. And Allah is Al-Shakir and Al-Shakur — and that is such an important description of Allah, because it means He appreciates whatever you do. Even if you put a little forward, Allah appreciates it.

If we did not understand this about Allah, we would belittle everything we do. We would feel: why would Allah appreciate this from me? This is nothing. But Allah is Al-Shakir and Al-Shakur — He appreciates whatever you do. And that is why you do a good deed: instead of writing it as one, He multiplies it by ten, then multiplies it by seven hundred, and only someone who is truly appreciative would do something like that.

Closing Du'as

So with that, we ask Allah to make us of those who recognize the truth as clear truth and follow it, and to make us of those who recognize falsehood as clear falsehood and abstain from it.

وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ وَبَارَكَ عَلَى مَبْعُوثِ رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ، وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ. وَقُومُوا إِلَى صَلَاتِكُمْ وَرَحِمَكُمُ اللَّهُ.