The effect of Laylatul Qadr on the heart

Ameen. Dear brothers and sisters, may Allah allow us to be amongst those who have observed Ramadan and have all of their sins forgiven and all of their deeds accepted. May Allah make us amongst those who, if Laylatul Qadr has passed us in these first five nights, that we observed it and that Allah overlook our shortcomings and that Allah write it down for us fully. And if it is still ahead of us, that Allah activate us towards it with the fullness of our sincerity and the fullness of our strength and that Allah accept it. Allahumma Ameen.

The Effect of Laylatul Qadr on the Heart

I wanted to focus today, insha'Allah, with the few moments that I have with you on this idea of the effect that Laylatul Qadr has — and I'll explain why I want to talk about that for a moment, insha'Allah.

The Signs of an Accepted Ramadan

When it comes to Siyam, when it comes to fasting Ramadan, Imam Ibn Hajar rahimahullah mentions that the sign of an accepted Ramadan has a component of it that is a feeling, and a component of it that has a very observable impact in terms of your deeds.

So when it comes to the feeling — the one who is pleased with the departure of Ramadan and the one who is distressed with its coming forward, that is a sign of a Ramadan that is not accepted by Allah. That if one Ramadan leaves, you are not sad over its departure, and when it comes, it makes you sad — you are sad at its arrival. That is a sign that you are refusing the gift of Allah and you are not allowing Ramadan to penetrate your heart whatsoever. So that is the person whose fasting only is abandoning their food and drink for a month as an exercise, but spiritually speaking, there is no penetration.

So that is the feeling of Ramadan. As for the effect, it is the consistency of your deeds — not the consistency in the same portion, but the consistency of an increase in your deeds after Ramadan. So there is a feeling and there is an impact, an observable impact.

Did I quit the sins that I brought into Ramadan?

Fasting has been prescribed upon you the way it was prescribed on those who came before you, so that you may become more God-conscious.

That means leaving off sin. Did I quit the sins or not? Simple, observable. Or am I still doing the same sins? And then — did I increase in my good deeds or not? And is there a consistent increase in those good deeds or not? Whether that is that I'm now going to have a more consistent output of Quran recitation, or prayer, or coming to the masjid, or fasting, or charity, or righteousness and good character. What are the observable increases in my deeds? So it is a feeling and an effect.

The Reward of Laylatul Qadr

What about Laylatul Qadr? Because the Prophet ﷺ put Ramadan thus:

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

Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan with faith and seeking the reward will have all of their previous sins forgiven.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 37; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 759)

Whoever stands up at night praying the nights of Ramadan, Allah will forgive all of their sins.

And then whoever observes Laylatul Qadr specifically, Allah will do away with everything that came before — so long as it was done with إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا — faith and seeking the reward. So what is the impact? Well, the desired impact is very clear:

It is greater than a thousand months.

I want the reward from Allah. So I am striving for the jewel of this month — the prize of this month is Laylatul Qadr. Is there an impact and an effect beyond that though? Or is it just that I pushed myself and I hope I got it last night and the sunrise looked amazing — alhamdulillah, I got it, bismillah, let's do this again next year? Is that it? Or is there anything beyond that?

When Is Laylatul Qadr?

SubhanAllah, I had the blessing of doing a program with Dr. Ratib al-Nabulsi, hafidahullah, and he was asked: when is Laylatul Qadr? Because we get asked every day — did you see the sunrise? What do you think? Do you think it was last night? The rooster was crowing. The dog wasn't barking. Do you think the rain looked right? It felt good. The moon — we start looking at signs, some of them based in the Sunnah about the signs. But the Prophet ﷺ never abandoned the masjid after the 23rd night or the 25th night and said, "It looked like it was last night — assalamu alaykum, see you all next year." That didn't happen.

But he was asked this question: when is Laylatul Qadr? And he said: when the qadr of Allah is greater in your heart. When the estimation of Allah has become greater in your heart.

Laylatul Qadr — or Qadr — is an increase. It is an increase in Allah's reward, an increase in the angels that come down. It is the night of power. It is the night of decree. It has so many rich meanings. But when the estimation of Allah has grown in your heart, then that is a sign that you have observed and caught Laylatul Qadr.

The Fajr Adhan and What It Teaches Us

Now let us talk about that for a moment. If you have been staying up all night when you hear the Fajr Adhan — and some of us throughout the year never hear the Fajr Adhan in the masjid except in Ramadan, we will never catch the Fajr Adhan in the masjid except maybe in these last 10 nights because we are staying up all night — and so you are hearing: prayer is better than sleep.

The scholars mention here that every other Adhan, حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاح — come to success — because it is likely that you are doing something else during the other four prayers that you think will bring you a sense of success and happiness, and Allah says, "Come instead to success. This is true success." But for Fajr, most likely throughout the year you are just sleeping. Your struggle is: is salah worth it enough for me to get out of bed right now and to push myself? And so that added push: prayer is better than sleep, prayer is better than sleep.

And what do you repeat? الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ. You repeat it as you are getting up. حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلَاة، حَيَّ عَلَى الْفَلَاح. You repeat لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّه — remind yourself of the power and treasures of Allah. But when you hear الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ — indeed, الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ — it strikes you differently when you have been up all night. Because it is like you are craving sleep at that point. You are sleep-deprived. You are waiting for Fajr to come in to try to sneak in some sleep, and you are hearing الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ. And you might think to yourself at that moment: subhanAllah, what did I put forth for Allah? And this is what the subject of this is.

Wamā Qadarullāha Ḥaqqa Qadrih — They Did Not Give Allah His Due Estimation

Allah mentions in admonishing the disbelievers:

They did not give Allah His due estimation.

And what is that? When they would ask these questions about particularly the creation of Allah: how can Allah control the heavens and the earth? How does Allah take care of the sun and the moon at the same time? How can Allah take care of this person and that person at the same time? What do you mean that the heavens and the earth will be rolled up in the hand of Allah in a way that suits him? What does that even mean? How does Allah see all of this? How does Allah hear all of this? How does Allah know what is in my heart and your heart simultaneously? How is that possible?

Allah says: وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ — they did not give Allah his due estimation. Like, you do not realize the power of Allah, do you? You do not realize how azeem — how great Allah is in his limitless power and ability. Remember, that is the qadr of Allah — the power of Allah.

Allah mentions the heavens and the earth rolled up — and Ibn Abbas radiyallahu anhu commented on this ayah. He said that the heavens and the earth in the palm of the Rahman, in the palm of the Most Merciful, in a way that suits His majesty, is like a mustard seed in one of yours. Remember we were talking about how the Prophet ﷺ said the kursi, the footstool, to the arsh, the throne, is like a ring thrown in the desert — these are all analogies for us to just understand: you cannot understand how great it is.

And so وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ — they do not get it, do they? They do not understand it, do they? The One who created us all with a customized plan, planning all of our affairs — nothing happens to us or for us except by His permission, not even a movement or a thought or a look, nothing, a heartbeat — the One who did all of that will resurrect it all without any deficiency. وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ.

So that is the foundation, and then you go on to the other level of that. Allah mentions to us that on the Day of Judgment, when Allah sets up the mawazin, the scales, if you were to put the heavens and the earth in the scales — in the mawazin — they would fit them and it would weigh them. It would fit them physically and it would weigh every detail of them, subhanAllah.

The Angels and Their Perpetual Worship

And the Prophet ﷺ said that there are angels that have been created — every single part of the heavens is occupied by an angel that is either in a place of standing or a place of ruku', a place of bowing, or a place of sujood, a place of prostration. And all they are doing is doing tasbeeh. Can you imagine? They have been created and all they do is tasbeeh. They glorify their Lord. They do not do anything else. Every part of the heavens.

Can you imagine, subhanAllah? We have no idea how vast the heavens are, how vast the galaxies are, how vast the observable universe is — what then of that which is not even observable? We are constantly trying to discover more. The Prophet ﷺ said not even a handspan of four fingers is there without an angel that is just saying:

Glory be to my Lord, the Most High. Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great.

And the Prophet ﷺ said that on the Day of Judgment, Allah sets up the scales and commands them — the angels — to raise their heads. All this time they did not raise their heads from sujood for a night — they did sujood for an entire existence, prostration, سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَى — and they look up, and the first thing that they say is:

Glory be to You. We did not worship You as much as You deserve, or as You have the right to be worshipped.

Think about that for a moment. Not a night — not even 80 years. From the time they were created to the time of the Day of Judgment, nothing but tasbeeh, glorifying the greatness of Allah. And on the Day of Judgment, now you can raise your head — سُبْحَانَكَ مَا عَبَدْنَاكَ حَقَّ عِبَادَتِكَ — I did not do enough. You should have been worshipped more. You deserve more than this, but this is all I could physically have given you.

Now the angels never got distracted by food and drink and intimacy — because they do not do that in Ramadan or outside of Ramadan. They never got distracted by choice. They are not like human beings. All they do is worship Allah. And that is all they can say on the Day of Judgment when they see the greatness of Allah: we did not do enough.

Three Signs of a Greater Qadr of Allah in the Heart

So dear brothers and sisters, what is the point of this for us in terms of a feeling and an impact of Laylatul Qadr in particular? There are three things that the scholars mention in terms of understanding — having a greater qadr of Allah in your heart, a greater estimation of Allah in your heart.

1. Allah Is Worth a Greater Sacrifice

الصَّلَاةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ — I was tired. I am sleep-deprived. I am hungry. I am thirsty. It is hard. Sometimes it gets difficult. I feel the pain of that sacrifice. Well, Allah is worth a greater sacrifice.

So the next time you are pulled between the voice of righteousness and the voice of wickedness — when you are prompted by the angel that prompts you to do good and the shaytan that prompts you to do evil — which voice are you going to listen to? Allah is worth a greater sacrifice from me. Allah is worth less sleep. Allah is worth more sacrifice. Allah is worth the pain of leaving sin. Allah is worth the pain of blame. Allah is worth all of these things. A greater sacrifice.

2. Allah Is Worth a Greater Share

What does that mean? A greater share of your wasa'il — your means to reach Him. And that is السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَة. It starts with the faculties that Allah has given you of hearing. Allah is worth a greater portion of what I listen to. Allah is worth a greater portion of what I look at. Allah is worth a greater portion of my thoughts, of my contemplation — my fu'ad — what occupies my heart. Allah is worth a greater share of that.

So it starts with that. Then — Allah is worth a greater portion of my time, because time is a means to reach Allah. Allah is worth a greater portion of my wealth. Charity is better than what I spend for my own desires in this life. What I spend upon the poor and the oppressed for the sake of Allah. What I spend upon righteousness:

What you have disappears, but what is with Allah remains forever.

It is worth more of my wealth. And so there is an observable increase — this is the observable part. An observable increase in the share that you are now going to allocate of your speech, of your listening, of your sight, of your time, of your thinking, of your thoughts, and then of your wealth, of your efforts, of your deeds — for Allah. A greater share.

3. A Greater Hope in Allah

What do you want from Allah? When someone makes du'a to Allah and there is a doubt — can He really answer me? مَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ — you did not give Allah His due estimation. When someone is pulled — I do not know if Jannah and what Allah is promising, is it really going to be there? And is it really going to be all worth it? مَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ — you did not give Allah His due estimation.

When a person seeks forgiveness from Allah and they say: I do not know if Allah is going to forgive me or not — I have some really big sins that I have committed. مَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ — you are not giving Allah His due credit. You are not giving Allah His proper estimation. All of that means a greater hope in Allah. Increasing your hope in Allah. When you diminish your hope in Allah, what you are really doing is suggesting a deficiency on His part. And Allah has no deficiency.

Conclusion: The Sign of an Accepted Laylatul Qadr

And so dear brothers and sisters, with Laylatul Qadr in particular — if Allah increases the estimation, the qadr of Allah, the power of Allah in our hearts, the share of Allah in our hearts — that is a sign of an accepted Laylatul Qadr. And if there is an observable increase in your sacrifice for Him, an observable increase in the share of your faculties and your means that you allocate towards Him, and a greater increase in your hope in Him — then that is an increase that we seek in Laylatul Qadr.

May Allah make us amongst those who observe Ramadan, who observe Qiyam, who observe Laylatul Qadr, who realize its full reward. And may Allah reward us with what we cannot comprehend in this life — what is greater than anything we could perceive, and what lasts beyond our perception, what lasts eternally. May Allah grant us the full reward of it, and may Allah forgive our shortcomings because mercy is befitting. And may Allah reward us despite the deficiency in our deeds because generosity is befitting to Him. He is Al-'Afuww Al-Kareem.

O Allah, You are the One who forgives, You are generous in Your mercy and forgiveness, and You love to do so. So forgive us, O Allah, for everything that we brought forth.

Allahumma ameen.

Du'a — Closing Supplication

Alhamdulillah. As-salatu was-salamu ala Rasool Allah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala.

O Allah, forgive the believing men and women, the Muslim men and women, the living among them and the dead. Indeed You are the All-Hearing, the Most Generous, the Answerer of supplications. O Allah, forgive us, have mercy on us, pardon us, and do not punish us. Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we shall surely be among the losers. There is no god but You, glory be to You — indeed I was among the wrongdoers. O Allah, forgive our parents — our Lord, have mercy upon them as they raised us when we were young. Our Lord, grant us from our spouses and our offspring comfort to our eyes, and make us a leader for the righteous. O Allah, honour Islam and the Muslims, and humiliate shirk and the mushrikeen. O Allah, grant victory to our oppressed brothers and sisters in every place. O Allah, deal with the oppressors in every place. O Allah, destroy the oppressors through one another, and bring us and our brothers out from among them safely.

Indeed, Allah commands justice and good conduct and giving to relatives, and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.

So remember Allah — He will remember you. And be grateful to Him for His blessings — He will increase you. And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing. And Allah knows what you do. Establish the prayer.