'Laylat al Qadr' - The Night of Power

Nights are the time which Allah Almighty has designated for the attainment of spiritual blessing and power. Therefore Allah Almighty told His Beloved Muhammad (sal) in the Holy Quran:

"O you, who are wrapped up in your mantle, rise (to pray) by night except a little: half the night, or a little less or a little more and with measured tone recite the Quran”. (Surah Muzammil S 73, V 1-3)

Allah ordered Prophet Muhammad (sal) to spend most of the night in worship in order to prepare his heart for the tremendous revelation of the Holy Quran. This night worship was the means for the Prophet Muhammad (sal) to ascend and to attain more and more power.

His Companions would join him for the night prayer and would also be rising up in station and spirituality:

“We are about to address to you words of great gravity. Verily the rising by night is (the time) when impression is strongest and speech more certain”.(Surah Muzammil: S 73, V 4-5)

Laylat al Qadr is a holy night. All nights of Ramadan are holy nights but Laylat al Qadr is the holiest night of this holy month. It is also the holiest night among all other holy nights throughout the entire year. It comes only once a year and Allah Almighty granted this holy night, the Night of Power to His most praised, most respected and most beloved servant Seyyidina Muhammad (sal).. About this night, Allah, the Glorious and Exalted said:

"In the name of God, the Beneficent the Merciful Indeed We sent it [the Holy Quran] down on the Night of Power.

What will convey to you what the Night of Power is like! Better is the Night of Power than a thousand months In that Night the angels and the Spirit descend by the permission of their Lord for every affair.

Peace it is, till the break of dawn." (Surah Al Qadr).

" The Night of Power" is a very strange translation for "Laylat al-Qadr," but it attributes to it a good meaning. Whoever attains the blessings of this holy night should attain perfect power in his spiritual life. One can attain perfect power by means of this night because its value is more than one thousand months of worshipping.

Every worship performed increases the spiritual power of people. Any worship during this night is going to be valued at one thousand months of worshipping done on any other night. It is condensed power. Allah Almighty, makes it a mighty night by placing in it such incredible power, so as to make it very much mightier night than other nights. Allah Almighty says it is much more valuable than one thousand months of worshipping. It means Allah Almighty has granted such a huge power to this night of Lailat ul Qadr.

It is such a mighty night that it is highly respected and given such high value by the Lord Almighty. It is so mighty that it is said that it is the mightiest night, the Night of Power. Allah Almighty has put into this night, power for His servants to come closer to His Divine Presence. In a short time that great power adorns the worshippers in this night so that they may be able to penetrate through the entire heavens and reach the Divine Presence.

People on this night are going to be on several different levels. No doubt we are on the lowest level, so we are hoping in this night to attain the honour and illumination granted in it. When we reach a higher level and as it is a holy night in the heavens as well, we will begin to sense something [of the great power being manifested] on this night. Whoever is at the highest spiritual level must be present for this night in the Divine Presence of the Lord.

This appearance will occur in a matter of seconds, maybe within a single second. Perhaps one second is an enormous unit of time [in keeping with that moment or in comparison] to that moment. It may be more than a second or much less, but it is an instant in time when an appearance from the Divine Presence is manifested to creation.

When that Divine Appearance manifests (tajalli), no one will remain standing throughout the heavens and the earth. Everything falls into prostration, throwing itself down in prostration for that moment. That manifestation of Divine Power--that Divine Light-appears, and whoever is prepared and who has also been invited to attend that appearance sees it and falls in prostration. Everything in that moment falls in prostration (sajda): all animals- ants, elephants, giraffes and even dogs-on that night they do not sleep but are hurrying to make prostration on experiencing that divine manifestation. All trees- even buildings-bow down in prostration and then rise up to their original positions. This is mentioned in the Quran:

“And unto Allah falleth prostrate whosoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening hours”.( Surah ar-R`ad, 15) "Hast thou not seen that unto Allah payeth adoration whatsover is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the hills, and the trees, and the beasts, and many of mankind, while there are many unto whom the doom is justly due”. (Surah al-Hajj, 18)

May God forgive us because we are sinners. Every few minutes, or even every few seconds we commit so many sins, thus we are asking for our Lord's forgiveness for the honour of His Most Praised Servant Seyyidina Muhammad (sal). This holiest of nights is granted to him from his Lord Almighty Allah. In it all powers adorn him, all lights illuminate him and all angels come to him. The Archangel Gabriel comes to him, and he is dressed with countless honours on this holy night. The angels ask forgiveness [from Allah for the people] for the sake of the master of humanity (Seyyid al Bashar), from the Owner of creation (Rabb al-Ka'inat).For his honour, may Allah forgive us and take away our bad states. May Allah

change our conditions from bad to good and change everything in us to be for His Sake.

May we be good servants, obedient servants, beloved servants, respected servants and praised servants. Try to be servants such as this. For that reason, attend humbly to worship during this night as our Beloved Prophet (sal) has directed us.

"Whosoever offers voluntary prayers during the Night of Power out of belief and expecting from Allah its reward will have his past sins forgiven." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Now I would like to pray the Prayer of Tasbih (salat ul-tasabih) to express a little bit of praising from our side and to glorify our Lord Almighty Allah. This glorifying of Allah Almighty in salat ul-tasabih consists of four cycles of prayer (raka'ats) in which we glorify our Lord 300 times by saying "Glory be to Allah, Praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is theGreatest!" (Subhana Allahi wal hamdulillahi wa la ilaha illallahu wa Allahu Akbar ).

May Allah Almighty glorify His beloved and most praised servant, Seyyidina Muhammad (sal), and may mercy from His endless mercy oceans descend on you, and on our descendents, and ancestors, upon east and west, and may its blessing come upon all from North to South, upon all oceans and upon all continents.

Allah Allah...Karim Allah...Aziz Allah...Subhan Allah...Sultan Allah, Oh our Lord, You are the only Sultan. Raise up Your Work and bring down the work of destructive disbelief and evil which seeks to harm Your human beings and all other creations by means of a destined appointed and authorized sultan from your Divine Presence.