Which Ibaadah is to be Performed in the Night of Qadr?
The greatest worship on this night is to repent, so, we should be careful of how we spend this night. As soon as this night begins, Allah ta'ala commands Hadhrat Jibraeel عليه السلام alongside 70,000 angels, to descend to the heavens and confirm the forgiveness of the Prophet ﷺ's nation. First, they visit the Ka'bah Shareef with a green flag in their hand and they place the flag upon it. This a form of announcement that if the nation of Nabi ﷺ attach themselves to him and emulate his ways, then, they will be forgiven.
3 types of people will be cursed, and amongst them, are those who failed to attain Paradise via the good treatment of their elderly parents.
Parents are an excellent means through which a child may attain forgiveness. Nabi ﷺ said, "How strange is it, that a person has this treasure in his house, yet, he's not forgiven?"
Success isn't only attained via the prayer mat. There are many ways to attain success and this is exemplified through the many examples of our pious predecessors.
Allah ta'ala's blessings and rewards are upon the one who serves his parents. It's a great honour for a child to be given the opportunity of serving his elderly parents and thus, earn Paradise.
Our parents should be happy with us, to the extent that they pray for their children from their tongue and heart. We shouldn't give them a reason to be upset or feel anything negative towards us.
If a difference arises between the parent and child, then the child should stand firm upon the Islamic principles with gentleness and not with sternness or bad manners. He shouldn't be arrogant and stubborn. If they make an incorrect decision with regards to himself or his spouse and children, then he should address them in such a way, that he does not break their heart, but does the right action alongside. If they oppress someone, he should pray for their guidance. If he makes a mistake with regards to his parents, he should seek their forgiveness.
If you have true love in your heart for your parents, then Allah ta'ala will grant you opportunities to serve them. Service doesn't mean that you must remain physically close to them. A person who is physically distant, is close in heart and never forgets his parents, so it does not matter how far he is. If you love your parents, you will continue praying for them and send money to them to fulfil their needs.
It doesn't matter how much you worship, if you have wronged your parents and they are unhappy with you, then you're destroyed.
The first effect influenced from the Sheikh's company, is that the student begins to practice the Sunnah. Practicing upon the Sunnah is proof that you love the Prophet ﷺ. You shouldn't be weak in your love for him and he should be more beloved to you than your entire body and your own life, otherwise, you are not considered a true believer. You may give your life away, but you should not abandon his practice, as there is no bigger disrespect than abandoning the lifestyle of the Prophet ﷺ. Such a person, cannot be deserving of Nabi ﷺ's intercession in the Hereafter.
If a person's love for the Prophet ﷺ is weak, then he will have doubts and complaints. He will commit sins easily and experience hypocrisy. He will be lost as he doesn't have a clear cut path in front of him.
A true believer is overjoyed and passionate in following the Sunnah. If he faces difficulties and problems whilst following the Sunnah, then he is reassured that he will receive the highest level of nearness to the Prophet ﷺ in the Hereafter. If we imitate any of the Prophet ﷺ's actions, it becomes a great form of worship and whatever is linked to the Prophet ﷺ has much benefit, for example the practice of using the Miswak.
We should assess ourselves to see whether we have true love for the Sunnah. If we do not, then we should approach a Sheikh, so he can rectify our inner diseases and grant us complete faith. This is because the sign of faith, is that a person loves the Sunnah. Whoever doesn't love the Prophet ﷺ, is devoid from the path to success.
If we are negligent in reciting Durood Shareef, then we are destroyed. We should recite Durood Shareef with love, because every time we recite it, our ranks are increased ten times over, 10 of our sins are erased, 10 good deeds are written for us and 10 ranks of Paradise are increased.
Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi رحمة الله عليه says that the easiest way to attain Allah ta'ala's love, is via attaching ourselves to the shoes of the teacher who has already acquired the love of Allah ta'ala. We should remain in the company of the pious and therein, we will receive everything.
The enjoyment of good company is such that its effects rub off on to a person naturally. In such a way, the love and imitation of the Sheikh is created within a student.
We should never abandon pious company. We should sit in the company of the pious with good belief and love. If you are a sinful person, you should still visit even if it's for a short while.
We should be careful of the company we keep and remain far from those who do not follow Shariah. My Hadhrat Sahib advised me, "Do not trust your own nafs because nafs is weak. Do not even go close to evil company and cut off evil actions from its roots."
When we watch the news, our Nafs often takes us to other scenes and evil. Thus, we shouldn’t even advance towards those things which will take us towards immodesty and will destroy our Imaan.
When you struggle to leave sins and follow the Sunnah, then know that there's a barrier which is embedded in your heart, preventing you from practicing Islam properly. This barrier enables you to perform deeds, but without acceptance. It leads you towards sins.
Due to the prayer of Hadhrat Jibraeel عليه السلام, the one who fails to be forgiven during Ramadan is cursed, most definitely. He will be wretched in both worlds.
Repentance is to change your direction, leave the world behind you and accept Allah ta'ala's commands. Allah ta'ala grants a person this month of Ramadan to earn forgiveness through Ramadan. Thus, the person who has repented sincerely in Ramadan, has gained all the worship of Ramadan.
On this night, Hadhrat Jibraeel عليه السلام will spread two wings, one to the East, and one to the West, and those who repented, will be shaded by these wings. Then he will make a Dua, "Whoever is performing Allah ta'ala's dhikr tonight, then forgive them," and the other angels will proclaim, "Ãmeen." Thereafter, he will shake the hands of those who have repented.
Hence, we should aim to be forgiven this night. We should give priority to repentance and thereafter, perform other worships on this night.
I'itikaaf means to make a sacrifice, leave the children and wife behind, leave all worldly desires behind and without having a single desire of sin. The message of I'itikaaf is that you should not have love for anything else in your heart besides Allah ta'ala. This is considered true worship.
The greatest worship on this night is to repent, so, we should be careful of how we spend this night. As soon as this night begins, Allah ta'ala commands Hadhrat Jibraeel عليه السلام alongside 70,000 angels, to descend to the heavens and confirm the forgiveness of the Prophet ﷺ's nation. First, they visit the Ka'bah Shareef with a green flag in their hand and they place the flag upon it. This a form of announcement that if the nation of Nabi ﷺ attach themselves to him and emulate his ways, then, they will be forgiven.
3 types of people will be cursed, and amongst them, are those who failed to attain Paradise via the good treatment of their elderly parents.
Parents are an excellent means through which a child may attain forgiveness. Nabi ﷺ said, "How strange is it, that a person has this treasure in his house, yet, he's not forgiven?"
Success isn't only attained via the prayer mat. There are many ways to attain success and this is exemplified through the many examples of our pious predecessors.
Allah ta'ala's blessings and rewards are upon the one who serves his parents. It's a great honour for a child to be given the opportunity of serving his elderly parents and thus, earn Paradise.
Our parents should be happy with us, to the extent that they pray for their children from their tongue and heart. We shouldn't give them a reason to be upset or feel anything negative towards us.
If a difference arises between the parent and child, then the child should stand firm upon the Islamic principles with gentleness and not with sternness or bad manners. He shouldn't be arrogant and stubborn. If they make an incorrect decision with regards to himself or his spouse and children, then he should address them in such a way, that he does not break their heart, but does the right action alongside. If they oppress someone, he should pray for their guidance. If he makes a mistake with regards to his parents, he should seek their forgiveness.
If you have true love in your heart for your parents, then Allah ta'ala will grant you opportunities to serve them. Service doesn't mean that you must remain physically close to them. A person who is physically distant, is close in heart and never forgets his parents, so it does not matter how far he is. If you love your parents, you will continue praying for them and send money to them to fulfil their needs.
It doesn't matter how much you worship, if you have wronged your parents and they are unhappy with you, then you're destroyed.
The first effect influenced from the Sheikh's company, is that the student begins to practice the Sunnah. Practicing upon the Sunnah is proof that you love the Prophet ﷺ. You shouldn't be weak in your love for him and he should be more beloved to you than your entire body and your own life, otherwise, you are not considered a true believer. You may give your life away, but you should not abandon his practice, as there is no bigger disrespect than abandoning the lifestyle of the Prophet ﷺ. Such a person, cannot be deserving of Nabi ﷺ's intercession in the Hereafter.
If a person's love for the Prophet ﷺ is weak, then he will have doubts and complaints. He will commit sins easily and experience hypocrisy. He will be lost as he doesn't have a clear cut path in front of him.
A true believer is overjoyed and passionate in following the Sunnah. If he faces difficulties and problems whilst following the Sunnah, then he is reassured that he will receive the highest level of nearness to the Prophet ﷺ in the Hereafter. If we imitate any of the Prophet ﷺ's actions, it becomes a great form of worship and whatever is linked to the Prophet ﷺ has much benefit, for example the practice of using the Miswak.
We should assess ourselves to see whether we have true love for the Sunnah. If we do not, then we should approach a Sheikh, so he can rectify our inner diseases and grant us complete faith. This is because the sign of faith, is that a person loves the Sunnah. Whoever doesn't love the Prophet ﷺ, is devoid from the path to success.
If we are negligent in reciting Durood Shareef, then we are destroyed. We should recite Durood Shareef with love, because every time we recite it, our ranks are increased ten times over, 10 of our sins are erased, 10 good deeds are written for us and 10 ranks of Paradise are increased.
Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi رحمة الله عليه says that the easiest way to attain Allah ta'ala's love, is via attaching ourselves to the shoes of the teacher who has already acquired the love of Allah ta'ala. We should remain in the company of the pious and therein, we will receive everything.
The enjoyment of good company is such that its effects rub off on to a person naturally. In such a way, the love and imitation of the Sheikh is created within a student.
We should never abandon pious company. We should sit in the company of the pious with good belief and love. If you are a sinful person, you should still visit even if it's for a short while.
We should be careful of the company we keep and remain far from those who do not follow Shariah. My Hadhrat Sahib advised me, "Do not trust your own nafs because nafs is weak. Do not even go close to evil company and cut off evil actions from its roots."
When we watch the news, our Nafs often takes us to other scenes and evil. Thus, we shouldn’t even advance towards those things which will take us towards immodesty and will destroy our Imaan.
When you struggle to leave sins and follow the Sunnah, then know that there's a barrier which is embedded in your heart, preventing you from practicing Islam properly. This barrier enables you to perform deeds, but without acceptance. It leads you towards sins.
Due to the prayer of Hadhrat Jibraeel عليه السلام, the one who fails to be forgiven during Ramadan is cursed, most definitely. He will be wretched in both worlds.
Repentance is to change your direction, leave the world behind you and accept Allah ta'ala's commands. Allah ta'ala grants a person this month of Ramadan to earn forgiveness through Ramadan. Thus, the person who has repented sincerely in Ramadan, has gained all the worship of Ramadan.
On this night, Hadhrat Jibraeel عليه السلام will spread two wings, one to the East, and one to the West, and those who repented, will be shaded by these wings. Then he will make a Dua, "Whoever is performing Allah ta'ala's dhikr tonight, then forgive them," and the other angels will proclaim, "Ãmeen." Thereafter, he will shake the hands of those who have repented.
Hence, we should aim to be forgiven this night. We should give priority to repentance and thereafter, perform other worships on this night.
I'itikaaf means to make a sacrifice, leave the children and wife behind, leave all worldly desires behind and without having a single desire of sin. The message of I'itikaaf is that you should not have love for anything else in your heart besides Allah ta'ala. This is considered true worship.
May Allah ta'ala allow us to implement.