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The Prophet salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "Whoever
prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward
will have all
of his previous sins forgiven."
(Bukhari and Muslim recorded from Abu Huraira).
From Sh. Muhammad Alshareef:
Try this at the Masjid (or at home, whatever works for you)
When I was young, I was scheduled to start memorizing Qur'an at Ar-Rashid
Islamic Institute in Cornwall, Canada after Ramadan. Well, the last
ten nights of Ramadan were coming up and I thought to
myself, 'If I make the same dua every night
for the last ten nights of
Ramadan then my dua would have to have coincided with Laylat ul-Qadr.' So
the dua I made was, 'Oh Allah, help me to memorize your book in 2 years or
less.'
Allah ta'ala says in the Qur'an: [And as for the blessing of your Lord, then
tell others.] Alhamdulillah, exactly 2 years later I had finished the entire
Qur'an.
If Allah ta'ala said to you, 'ask for anything and I shall give it to you',
what would you ask for? This year, I hope to encourage myself and you to make
a list - right now - that categorizes at least five things we want in these
coming nights to ask Allah for. Do it now before you forget.
The last ten nights begin in
some places Sunday night, so let's pull our sleeves up now and try our best to
make our 'customized' dua every night from now till the end of Ramadan. Very
soon, this Ramadan will be gone. Let's take advantage of it now.
The Task: Make
a list of at least 5 things that you want from Allah. Then starting
tonight, make the same dua every night till the end of Ramadan. Your dua would
have coincided with Laylat ul-Qadr!
Oh Allah, accept!
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As we are praying in Ramadan, let
us not forget the importance
of
making
du'a in Sujood. We are closest to Allah when in Sujood. Here
is an example of the importance Rasullullah (S) gave to the Sujood (from soundvision.com):
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) mentions that: the Prophet one night
stood up for Salah and he stayed in it for so long that I thought the Prophet
had passed away or died. When I felt that way I stood up shook his toe and I
felt the movement then I laid down again and I heard the Prophet saying in
Sajdah "I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath, and in Your
pardon from Your punishment, and in You from You. I cannot enumerate Your
praises as You praise Yourself."
When he stood up from the Sajdah he asked Aisha, "do you think
Allah's Prophet has betrayed you?" Aisha responded "No Ya Rasulullah
because of the long Sajdah I thought you had died." (hadith from Baihaqi
but Dua wording from Muwatta Imam Malik)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The importance of self-reflection
cannot be overemphasized. If we are answering no to most of these
questions, let's make sure we use these last ten
days to change that!
Also from soundvision.com:
Ramadan, as usual, has flown by. Despite planning beforehand, many of us may
have gotten caught up in a routine after accustoming ourselves to the change
in schedule the blessed month brings.
This may have affected our initial plans to increase our worship,
contemplation and to seek Allah's Forgiveness and Mercy with greater fervor.
But the last ten days and
nights of Ramadan are still ahead for us to benefit from. Ask
yourself these questions and see what you can do to make the most of what's
left of Ramadan this year, Insha Allah.
1. Have I kept pace with the amount of Quran I wanted to read, or have I
fallen behind?
2. If so, how much do I have to read on a daily basis the rest of Ramadan to
catch up?
3. Have I tried to attend Tarawih regularly, or did I use weak excuses to get
out of it?
4. Did I ever pray the night prayer (Tahajjud/Qiyam ul Lail)?
5. Did I try praying my five daily prayers with more sincerity, concentration,
and focus than usual?
6. Did I invite anyone over for Iftar (breaking the fast)?
7. Did I help any needy person, even a panhandler or beggar, when I was
fasting?
8. Did I regularly seek Allah's Forgiveness and Mercy with sincerity, fear and
hope?
9. Did I encourage my family to fast or participate in regular opportunities
for more rewards that come with Ramadan (i.e. good deeds in general, but also
Tarawih, more reading of the Quran, etc.).
10. Did I memorize any more Quran than what I knew before Ramadan started?
11. Did I try to be more patient in Ramadan than I normally am?
12. Did I try to control my anger, especially while fasting?
13. Did I try harder to avoid backbiting and slander?
14. Did I constantly check my intentions, to make sure that my good deeds were
for the sake of Allah alone, not to impress others, gain their favor, or to
show off?
15. Was there even an atom of pride in my heart?
16. Was I quieter and more contemplative?
17. Did I cry in my prayers?
18. Did I read more Islamic literature apart from the Quran?
19. Did I make sincere repentance to Allah, really feeling sorry for my sins?
20. Did I forgive those who hurt me?
21. Did I avoid hurting anyone with my attitude, words, intentions or actions?
22. Did I give any more Sadaqah (charity) than I normally give?
23. Did I share the message of Ramadan and Islam with a non-Muslim?
24. Did I share the message of Ramadan and Islam with a non-practicing Muslim
family member or friend?
25. Did I feel annoyed at being hungry while fasting or did I rejoice?
Here is a GREAT dua' to make during Ramadan and any other day or night:
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of
Allah: 'O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what
should I say during it?' He said: 'Say: O
Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.'
"(Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi).
The transliteration of this Dua is "Allahumma
innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee".
May Allah accept your fast and your prayers.
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