Hajja Amina Adil Sultanق: The Night of Power and the Blessings of Ramadan

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

The Holy Scriptures were all sent down during the month of Ramadan. The pages of the revelation that the Prophet Ibrahim (AS) was given came on the first day of Ramadan. Five hundred years later, the Torah was revealed, again on the first of Ramadan. Dawud (AS) received the Zabur on the twelfth night of Ramadan.

One thousand one hundred years later, in the eighteenth night of Ramadan, the Injil was revealed to Isa (AS). Six hundred and twenty years after that, the revelation of the Holy Qur’an commenced on the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan. That is why this night is marked by special celebrations, and it is assumed to be the Night of Power, Laylat al-Qadr.

Bismi llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Behold, We have sent it down on the Night of Power. And what shall teach thee what is the Night of Power? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.

In it the angels and the Spirit descend, by the leave of their Lord, upon every command.

Peace it is, till the rising of the dawn.

Surat al-Qadr (97)

There exists a traditional account regarding this Surah whereby the angel Jibril (AS) one day appeared to the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and told him the following story:

A long time ago, there lived in Israel a pious and God-fearing man named Samsun. His parents had placed him in the service of the Lord ﷻ from the time he was a child. He grew to be an unusually strong man, and Allah gave him such strength that he could singlehandedly defeat a great number of his foes.

There was a secret to his great strength, but no one knew about it except Samsun himself. He fought tirelessly against the foes of Israel, his only weapon being the jawbone of a camel. In his hand, this bone became a sword, and with it he dispatched thousands of unbelievers.

This camel bone also was a source of food for him, for whenever he was hungry, cooked and roasted meat would appear between the teeth of this camel bone, and whenever he was thirsty, cool, limpid water would stream forth from the teeth of the jawbone. Thus he also had water for his ablutions.

At night, the bone served him as a lamp. He spent many weeks and months alone in the desert, and by the Grace of God ﷻ, he depended not on the society of men. He spent his nights in prayer and fasted during the day, and he fought no less than a thousand months against the unbelievers. No one could defeat him, for he was covered by Allah’s protection, and who can raise his hand against Allah?

One day, Samsun went into town. There he saw a woman and he desired her. She was one of the unbelievers, but he married her anyway, and for a while they lived together. This woman was named Dalila. Now the unbelievers saw that they had a chance, and they approached the wife of Samsun, saying to her, “We will give you great reward; you shall have a sack of gold, if you will deliver your husband to us in chains.”

Dalila said, “How am I to do this, being that I am but a woman and weak? You expect me to do what not even your mightiest fighter has accomplished?” The leaders of the unbelievers gave her a strong rope and told her to tie him up with it while he slept, and then to call them. She agreed to do this, took the rope, and when Samsun finally lay down to rest after long prayers, she tied him hand and foot.

After some time, Samsun stirred and woke up intending to make his ablutions. He stretched his limbs slightly, as a sleeper will do when he awakes, and as he did so, the ropes came away from his hands and feet as if they were no more than cobwebs. Samsun was surprised and asked, “Who tied me up here?”

Dalila realised that her plan had failed and resorted to feminine wiles. “It was I who tied you up, O Samsun,” she admitted with a charming smile. “I wished to find out how strong you really are.” Samsun smiled indulgently and forgot the incident.

The next night, the plotters supplied her with iron chains with which to bind Samsun while he slept, and she did so. But again, when he stretched his limbs to rise for his prayers, the chains fell off him and clattered to the ground, breaking apart as if they were of clay.

Samsun said, “O Dalila, I am a specially dedicated servant of the Lord ﷻ, and His light radiates from my heart and runs in my veins. It is this light which burns away all fetters and chains of this world, and there is nothing my enemies can bind me with. The Lord’s light turns all their wills to dust and ashes.”

Dalila then learned that his strength lay in his hair. If it were cut, he would lose his power. The next night, she cut his long hair and braided it into ropes. With these she bound him hand and foot, then called for the guards. Samsun awoke and was unable to free himself. The princes of the unbelievers prepared a great celebration. They tortured and blinded him, leaving him slumped between two pillars.

As he was in agony and close to death, the angel Jibril (AS) appeared to him and said, “Take heart, O Samsun, for Allah ﷻ is with you. He has been pleased to exalt your rank to that of the prophets (AS). Ask of Him whatever you wish, and He will grant it to you.”

Samsun prayed, and the angel instructed him to ask Allah ﷻ to restore his strength. Samsun’s hair grew back, and his strength returned. He rattled his chains and braced against the pillars. The pillars gave way, and the entire building collapsed, burying the enemies beneath it.

Allah Almighty also restored Samsun’s eyesight, and he went on to fight another thousand months against the enemies of Allah ﷻ.

When the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ finished telling his companions this story, they became dejected. They said, “O Rasulullah ﷺ, what a weak ones we are! What strength Allah ﷻ bestowed upon His hero Samsun! He ﷻ granted him the service of a full two thousand months, that is twice eighty-three years, to fight in His way against the enemies of the Lord. If we should live to see our eightieth year, we can hardly rise from our seats. It strikes us as painful and a bitter loss that we are denied this reward…”

The Prophet ﷺ lowered his head and remained silent for some time. When he lifted his head again, the angel Jibril (AS) had come to him and brought him the revelation of Surah al-Qadr, which he then recited to his companions. The Holy Prophet was filled with joy at this revelation.

In this Surah it is said that the revelation of the Holy Qur’an began on the Night of Power. That is to say, the Holy Qur’an was sent down to earth from its place in the well-preserved tablets, the lawh al-mahfuz, in the Divine Presence. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says in this Surah:

“And what shall teach thee what is the Night of Power? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months …”

Allah ﷻ has given this precious night to the nation of Muhammad ﷺ as a gift. The exact night is not known, it could be any night, but it is most likely one of the last odd-numbered nights of Ramadan. Allah Almighty has hidden this sacred night so that every day of the month is honoured. In the same way, He has hidden His Holiest Name in the Holy Qur’an, for if this Name were known, no one would ask for anything beyond it.

If someone has read the whole of the Qur’an, he will also have read Allah ﷻ’s Holiest Name. Likewise, He has hidden His saints and chosen ones among the crowd of common people, so that each one of His servants might be honoured and none despised, for it is impossible to know whether the least likely one might in reality be one of the saints.

During this Night of Power, Allah Almighty commands the archangels Jibril (AS), Mika’il (AS), and Israfil (AS) to make ready. Each assembles seventy thousand angels, each commanding another seventy thousand. They descend upon the earth, flags flying.

One is the “Liwa’ al-Hamd,” the banner of Praise, under which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ will gather his nation on the Day of Judgment. The second flag is the Banner of Kindness, the third is the Banner of Pardon, and the fourth is the Banner of Mercy.

The Banner of Praise will be erected between heaven and earth, the Banner of Pardon will be set upon the revered Ka’bah, the Banner of Mercy will be placed upon the Prophet Muhammad’s grave in Madinah, and the Banner of Kindness upon the holy house in Jerusalem.

After the angels have erected these banners in their appointed places, they roam the earth and offer their greetings of peace. They give their salams to all the believers on this night.

They visit the houses of Muslims and give salams to those who dwell therein. Some houses they greet only from outside and pass on. Other houses they enter and give greetings before continuing. Some houses the angels enter and greet their dwellers with great warmth, and yet other Muslims are embraced by the angels and held close. Thus, the angels visit all the believers across the entire earth.

Which are the dwellings that the angels greet only from outside? They are those that harbour a dog, alcoholic drink, or images. By images are meant not ordinary pictures or photographs of one’s children, but images or statues that are revered and held in high esteem, like idols. The angels of Mercy do not enter those houses; they salute the inhabitants only from outside and continue on their way.

The houses they enter but leave very soon, after quickly delivering their salams, are the houses of the sleepers. These inhabitants are unaware of the holy night; no one is awake and engaged in prayer, so the angels greet them and pass on.

A third group of dwellings, which the angels enter and where they warmly greet the inhabitants, are those in which dhikr and tasbiḥ are being performed. The houses where people are at prayer are those the angels love most. They enter them, embrace those who are praying within, and Allah ﷻ Himself sends them His salams.

One day the Holy Prophet ﷺ sat reflecting upon the state of his nation and began to weep. He wept so much that his tears ran over his blessed beard and fell upon the earth. “How will they be able to stand on the Day of Judgment? Will Allah Almighty forgive them their sins, or will they be destined for Hell?” He wept for his nation from the day he was born, throughout the sixty-three years of his life, until the hour of his death.

He ﷺ cried, “O ‘Azra’il (AS), do not punish my nation; punish me in their stead!” ‘Azra’il (AS) then spoke to the Holy Prophet ﷺ, saying, “O Prophet of Allah, I am instructed to take the souls of the believers of your nation in the way I take the souls of the prophets (AS), just as one might draw a hair from a lump of butter.”

Another time, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ was weeping for his nation, the angel Jibril (AS) approached him and said, “O Prophet of Allah, the Lord promises to give your nation all that He has given to the prophets of the past, except the rank of prophethood. Apart from this rank, He wishes to bestow upon them Grace and Favour in the same measure that He bestowed upon them.

For He ﷻ said: ‘Peace be upon Nuh (AS) among the worlds!’ and He gave him prophethood along with His greetings of peace and saved him from the flood. And He ﷻ said: ‘Peace be upon Musa (AS) and Harun (AS)!’ as He gave them greetings of peace, made them victorious over Pharaoh, and kept them safe from his plots.

Then He ﷻ said: ‘Peace be upon Ibrahim (AS)!’ and He gave Ibrahim (AS) His peace, granted him safety in Nimrod’s fire, and saved him from destruction.

Now He ﷻ has sent me, Jibril (who is also called ruh, the spirit), on this holy Night of Power to bring peace to your nation, and to whomever He sends His Peace, He also sends His Mercy. So deliver to them these glad tidings! Allah ﷻ has spoken: ‘O My Beloved, do not be saddened for your nation, for I shall give them high rank and dignity when they have left this world.’”

Such are the immeasurable blessings of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever repeats the shahada thrice during the holy Night of Power, Allah Almighty shall reward him with three gifts: all his past sins will be forgiven; he will be firmly established in his faith; and He will continue to guide him along the path of the righteous.”

• Hajja Amina Adil Sultanق

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