Hajja Rukiye Sultan: The Blessings of Laylatul Qadr

Bismi Llāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm

Alhamdulillah, now we are in the second ten days of Ramadan. Subhanallah, the first few days are hard, then it becomes like the wind. Now we are nearly halfway through Ramadan.

Ramadan, its first ten days are rahmah, mercy. The second ten days are maghfirah, forgiveness. The third ten days are itqu min an-nar, freedom from the Fire. The rahmah in the first ten days means mercy from Allah ﷻ, and truly all of Ramadan is mercy from Allah ﷻ. The second ten days are the days of forgiveness, and the third ten days Allah ﷻ sets us free from the Hellfire.

Alhamdulillah, we are very lucky that Allah ﷻ gave this month especially to the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, to us. We are lucky to have the month of Ramadan, and we are lucky, Alhamdulillah, that Allah ﷻ created us as Muslims, and also as practicing Muslims.

Ramadan is the month of barakah. There is so much barakah in the month of Ramadan, Subhanallah. Everything in it has barakah. It is a very precious month, so we must remember this and keep its honor and its value until it is finished.

Allah ﷻ hides the most holy night of the year, Laylatul Qadr, inside this month. Laylatul Qadr is like a night of Eid for the angels. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told us about Laylatul Qadr. He said to look for Laylatul Qadr in the last ten days of Ramadan, in the odd-numbered nights, the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, and 29th. That means the night before the day of the 21st, or the 23rd, and so on.

Over time, the habit became that people celebrate it on the night of the 27th of Ramadan. This is because of a special calculation in the Arabic calendar. Many of the holy people and scholars calculated it through Surah al-Qadr:

Inna anzalnahu fi laylatil qadr
Wa ma adraka ma laylatul qadr
Laylatul qadri khayrun min alfi shahr

The word qadr is repeated three times, and based on this they said that most of the time it is on the 27th night of Ramadan.

May Allah ﷻ make an opening for us to witness that night, because it is the holiest night of the year.

Subhanallah, Allah ﷻ gives salam, greetings, to the Ummah in the Holy Quran. With the salam that Allah gave to Prophet Nuh (AS), he was victorious over the unbelievers and saved from the flood.

Allah ﷻ gave salam to Prophet Musa (AS), and with that salam he was able to split the sea and pass safely.

Allah ﷻ gave salam to Prophet Isa (AS), and with that salam he was able to bring the dead back to life.

And Allah ﷻ gave salam to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the form of shafa‘a, intercession.

Allah ﷻ gave the salam of mercy to the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and this salam is in the night of Laylatul Qadr:

Tanazzalul malaikatu war ruhu fiha
Bi idhni rabbihim min kulli amr
Salamun hiya hatta matla‘il fajr

Allah ﷻ gives salam in this night. All the doors of the heavens are open. All the angels are ready. Allah ﷻ, with His divine command, orders Jibril (AS), Israfil (AS), Mika’il (AS), and all the angels to descend to the Earth to give salam to His servants, the Muslims who are honoring that night. Those who are in their homes praying, reading Quran, making du‘a, staying awake, or even sleeping a little and waking again.

On this holy night, the angels bring down four flags from the heavens. One flag is Liwa al-Hamd, the flag of praise and thankfulness, and they place it on top of the Ka‘bah. The second flag is Liwa al-Maghfirah, the flag of forgiveness, and they place it on the grave of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The third flag is Liwa al-Karamah, the flag of honor, and they place it on Masjid al-Aqsa. The fourth flag is Liwa ar-Rahmah, the flag of mercy, and they keep it between the heavens and the Earth.

On Laylatul Qadr, the angels visit every Muslim and every believing house. Some angels give salam from outside the house. Some enter the house, give salam, and leave. Some hug the person and give salam. And there are some houses where Allah ﷻ Himself gives salam directly to the people inside.

If the angels give salam from outside the house, it means there is something preventing them from entering, such as a dog inside the house, statues, or alcohol. Alcohol is forbidden in Islam. If you have a dog, keep it in the garden, not inside the house. Statues have shadows, and this is why they are not allowed, but pictures do not have shadows, so they are permitted.

Still, pictures should not face the qiblah, and there should not be inappropriate or meaningless images in the house. In these cases, each angel passes by, gives salam from outside, and makes du‘a for the people of the house to remove these things and for Allah ﷻ to guide them.

The second type of salam is when the angels enter the house, give salam, and leave. The people of the house may be sleeping and not engaged in worship, but still the angels enter.

The third type of salam is when the angels enter and hug the person. This happens when someone is praying, reading Quran, making du‘a, or doing dhikr. Some people are hugged by Jibril (AS). And there are people whom Allah ﷻ gives salam to directly. These are the ones standing sincerely in prayer. This salam comes directly from the Divine Presence.

Laylatul Qadr is better than one thousand months. In calculation, this is more than eighty-three years. It is around thirty thousand days and thirty thousand nights. This shows the immense value of this night.

We must search for this night, at least on every odd night. We make the intention that tonight may be Laylatul Qadr, inshaAllah, and we pray more. We stay awake a little longer before sleeping. This is how we honor Laylatul Qadr.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told his companions about a man who struggled in the path of Allah ﷻ for one thousand months. He was calling people to belief and serving Allah ﷻ for all that time. The companions cried because they said their lives were not long enough to reach such a level of service. By the time they reached old age, they would not even be able to move, let alone struggle in the path of Allah ﷻ.

Then Surah Inna anzalnahu fi laylatil qadr was revealed, and they became very happy. According to some narrations, Surah al-Qadr was among the first surahs revealed in Madinah. Fasting also became obligatory after Prophet Muhammad ﷺ migrated to Madinah.

May Allah ﷻ write us among those who receive salam on this night. We hope it is directly from Him ﷻ, but even if angels hug us, this is already a great honor.

There are four rak‘ats to be prayed in addition to Taraweeh on the night of Laylatul Qadr. They are prayed together with one salam.

In each rak‘at, recite Surah at-Takathur once and Surah al-Ikhlas three times. If you do not know Surah at-Takathur, you may recite Surah al-Ikhlas eleven times in each rak‘at, and this is acceptable, inshaAllah.

After finishing, recite one hundred times Astaghfirullah al-‘Azim wa atubu ilayh, and one hundred times Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammadin wa sallim.

Then make du‘a for whatever you wish. Make du‘a for yourself, for your family, for your relatives, for your friends, and for the Ummah. Ask Allah ﷻ to remove this illness from the world. Ask for the coming of Sayyidina al-Mahdi (AS) as soon as possible. Ask for protection for our children, and for them to remain on the right path.

Pray for your children. Pray for them again and again. Even if they are not on the right path, or not even on the same religion, pray that Allah ﷻ brings them to the right path. The du‘a of a mother is among the most valuable du‘as, and it is accepted in the Divine Presence.

Pray for them on this holy day, this holy night, and on every holy occasion.

InshaAllah, Allah ﷻ accepts our du‘as and keeps us and our children on the straight path. This is very important.

• Hajja Rukiye Sultan

---