Rafed English
site.site_name : Rafed English

By : Mrs Hurul Ein Teja

Holy Prophet Mohammad ('s) has said:

"When Laylatul Qadr approaches, the Almighty Allah orders Gabriel (a.s) to descend accompanied by a crowd of angels to the earth with a green banner."

He would mount the banner on top of the Ka'aba while having six hundred wings, of which are not spread, except on Lailatul Qadr. He would spread them during that night, and he and all other angels would greet everyone who is standing for his prayers, sitting, adoring or reciting the Holy Qur'an. They would shake his hands with them and pray to the Almighty Allah (swt) to accept their pleas, and they would continue doing so till day break.

Why Better Than A Thousand Months ?

Mathematically this night, which is comprised of new hours, is honoured by Allah (swt) and praised over about eighty three years which is the equivalent of a thousand months.

The Umayyads fought Islam since its inception, and then they fought the family of the Prophet ('s), that is the Ahlul Bayt ('a), the whole time they were in power. The first self-declared Umayyad ruler was Abu Sufyan and the last was Muawiyah al-Himar.

So if you trace the period extending from the first year during which Abu Sufyan forced his authority on the Muslims until the Umayyads lost their grip of power, you will come to a figure equivalent to a thousand months. It is as if the Holy Qur'an is saying that one night in the sight of Allah (swt) is better than all the thousand months of those corrupt Umayyads who ruled the Muslim masses by sheer force for that time period.

Ibne Abbas quoted on page 5351 of "al-Sahih al Jami" that the Holy Prophet Mohammad ('s) said:

"Lailatul Qadr is easy, airy, neither very hot nor very cold; the sun rises on its morning coloured pale red".

The Holy Prophet ('s) was saying at the morning of Lailatul Qadr that the sun rises without rays; looking like a washbowl, till it is high. Laylatul Qadr is a serene night, neither hot nor cold, and no comet is hurled during it.
It has been quoted in a book - "Al Iqbal", by Abul Fadl ibn Muhammad al-Harwi, that the Holy Prophet ('s) has said, "whoever remains awake during Laylatul Qadr and spends it in adoration will have his penalty postponed till next year."

Prophet Musa (p)

Once, Prophet Musa ('a) said to the Almighty:

"I desired to be near you", to which Allah (swt) said, "Whoever desires to be near me should remain awake during Laylatul Qadr (worshiping me)."

"And I wish to earn your mercy" - Allah (swt) said, "That is granted to the one who is merciful to the indigent during this night."

"And I wish to pass on the right path" - Allah (swt) said, "This is granted to the one who spends alms during Laylatul Qadr."

"I wish to enjoy the trees and fruits of paradise" - the Almighty (swt) said, "That is granted to the one who praises me during this night."

Again Prophet Musa ('a) asked, "I wish to achieve salvation from the fire" - Allah (swt) said, "That is granted to the one who seeks forgiveness during Laylatul Qadr."

And then Prophet Musa ('a) said, "O 'Allah - I want to achieve your pleasure", the Almighty (swt) said, " I shall be pleased with any one who prays two rakaat Namaaz during this night."

On Laylatul Qadr, the night journey (isra) to heaven took place, and the Almighty raised Isa ('a), son of Maryam ('a) to Him, and on it, his servant and Prophet Musa ('a) died and so did Joshua (Yusha' bin Nun) ('a), "wasi" of Moses ('a). Yusha' bin Nun carried out the first assignment of Musa (a.s) on their first arrival at the Promised Land. After the death of Harun ('a), he accompanied Musa ('a) in the desert for forty years, and carried out all the assignments that were previously carried out by Harun ('a). His name is not mentioned in al-Quran but is referred to along with the narratives of Musa ('a) in Sura Maidah, Kahaf and Waqeah. (Ref: Syed Muhammad Hussain Shamsi, p.51)

The Commander of the Faithful

The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali ('a), was martyred also on the night of Laylatul Qadr.

"The martyrdom of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, occurred before dawn of Friday, the twenty-first of the month of Ramadan, in the year 40 A.H. He was a victim of the sword. Ibn Muljam al-Muradi, may God curse him, killed him at the mosque of Kufa, which Imam Ali A.S had come to, in order to wake the people for the dawn prayer on the night of the nineteenth of the month of Ramadan.

He had been lying in wait for him from the beginning of the night. When he (the Commander of the faithful) passed by him while the latter was hiding his design by feigning sleep amid a group of people who were asleep, he (Ibn Muljam) sprang out and struck him on the top of his head with his poisoned sword when Imam Ali ('a) was in Sajdah leading the Jamaat prayers.

He lingered through the day of the nineteenth and the night and day of the twentieth and the first third of the night of the twenty-first. Then he, peace be on him, died a martyr and met his Lord, Most High, as one who has been wronged. He, peace be on him, knew of that before its time and he told the people of it before its time." ("The Life of Imam Ali ('a) - The First Holy Immaculate Imam", Victory News Magazine, 2002)
The Almighty Allah (swt) has also said, "Peace it is, till the break of the morning" -that is Laylatul-Qadr is a night of peace and tranquillity against all evils, tribulations and mischief of the devils.

References :

Abul Fadl ibn Muhammad al-Harwi, "Al Iqbal".

"Al-Sahih al Jami", Ibne Abbas quoted on page 5351.

Shamsi, Syed Muhammad Hussain (1994) "The Prophets of Islam", Alhuda Foundation, U.S.A.

Victory News Magazine (2002) "The Life of Imam Ali (A.S.) - The First Holy Immaculate Imam".