Narrated Aisha ra: Allah's Apostle SAW said,
"Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of
Ramadan. "Sahih
Bukhari"
I remembered
when I was small, I heard stories about a very special night where all the
trees would prostrate until dawn. The trees would literally bow down, as if it
is praying to God Al Mighty. These stories came from those, whom had supposedly
witnessed such miracle.
Since
then, I have always been intrigued by this special night. Due to my lack of knowledge
and complete ignorance of my religion, of course, I would not have the slightly
clue what this special night is. All I knew was that it is called night of Qadr
and it happens during Ramadhan.
A
few years ago, I decided to find out more about this miraculous night. I wanted
to know if the trees really did bow down. How come there aren’t any hidden
camera footage of this incidents? I mean, people take the trouble to install
infra red cameras or hidden cameras to capture movement of ghost and spirits and
even big foot, so why has no one bothered to do the same, to unravel the
mystery of the night of Qadr? I mean it would be super fantastic wouldn’t it,
to actually see it with our own eyes?
I
posed the same question to the Wise Owl. The Wise Owl smiled and replied, “sister,
the night of Qadr and what happens that night, is a Secret kept by God Al
Mighty. No one knows when it will take place or what will happen that night. He
will only reveal that night to those whom He Wills. The trees and plants give
tasbih all the time. It’s just that we can’t hear it”.
It
is true that the trees do prostrate to God Al Mighty but we have no knowledge
as to when or how, so, maybe on that night, God reveals such act of devotion. Wallahualam....
“And the stars and trees prostrate. And the stars and
trees prostrate.”
Surah
Ar-Rahman 55:6
Basically,
night of Qadr or in Arabic ‘Laylat al-Qadr’ means night of power. The description
of this night is very clearly found in the Quran.
“1. Verily!
We have sent it (this Qur'an) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree)
3. The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a
thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allah in that night is better than
worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).
4. Therein descend the angels
and the Ruh [Jibrael
(Gabriel)] by Allah's Permission with all Decrees,
5. Peace! (All that night, there is Peace and Goodness from Allah to
His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn.
Surah Al-Qadr 97:1-5
Then, light bulb appeared and I understood what the Wise Owl meant
by “Secret kept by God Almighty”. One thing for certain is, we know that the ‘laylat
al- qadr’ will definitely happen. What we do not know is when. We have a rough
estimation of its arrival, that is, any time during the last 10 nights of
Ramadhan but still we can’t be certain.
“Narrated Aishah (RA): Allah’s
Messenger (PBUH) said, “Search for the ‘Night of Qadr’ in
the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.”
(Hadith No. 2017, Book of Superiority of the ‘Night
of Qadr’, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 3).
The night itself and the event that unfolds during the night of Qadr,
to me, is a secret that is imparted from the Creator to its creation. When God
decides to reveal His Power and also His Blessing and Mercy, on his slave, by
showing him or her, the miracle that unfolds on that special night, this person
has been chosen to keep a secret. That is why, to me, the whole miraculous incident
should still remain a secret. If God has chosen a certain person to witness
such magnificent act of worship, then, to me, God has chosen THAT person to
share His Secret with. That Secret is not meant to be shared with the whole
world. If God wanted to share it with the whole world, then He would have shown
it to all.
Now, it all makes sense to me. I am certain that there are chosen
people whom God had shown the Glory of His Powers on that special night but
these chosen people has opted to remain silent. After all, a secret it still a
secret. They are reluctant to speak about it because perhaps by revealing it to
everyone, they are afraid that it might create a feeling a riya’ or arrogance
in them hence, invite the wrath of God.
The Wise Owl also told me that the reason the night of Qadr is
kept a secret is because to test the true devotion and sincerity of His slaves.
Ask ourselves, why do we want to witness the night of Qadr? Is it so that we
can tell others about it and that it be evidence of our piousness; or, it is
because as slaves, we always seek for God’s Mercy? And, if God were to show us
His Mercy and Powers, can we really keep it to ourselves?
Having said that, I don’t mean that we should not seek for it. All
by means, we should but, make sure our intention is true and sincere. Just a
few days ago, a sister asked me, “sister, if I stay up all night the last 10
days of Ramadhan, will I witness the night of power?”….hhhmm…..you know, I had
asked the exact question to the Wise Owl years before. So I told this sister,
what the Wise Owl told me. Seeking for the Mercy of the night of Power should
not start from the last 10 days of Ramadhan but it should start very much
earlier than that. Some religious scholars even start seeking and begging for
it from the month of Syaaban. Devotion and steadfastness in worshipping should
not just be for Ramadhan but all year round.
We can stay up all night and drink pots of coffee but if God has
decided not to show us, then we will not witness it. We can even pitch up our cameras but if we are not meant to see it it, then the camera will not capture anything. He chooses whom He Wills.
So……what is so great about this night of power (other than trees
prostrating)? This special night is where the rewards of worshipping Allah SWT
on that night alone, is better than a thousand months. That, is also the night
where our supplications will be answered and our sins forgiven.
“Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): The
Prophet (PBUH) said, “Whoever observed Saum (fast) in the month of Ramadan with sincere
faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his past sins will be
forgiven, and whoever stood for the Salat in the ‘Night of Qadr’ with sincere faith and
hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his past sins will be forgiven.”
(Hadith No. 2014, Book of Superiority of the
‘Night of Qadr’, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 3).
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with
him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said: "Our Lord (glorified and exalted be He) descends each
night to the earth's sky when there remains the final third of the night, and
He says: 'Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? Who is asking
something of Me that I may give it him? Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I
may forgive him?'" [Bukhari (also by Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi and Abu
Dawud).]
So, my sisters and brothers, we do not know if we will live to
experience another Ramadhan so let’s make this one counts. It is not too late
to increase our sunnah prayers and supplications. We are encourage to keep
vigil throughout the night, especially the last 10 nights, by performing night
prayers, reciting Quran and also dhikr, not so that we can witness the night of
Qadr but out of sincere devotion and to express our gratitude towards our
Creator. If we survive this Ramadhan, then let the momentum continues until the
next Ramadhan and the next……..
Sacrifice our sleep and comfort for the sake of Allah SWT and who
knows……God Al Mighty might just share a secret with us…..Ameen…..
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