Night of Power: Shed your veil at night

“We have indeed revealed this [Message] in the Night of Power. And what will explain to you what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand Months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Alláh’s permission on every errand. Peace… this until the rise of Morning!”

Allah created heavens and the earth, and then created one being to stand out amongst all the others: mankind

Out of all the ways that were sent down of ages past, he chose Islam as a way for us “This day I have perfected your religion for you and given you Islam”

Out of mankind, he created one human being to stand out amongst all the humans: Muhammad “verily in the Messenger of Allah do you have a most excellent of example”

And for mankind, once in a lifetime, he has given us Hajj as an act of worship

And out of all the acts of worship, Allah has chosen one act for Himself and he will reward it without measure “assiyammu li”; fasting in the month of Ramadan

And out of the fasting that he has given us, He has chosen one night to forgive us our sins;

The night in which Allah opened up the heavens and revealed the Qur’an to a man whose named would encompass the annals of history; we cannot even imagine how the world would be without this one act of Mercy that Allah did for us:

Arabs would still be in jahiliyyah, many nations would still be in darkness, including Europe, science, technology, math, all would have stopped in their tracts as Islam was the religion that created geniuses that trailblazed history;

Movie came out a few years ago called Independence Day and in it, the President of the US, after seeing his country destroyed, gets up and makes a speech to the few of mankind that are left and says “this day we take back our humanity, we take back our country”

So this Night of Power is an independence night of sorts for all of humanity; the day when an independence for ignorance, tribalism, bloodshed, took root in the most backward of places; a night as we look back in History, we can easily say that it was a night when Allah “gave us back our humanity, and gave dignity back to mankind”

But like any other celebration that occurs in Islam, we honored it not with parties, dances, or any public occurances, but rather with solemness and gratitude to the One who gave us this opportunity: the Creater of the Heavens and the Earth and everything in between: Allah

But it is for us to take advantage of this night; to use it as an opportunity to get closer to him; so we are instructed to seek it out in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan; it is difficult: our bodies are tired from lack of energy, our mind is weaker because of lack of food, but if we did the first 20 days correctly, one organ is stronger and can rejuvinate the entire body and push us till the end: our heart

And so we need to seek it out at night during these nights that are upon us, and don’t let the opportunity pass us by; who knows if it will ever come again;

Abu Dah Daah was one of those who found an opportunity and won that which is greater than the heavens and the earth. An adult companion of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) cultivated his garden next to the property of an orphan. The orphan claimed that a specific palm tree was on his property and thus belonged to him. The companion rejected the claim and off to the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) went the orphan boy to complain. With his justness, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) measured the two gardens and found that the palm tree did indeed belong to the companion. The orphan erupted crying. Seeing this, the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) offered the companion, “would you give him the palm tree and to you is a palm tree in Jannah?” However, the companion in his disbelief that an orphan would complain to the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) missed the opportunity and went away angry.
But someone else saw the opportunity, Abu Dah Daah – radi Allahu ‘anhu. He went to the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and asked, “Ya Rasul Allah, if I buy the tree from him and give it to the orphan shall I have that tree in Jannah?” The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) replied, “Yes.”
Abu Dah Daah chased after the companion and asked, “Would you sell that tree to me for my entire garden?” The companion answered, “Take it for there is no good in a tree that I was complained to the Prophet about.”
Immediately, Abu Dah Daah went home and found his wife and children playing in the garden. “Leave the garden!” shouted Abu Dah Daah, “we’ve sold it to Allah! We’ve sold it to Allah!” Some of his children had dates in their hand and he snached the dates from them and threw them back into the garden. “We’ve sold it to Allah!”
When Abu Dah Daah was later martyred in the battle of Uhud, Rasul Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) stood over his slain body and remarked, “How many shady palm trees does Abu Dah Daah now have in paradise?”
What did Abu Dah Daah lose? Dates? Bushes? Dirt? What did he gain? He gained a Jannah whose expanse is the heavens and the earth.
Abu Dah Daah did not miss his opportunity, and I pray to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) that we do not miss our opportunity of standing to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) on Laylatul Qadr.
It was narrated that in the days that Musa (Alahi salaam) wandered with Bani Israel in the desert an intense drought befell them. Together, they raised their hands towards the heavens praying for the blessed rain to come. Then, to the astonishment of Musa (Alahi salaam) and all those watching, the few scattered clouds that were in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought intensified.
It was revealed to Musa that there was a sinner amongst the tribe of Bani Israel whom had disobeyed Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) for more than forty years of his life. “Let him separate himself from the congregation,” Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) told Musa (Alahi salaam). “Only then shall I shower you all with rain.”
Musa (Alahi salaam) then called out to the throngs of humanity, “There is a person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah for forty years. Let him separate himself from the congregation and only then shall we be rescued from the drought.” That man, waited, looking left and right, hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one did. Sweat poured forth from his brow and he knew that he was the one.
The man knew that if he stayed amongst the congregation all would die of thirst and that if he stepped forward he would be humiliated for all eternity.
He raised his hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with a humility he had never tasted, and as tears poured down on both cheeks he said: “O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah, forgive me!”
As Musa (Alahi salaam) and the people of Bani Israel awaited for the sinner to step forward, the clouds hugged the sky and the rain poured. Musa (Alahi salaam) asked Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala), “O Allah, you blessed us with rain even though the sinner did not come forward.” And Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) replied, “O Musa, it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed all of Bani Israel with water.”
Musa (Alahi salaam), wanting to know who this blessed man was, asked, “Show him to me O Allah!” Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) replied, “O Musa, I hid his sins for forty years, do you think that after his repentance I shall expose him?”
The night is a veil over the day, just like our clothes are a cover for us; use the night as an opportunity to expose your sins, open your hearts, and cry to Allah for He is the only one that can forgive, change our hearts, and make us be close to Him on the Day of Judgment.

Last Friday of Ramadan

Imagine a loved one coming to visit at your house for a little while. Before the arrival, there is much anticipation, a yearning for the days to go by fast until they arrive, preparation, etc. and the initial days are great, filled with talking, laughing, hanging out, etc. the middle period is a bit more awkward and thoughts begin to come into your head, although you don’t voice them, that when will this be over? And before you know it, it comes time for your friend to leave; you begin to wonder how quickly the time went by, how you could extend it a bit more, you know you have to, but you hate to say good bye, so you say “till next time”!!!

The month of Ramadan is that visitor, who comes but once a year, stays for a little while, and then departs; you hate to say good bye, so you settle with “till next time” not knowing, but praying that next year, you will be around for his visit;
So it is time for us, in this last Friday of the month of Ramadan to say farewell to this blessed visitor; it came with eager anticipation, filled our lives with blessings, and although we knew this day would come, we didn’t know it would come so soon!!! But this visitor is not leaving without a mark on our lives; because of its visit, Muslims got together and became closer; and this visitor is leaving some things behind for us to reflect upon, because it taught us a bit more about ourselves; most importantly being that we can do anything we set our minds to:

Following are some of the lessons that we learnt in Ramadan (borrowed from Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi):

1. Patience: Fasting in Ramadan taught us patience (sabr). It taught us self-discipline. Now we have to use this training. We avoided some permissible things during fasting, now we know how to control ourselves and protect ourselves from unlawful (Haram) things.

2. Control over passions and desires: Fasting taught us to control our passions and desires. Now we have to use this training and keep ourselves always pure. We must not be the slaves of our lusts and desires. We should not obey our desires, but we must obey Allah all the time.

3. Control over bad temper: Fasting taught us to control bad temper. It taught us how to avoid bad words. Now we have to use this training. We must not quarrel with others or use bad language. We should be a gentle and honorable people all the time.
4. Charity: Fasting taught us charity (muwasat). We paid our Zakat and our Sadaqat in this month. Now we know how to be good, kind and generous to those who are in need. Now we know how to help good causes always.

5. Nawafil: During Ramadan we prayed Tarawih during the night. Now we should be regular in our daily prayers. We should pray them on time and in a proper manner. We woke up for Sahur every night. Now we can get up for Tahajjud prayer. We should try to pray Tahajjud as much as possible.

6. Regular Visit to Masjid: During Ramadan we came to the Masjid every day. Now we should make a habit to pray at the Masjid as much as we can. We have our Friday which is known as the Sayyid al-Ayyam (the best day of the week). We should not neglect the Friday prayer. We should also take care of the Masjid. Those who come to the Masjid should be also those who maintain the Masjid.

7. Reading of the Qur’an: During Ramadan we read the Qur’an and we listened to the Qur’an. Now we should make a resolution to read the Qur’an every day. We should read one juz’ or half Juz’ every day. We should read with translation and try to reflect on the Words of Allah.

8. Family gathering: During Ramadan we spent more time with our families. We ate together and we prayed together. Now we should keep this habit. The families that eat together and pray together stay together. We should have good relations with our spouses. We should pay more attention to our children and our youth. We should give them more time and continue to help them to learn the principles and values of Islam. We must pay attention to their Islamic education and training.
9. Concern for the Ummah: During Ramadan we prayed to Allah to help the Muslims of Palestine, Chechnya, Muslims of Kashmir, Muslims of Iraq, Muslims of Afghanistan and Muslims who are suffering in many other lands. We should continue to know more about them and do whatever we can to relieve their suffering and to help bring justice and peace in the world.
10. More good deeds: During Ramadan we did a lot of good things. Now we should be in the habit of doing good all the time.
The purpose of ‘Ibadah (our acts of worship) is to make us Allah’s servants. Allah’s servants are the best human beings. Our challenge is to become the best human beings that we are supposed to be.

Khutba Before Ramadan

Shahru Ramadan - The month of Ramadan

Shahr ul Bishara - The month of Glad Tidings

Shahr ul Burhan - The month of the Proof

Shahr ul Ghufran - The month of Forgiveness

Shahr ul Ibada - The month of the Worship of Allah

Shahr ul Ihsan - The month of Goodness

Shahr ul iman - The month of True Faith

Shahru Laylatil Qadr - The month of the Blessed Night of Power for night-long worship

Shahr ul Mahamid - The month of the Praises of Allah

Shahr ul Masabih - The month of Luminous Lamps

Shahr ul Masajid - The month of the Mosques

Shahru Nabiyyuna Muhammad alayhis salatu was salam - The month of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him

Shahr ul Qiyam - The month of Standing-up for Prayer

Shahr ul Quran - The month of the Quran, when it was first revealed

Shahr us Saada - The month of Happiness, the month of Salvation

Shahr ush Shahada- The month of Witnessing

Shahr us Siyam - The month of Fasting

Shahr ut Tahara The month of Purification, of body, heart and soul

Shahr ut Tarawih - The month of Tarawih prayers

Shahr ut Tawba - The month of Repentance

Shahr uz Ziyada - The month of Increase (in Allah's Blessings)

As you know, the month of Ramadan is fast approaching, so I thought I would take the opportunity in this khutba to remind myself and you about some of the basics. We go through them every year, masha Allah, but nonetheless, it is a good reminder.

First of all, we must thank Allah for allowing us the opportunity to witness it’s beginning whereas there are some people, who did not live long enough from last year till this year. It is reported in stories that the companions used to make du’a during the month of Ramadan to make them complete it with acceptance, and then after it was over, they used to make dua that they would live to be blessed by another one. I pray to Allah that He allows us to live until this Ramadan begins and allows us the blessing of completing it with acceptance.

It is stated that the Ramadan comes from the root Ra ma da, ramida, arramad, which means to burn through scorching. It is said that Ramadan used to fall in the hottest month of the year during the time of the Prophet and before (August). So, for example, Allah made the cycle of forests in such a way that they have fires that burn everything to the ground, and from this lifelessness of the forest, you get richer and stronger growth. And the same can be said about the human body, that it needs a fast to cleanse itself of the impurities of this world. Some people call this detoxification, but interestingly enough, to all religions, Allah gave a certain kind of fast. It might not have the same fiqh rules as the fast of Muslims, but they were still given one, as it mentions in the Qur’an:

O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you attain righteousness (2:183)

And the last part of this verse is very important when it comes to fasting. We need to reflect upon it within the context of our own lives. For many of us, we have been through many fasts of Ramadan, so the question becomes, have we increased in God-consciousness. If we haven’t, then either we are doing the fasting perfectly and the Qur’an is wrong (that fasting does not increase God consciousness) or we are imperfect and need to improve our fasting.

So it is important to revisit, before the month begins, how we will fast to attain more God-consciousness. And the best way to do this is to practice how we will fast in Ramadan, by fasting in this month, of Sha’ban. These next few days are important for this practice, but also to get a running start on Ramadan. If you look at it like a race, say 100 meter. If you take the fastest time of the 100 meter and multiply by 4, it will still be more than if you took the 400 meter fastest time. Why? Cause 3 of the runners had a running start. Starting from a stand still means you have to build momentum and this takes precious time. Time we don’t want to waste in Ramadan, so get a running start by fasting for the next few days, insha Allah.

And this blessed month, because it is so blessed has many names, as I mentioned earlier:

Shahru Ramadan - The month of Ramadan

Shahr ul Bishara - The month of Glad Tidings, because it is a month that Allah has given to Muslims as a blessing in that Gates of Paradise are swung open, Gates of Hell are slammed shut, and the shayateen are in chains

Shahr ul Burhan - The month of the Proof, because it is a month when the above hadeeth is manifested before our very eyes

Shahr ul Ghufran - The month of Forgiveness, because it is the month where the Prophet said in a hadith related by Abu Hurraira: “whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan with sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah’s reward, then all his past sins will be forgiven”

Shahr ul Ibada - The month of the Worship of Allah because it is a month it is the only entire month where you can be in worship of Allah for the entire day, every hour, every minute, every second, if you are fasting

Shahr ul Ihsan - The month of Goodness because it is a month where you find people being more good, by inviting each other over, sharing meals, being happy and festive

Shahr ul iman - The month of True Faith because it is a month where if you fast properly, you will increase your Iman

Shahru Laylatil Qadr - The month of the Night of Power because it is the month that Allah has given us one night which is better than 1000 months

Shahr ul Mahamid - The month of the Praises of Allah because it is a month where you find during the day and night, many more servants praising Allah

Shahr ul Masajid - The month of the Mosques because it is the month when the masajid become full of life and people come who never came before

Shahru Nabiyyuna Muhammad alayhis salatu was salam - The month of our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him because it is the month in which he secluded himself even before Islam and then was honored with revelation during it

Shahr ul Qiyam - The month of Standing-up for Prayer because it is the month when Muslims stand for prayer at night in worship of their Creator

Shahr ul Quran - The month of the Quran, because it is the month in which it was first revealed, and later, in which it was compiled in it form today by Jibreel and the Prophet

Shahr us Saada - The month of Happiness, the month of Salvation because it is a month that even if you were bad the entire year, it is in this month that you can be happy that Allah will forgive you

Shahr ush Shahada- The month of Witnessing in that it is the Month wherein Allah opened up the heavens and delivered to humans the final guidance and criterion

Shahr us Siyam - The month of Fasting because it is the only month which Allah has made obligatory on us to fast the entire month

Shahr ut Tahara The month of Purification because it is in this month, through the fasting that you purify your body, heart and soul

Shahr ut Tarawih - The month of Tarawih because it is in this month that you stay up after the ‘Isha prayer, and pray some more, completing the recitation of Qur’an

Shahr ut Tawba - The month of Repentance because it is the month that brings an opportunity to reflect on the past, ask for forgiveness, and move on with your life with a new beginning

Shahr uz Ziyada - The month of Increase (in Allah's Blessings) because it is the month when Allah increases all the good actions that one performs for 70 fold



The Sermon given by the Most Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam on the last Friday of Sha'ban on the reception of the month of Ramadhan. I could not find it’s chain of narration, but it has a good message, and I found it on Shk. Google:


"O People!

Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah.

A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness.

A month that, with Allah, is the best of months.

Its days, the best of days; its nights, the best of nights; and its hours, the best of hours.

It is the month that invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him.

Each breath you take glorifies Him; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered.

So, ask Allah, your Lord; to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite His book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah's forgiveness during this great month.

Remember the hunger and thirst of the day of Qiyamah (Judgement) with your hunger and thirst; give alms to the needy and poor, honor your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain relations with your blood relations; guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people so compassion may be shown to your orphans.

Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in dua during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards his creatures with kindness, replying to them during the hours and granting their needs if he is asked...

O People! Indeed your souls are dependant on your deeds, free it with repentance, lighten its loads by long prostrations; and know that Allah swears by his might: That there is no punishment for the one who prays and prostrates and he shall have no fear of the fire on the day when man stands before the Lord of the worlds.

O People! One who gives Iftaar to a fasting person during this month will be like one who has freed someone and his past sins will be forgiven."

Some of the people who were there then asked the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam: "Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?"

The Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam replied:

"Allah gives this reward even if the Iftaar is a drink of water."

"One who has good morals (Akhlaq) during this month will be able to pass the 'Siraat'...on the day when feet will slip...

One who covers the faults of others will benefit in that Allah will curb His anger on the day of Judgment...

As for one who honors an orphan; Allah will honor him on the day of judgment.

And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah will spread His mercy over him on the day of Judgment.

As for the one who cuts the ties of relation; Allah will cut His mercy from him...

Who so ever performs a recommended prayer in this month, Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him...

Whoever performs an obligatory prayer, Allah will reward him with seventy prayers [worth] in this month.

And who so ever prays a lot during this month will have his load lightened on the day of measure.

He who recites one verse of the Noble Qur'an will be given the rewards of reciting the whole Qur'an during other months.

O People! Indeed during this month the doors of heaven are open, therefore ask Allah not to close them for you;

The doors of hell are closed, so ask Allah to keep them closed for you.

During this month Shaytan (Satan) is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you."