The Night of Power (2/3)
Tajuddin B. Shuaib
Where Is The Night?
The majority of the scholars who agreed that the night occurs in the month of Ramadan, disagreed on the exact night. Some said it comes on the first day of Ramadan. Others said it is on the seventh; while others say it’s on the 19th night. All these opinions are not built on sound proof. There is evidence that the night comes on the last ten days of Ramadan, specifically on the odd numbered nights. In a report by Bukhari, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
"Seek it on the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan."
In a hadith by Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), some men among the companions saw the night in a dream occurring in the last seven nights. Responding to this, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) told them,
"I see your dreams coincide on the last seven, whoever wants to seek it should do so in the last seven." (Agreed upon)
In Muslim's report, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,
"Seek the night in the last ten days, and if any of you is weak, or can't observe it, he should not miss the remaining seven days."
In Hadith by Ubayy bin Ka'ab (may Allah be pleased with them), he said:
"By Allah, I know which night it is. It is the night the Messenger commanded us to observe, the night of the 27th." (Reported by Ahmed/Tirmidhi)
Analyzing all these citations indicate still no one knows for sure which night is the Night of Power, at least in a given year.
It seems that the night shifts and rotates to different nights from one year to another. It may occur on the 27th in one year, while the next year it will be on the 25th, while on the following year it will be occurring on the 29th, etc. There is an indication to this in hadith by Bukhari, when the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) states:
"Seek it on the twenty-ninth; it may be on the twenty-seventh, or on the twenty-fifth."
Imam Ibn Hajr, in his book, "Fathul Bari ", in the commentary of the Book of Bukhari, said:
"I accept the ruling that the night occurs on the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan, namely the twenty-first, twenty-third, twenty-fifth, twenty-seventh and or twenty-ninth."
Seeking The Night
It is recommended to seek the night and spend it diligently in devotion, including night Sunnah prayers (Tahajjud), recitation of Al-Qur'an and supplications. In a hadith related by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
"He who spends the night in prayer on the Night of Power, as a sign of His faith, and seeking rewards from Allah, his previous sins will be forgiven." (Reported by Bukhari/Muslim)
This citation indicates that regardless of whether a person knows the night or not, Allah will grant him forgiveness for previous shortcomings.
"And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is?; The Night of Power is better than a thousand months." (Al-Qur’an, Surah Al-Qadr, 97:2 3)
Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) is emphasizing by putting the second verse in question form. The answer being no one knows, or comprehends, the awesomeness and the depth of honor of the night. As if to say whatever merits Allah informs you about the night is just nothing compared to the things you have no idea about. Nonetheless, He mentions three honors in the credit of the night:
1. "The Night is better than a thousand months."
2. "Therein, come down the angels...", and
3. "Peace!"
"The Night of Power is better than a thousand months."
This indicates that acts of worship such as prayer, charity, and recitation done on this night are better in reward than the same act done on other nights. The rewards (thawaab) are being multiplied several-fold.
Imam Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) was shown the long life span of people of previous nations, so the Prophet bemoaned the shortness of the life span of the Ummah, fearing that they might not be able to save many good deeds for the Hereafter. Therefore, Allah gave him the Night of Power to compensate for their lack of longevity. Hence, the devoted believer has a chance of adding 80 something years of worship to his life on the Night of Power. You see, for instance, if you worship Allah on this night every year for 65 years, by multiplying 65 by 80, you would have lived for 5,200 years, or achieved the reward of a person who lived that long.
You can see why the devotions were highly encouraged by the Prophet. Indeed, you can achieve the honor of the Night of Power if you so wish by spending the odd nights of the last ten days in acts of worship.
"Therein, come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand." (Al-Qur'an, Surah Al-Qadr, 97:4)
This is far from the earlier cry of the angels who, when Allah told them,
"...I will create a vicegerent on earth," they said, "Will you place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?..." (Al-Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:30)
You see, when the angels first looked at our spirit with its traits of mischief, vanity and desires, and the rages of anger, they, the embodiment of all that is good, did not like us at all. That explains their response in the above verse. So is the case with parents, when they first conceptualize the shape of the off-spring, semen and congealed blood; they do not like it. They will even wash their hands, clothes and everything that this substance touches, a gruesome thing. They may even think about aborting the baby in the beginning.
But after the baby is being fashioned in the most beautiful shape and they feel the movement of life, they change from dislike to caring love.
That is seemingly what happened to the angels. When they saw in us this beautiful spirit of knowing the Creator, and worshipping Allah alone, they changed from dislike to complete love, and cannot wait for another Night of Power to come down so they can pray for us. Allah states:
"...And they implore forgiveness for those who believe..." (Al-Qur’an, Surah Ghafir, 40:7)
He used the form (tanazzal) "They come", to indicate that the angels descend on the Night of Power, group after group; some coming down to earth while others ascend into the heaven. This heavenly, angelic organized traffic of good will continues until the break of dawn.
(Continued)