LAYLATUL-QADR: THE NIGHT OF PREDESTINATION

"In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Verily We sent it (the Quran) down in the night of Qadr (power). What shall make you know what the night of predestination is? The night of Qadr is better than a thousand months. The angels and the (holy) spirit descend therein by the permission of their Lord, with (decrees) for all affairs. (It is all) peace, till the break of dawn".  (Surah al-Qadr: Chapter 97)

S V Mir Ahmad Ali writes in his Tafseer:

Laylatul-Qadr means the night of power or grandeur. As verses 2 and 3 suggest it is, in the spiritual sense, a  secret kept hidden, and it transcends time because in it Allah's power dispels the darkness of ignorance through His revelation. Jalal al Din al Suyuti, in Durr al-Manthur says: Laylatul-Qadr stands for the Holy Prophet (saww) and his Ahlul-Bayt (as).

Aqa Mahdi Puya says: The night of Qadr is in the month of Ramadhan wherein it is stated that the whole Quran was revealed in this night. The descension of the angels and the spirit is a regular occurance since Allah created till the day of resurrection, and the place of descent is a thoroughly purified heart (Ahzab:33). Therefore there should be such a purified heart in existence at all times. Imam Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (as) said: "Present this surah as a decisive arguement for the continuity of the divine vicegerency on the earth".

On this night, the whole of Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet (saww) but he used to recite or convey to the people only such passages and verses as he was commanded by Allah (SWT) through Jibrael. This is known as gradual revelation. It is a night which is better than 1000 months meaning that good actions performed on that night are better than those performed over a 1000 months.

On the night of Qadr , the fate of every believer for the coming year is also determined. It is reported from Imam Ja'ffar ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (as): "During Laylatul-Qadr, the angels, the spirit and the trusted scribes, all descend to the lower heavens and write down whatever God decrees for that year. And if God wishes to advance something, or postpone it, or add thereto, He (SWT) orders the angel to erase it and replace it with whatever He decrees". (Tafseer-e-Namoona)

However, destiny can be maintained or changed for better or worse by people with their own faith, deeds, intentions etc. A true believer should not rest a single moment on this blessed night and make the best use of it to bring into vision a better future for oneself. Some of the ways of doing that is to seek forgiveness from ones sins and vow to change for better.

If a person has annoyed his parents, he should vow to make and always keep them happy

If a person is proud and arrogant, he should vow to become humble and polite

If a person is stingy, he should vow to become generous

If a person is ignorant about religious matters, he should vow to acquire its knowledge

If a person has severed his relation with his kin, he should vow to re-establish it

If a person has rebelled against Allah (SWT), he should vow to become obedient to Him

If a person is selfish, he should vow to become selfless

If a person is malicious, he should vow to become kind and clean hearted

If a person has harmed others, he should vow to ammend his ways with them

And so on and so forth. This way a person will be entitled to receive the blessings of Allah (SWT) and get his destiny changed for better.

Allama Baqir al-Majlisi says that: Every faithful must beseech Allah in these nights for mercy and forgiveness for ones ownself, parents, relatives, living and dead brothers-in-faith.

Please remember in the nights of Qadr our Muslim brothers and sisters who are oppressed in the world particularly those who are continuously suffering at the hands of Zionist and imperialist regimes in occupied Palestine, 'Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan.

iltimaase dua'

Mulla Mujaheedali Sheriff

mulla@almahdi.org.uk