Last 10 Days Of Ramadan
All praise be to Allah SWT, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful, who has allowed us to make it to this blessed month of Ramadan, and even more, the last ten nights!
The last ten days of Ramadan begin tonight! We must take advantage of this time and further our worship and good deeds. Aisha reported: With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work harder) and used to pray the whole night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers. [ Bukhari ].
Similarly, Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Whoever stands (in the voluntary night prayer of) Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven. And whoever spends the night of Lailat Al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” [ Sunan an-Nasa’i ].
Any good deed you do in these last ten nights sincerely, it is as if you have been doing that deed for 1000 nights. Subhanallah, how Merciful is our lord! How much good deeds can be earned in these ten days! There is no way we can miss out on such rewards!
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious Most Merciful.
1. Verily, We have sent it down in the Night of Al-Qadr
2. And What will make you know what the Night of Al-Qadr is?
3. The Night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months.
4. Therein descend the angels and the Ruh by their Lord’s permission with every matter.
5. There is peace until the appearance of dawn.
Quran 97 Al-Qadr
The Virtues of the Night of Al-Qadr (the Decree)
Allah informs that He sent the Quran down during the Night of Al-Qadr, and it is a blessed night about which Allah says,
We sent it down on a blessed night [44:3]
This is the Night of Al-Qadr and it occurs during the month of Ramadan. This is as Allah says, The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran [2:185]
Ibn Abbas and others have said, “Allah sent the Quran down all at one time from the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) to the House of Might (Baytul-Izzah), which is in the heaven of this world. Then it came down in parts to the Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) based upon the incidents that occurred over a period of twenty-three years.”
Then Allah magnified the status of the Night of Al-Qadr , which He chose for the revelation of the Mighty Quran, by His saying,
And What will make you know what the Night of Al-Qadr is?
The Night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months.
[At-Tabari 24:531, 532, and Al-Qurtubi 20:130]
Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said, “When Ramadan would come, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) would say,
“Verily the month of Ramadan has come to you all. It is a blessed month, which Allah has obligated you all to fast. During it the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are shackled. In it there is a night that is better than one thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its good, then he has truly been deprived”
Some ways to make the most of these last ten days are:
- Do I’tikaf: If it is not possible for one to do I’tikaf(spending long amounts of time in the masjid) for the whole of the 10 days and nights, then try to do it for as many days and nights possible.
- Worship all the 10 nights: Try to worship the whole of the 10 nights or as many days you can manage as that is the best way to catch the unimaginable and incomprehensible rewards of Laylatul Qadr.
- Best dua of the last 10 nights: اَللَّهُمَّ اِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ ، تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي Aisha reported: I asked: “O Messenger of Allah! If I realize Lailat-ul-Qadr (Night of Decree), what should I supplicate in it?” He replied, “You should supplicate: Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun, tuhibbul-‘afwa, fa’fu ‘anni (O Allah, You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so forgive me).” [At-Tirmidhi].
- Give charity: Any good act such as charity during Laylatul Qadr is rewarded like you have done it for over many years.
- Eat light: because you will be staying up until Fajr, the more you eat, the harder it will be for you to stay up and the less productive you will be!
- Hydrate well: Keep some water with you at all times. This will help you stay up, feel energized, refreshed and have a clearer mind.
- Have excellent character: So we must aim to be the best in character during these blessed nights and continue to do so for the rest of the year. We must not argue, swear, backbite, slander or gossip.
- No time wasting: We must make a firm intention that during these blessed 10 nights, we will not take part in idle talk, watch TV, play computer games or spend time on social media. There are 355 days in the year for all that – if you really cannot resist. This is just 10 nights! There will be indeed an utter loss and regret for those of us who waste these blessed 10 nights.
- Making life changes: We should make the necessary changes to improve ourselves as Muslims and what better time to make such changes than during these blessed 10 nights where we can change our lives forever. Hopefully, you've been building great habits all month long and will continue to do so and those good habits will aid you in making good life changes.
Let's try to make the best of our time in these last ten days!
The best time for Tahjud is from 2:00 PM until before the Athan of the Fajr!
On behalf of the staff, board, volunteers and everyone in IANA , I pray that Allah (SWT) accepts your fasting, prayers, donations, and Du'as. May Allah (SWT) forgive our mistakes, grant you mercy and increase His blessings on you and your loved ones. O Allah make us witness the night of Al-Qadri. Ameen.
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