Parable
May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ
have mercy on them and forgive us without accountability for their sake!
Parable
The slave of Sayyidunā 'Uṡmān Ibn
Abil 'Āṣ رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ once said to him, 'O
master رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ! I've been a sailor
for a long time. I've noticed a strange thing in the ocean water.' 'What is
it?' He رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ asked. The slave
replied, 'O master رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ!
Every year, there is a night in which the ocean water turns sweet.' He رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ said to his slave,
'Be careful this year. Do tell me when the water turns sweet.' On the 27th
night of Ramadan, the slave said to Sayyidunā 'Uṡmān Ibn Abil 'Āṣ رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ, 'O master! The water
has turned sweet tonight.' (Rūḥ-ul-Bayān, pp. 481, vol. 10)
May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ
have mercy on them and forgive us without accountability for their sake!
Why don't signs appear to us?
Dear Islamic brothers! Several signs
of Laila-tul-Qadr have been mentioned. A question may arise in one's mind as to
why common people are unable to observe any of the signs of Laila-tul-Qadr
despite the fact that it falls every year. To answer the question, the
honourable scholars رَحِمَهُمُ اللّٰہ
have said, 'Not everyone is able to discern these hidden things because they
are related to Kashf (spiritual vision) and Karāmah (saintly miracle). Only
people with the gift of Baṣīrat (spiritual insight) can see them. How can the
person who commits innumerable sins every day see these sacred signs?'
Look for it during odd nights
Dear Islamic brothers! Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ has decided to keep Laila-tul-Qadr a secret, so we don't know for sure as to which night Laila-tul-Qadr is. Mother of the believers Sayyidatunā 'Āishaḥ Ṣiddīqaḥ رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہَا has narrated that the Beloved and Blessed Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم has said, 'Look for Laila-tul-Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan (i.e. the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and the 29th).' (Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, pp. 662, vol. 1, Ḥadīš 2020)
Look for it during last seven nights
Sayyidunā 'Abdullāh Ibn 'Umar رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُمَا said that
Laila-tul-Qadr was revealed to some of the honourable companions رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُم of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in dream in the last
seven nights. The Noble Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ
وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, 'I see your dreams have united in
the last seven nights, so the one who desires it should look for it in the last
seven nights.' (Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, pp. 660, vol. 1, Ḥadīš 2015)
Why was Laila-tul-Qadr kept secret?
Dear Islamic brothers! It is a
blessed Sunnah of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ
that He عَزَّوَجَلَّ has kept some very
important things secret. Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ
has hidden His pleasure in pious deeds, His wrath in sins, and His Auliyā رَحِمَهُمُ اللّٰه among His servants.'
Therefore, we shouldn't miss any
good deed even though it looks minor because we don't know which good deed
would please Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ. Many blessed Aḥādīš
contain such incidents. For example, on the Day of Judgement, a fallen woman (a
prostitute) will be forgiven simply for having given water to a thirsty dog to
drink, in the world. Likewise, as His displeasure is hidden in sins, we should
avoid each and every sin though it apparently looks minor because even a single
sin can bring about the displeasure and wrath of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ.
Similarly, He عَزَّوَجَلَّ has hidden His Auliyā amongst His
servants, so we should treat every pious Muslim with respect because we don't
know as to who a Walī of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ
is. If we treat pious people with respect, give up suspicion and consider every
Muslim better than us, our society will get reformed, and we will succeed in
the afterlife, اِنْ شَآءَاللّٰہُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ.
Madanī pearls
Imām Fakhruddin Rāzī رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْہِ has stated in his
famous exegesis 'Tafsīr-e-Kabīr', There are several reasons why Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ has concealed the exact date of
Laila-tul-Qadr:
- He عَزَّوَجَلَّ has concealed many things such as His pleasure in obedience so that people would perform every form of worship, His wrath in sins so that people would avoid every single sin, His Auliyā amongst His servants so that people would respect every single person, the fulfilment of supplications in making supplications so that people would make supplications abundantly, the Ism-e-A'ẓam amongst His names so that people would respect every name and the Ṣalāt-e-Wusṭā amongst the Ṣalāh so that people would offer all the Ṣalāh.
Likewise, the acceptance of
repentance has kept secret so that people always repent of their sins and the
time of death has also been kept secret so that people always fear it.
Similarly, Laila-tul-Qadr has been kept secret so that people respect all the
nights of Ramadan.
- It is as if Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ
says to His servants, 'I know you're daring about sins; if I had declared a
particular night as Laila-tul-Qadr, and if you had committed sins
knowingly even at this sacred night due to your lust, it would be more
severe than committing sins unknowingly.'
According to a narration, once the
Holy Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
entered the Masjid where he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ
وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم saw a man sleep (inside). He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, 'O 'Alī كَرَّمَ اللهُ وَجْهَهُ الْکَرِیْم! Wake him up so that
he can perform Wuḍū.' Having awoken the man, Sayyidunā 'Alī كَرَّمَ اللهُ وَجْهَهُ الْکَرِیْم said, 'Yā Rasūlallāh صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! you prefer to
perform righteous deeds, why did you not wake him up yourself?' He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied, 'I did not
do so because his refusing you is not a Kufr; I did it to reduce his curse.'
It is an example of the mercy of the
Beloved Rasūl صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.
Considering this (Ḥadīš), imagine the mercy of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ.
It is as if Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ says, 'If you had
worshipped in Laila-tul-Qadr after being aware of it, you would gain more
reward than a thousand months' worship but if you had sinned in it you would
have been punished for a thousand months, and protection from punishment is
better than earning reward.'
- It is as if Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ says, 'I kept this night secret so that people would struggle hard to acquire it and earn reward for their struggles.'
- Since people are unaware as to which night Laila-tul-Qadr
is, they will try to worship Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ
every night of Ramadan in search of Laila-tul-Qadr. Referring to these
people Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ admonished the
angels, 'You used to say that these humans will fight and shed blood, but
(look) these are their efforts and struggles in a night that could be
Laila-tul-Qadr (they are not even certain of it) so what would have they
done if I had told them the exact night…? (In other words, they would
worship even more abundantly).'
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