Preparing for The Last 10 Nights

Preparing for The Last 10 Nights

By Sheikh Yasir Qadhi with special guest Imam Zaid Shakir

Opening

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim. Alhamdulillah wa salatu wa salamu ala rasulillahi wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man wala. Amma ba'd.

The Story of the Man from Bani Israel

It is narrated in some of the books of hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once told the sahaba of a certain person of the children of Israel, of the people of old who worshipped Allah and participated in ghazawat and in jihad for hundreds and thousands of years. Allah gave him a long life. And so the sahaba said, O messenger of Allah, how can we compete with those generations? How can we compete with those generations when they have been blessed with such a long life?

We know that the earlier generations were blessed with longer lives than we have been blessed with. And so the sahaba, the first thing that came to their mind was, it's not fair that they have such a long lifespan and they're able to acquire a lot more good deeds. Whereas we have, as our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, in a hadith in Tirmidhi, the average age of my ummah will be between 60 to 70. It's an authentic hadith. The average age of my ummah will be between 60 to 70 and few will be those who go beyond 70.

So the sahaba said, basically they're saying, it's not fair. The playing field is not level. They have thousands of years, we only have one short lifespan. What do we do, O messenger of Allah?

The Revelation of Surah Al-Qadr

And so, when they asked this question, Allah revealed Surah Al-Qadr. And in this surah, which is composed of only five verses, Allah explained one of the miracles and one of the blessings that He has given us over the other nations. This is a blessing that we have and the other nations did not have. And this is a blessing called Laylatul Qadr.

Laylatul Qadr is such a great blessing that Allah revealed an entire surah just to illustrate to us what it is. Just to dedicate for us, just to consecrate for us the sacredness and the holiness of this one day. There is a whole surah in the Quran and it is the surah of Laylatul Qadr.

Tafsir of Surah Al-Qadr: Verse by Verse

First Verse: The Revelation of the Quran

"We have revealed it in Laylatul Qadr."

Of course the reference is to the Quran. We have revealed the Quran in Laylatul Qadr. Now subhanAllah, we already know that the Quran came down in Ramadan. Ramadan is when the Quran came down. Then Allah

specifies one day out of the whole month. The Quran came down not just in Ramadan but on Laylatul Qadr.

And this means that there is a divine book that the Quran is written in. It is called Lawhul Mahfuz, as you know. That on Laylatul Qadr, this divine book physically came down closer to this earth. Ibn Abbas says that on Laylatul Qadr, Allah sent down this copy of the divine book. He sent it, the original copy. وَإِنَّهُ فِي أُمَّ الْكِتَابِ لَدَيْنَا - "And indeed it is in the Mother of the Book with Us." (Quran 43:4)

This is the original book that Allah has with Him. Allah sent it down on Laylatul Qadr, close to this world. And then from that Lawhul Mahfuz, from that book, Jibreel then brought it bit by bit to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). And the very first revelation اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ - "Read in the name of your Lord who created" (Quran 96:1) began on the day of Laylatul Qadr.

It began on this day. So there is a two-fold revelation on Laylatul Qadr. Number one, the book comes down physically. Number two, the revelation begins spiritually. Both of these occurred on Laylatul Qadr. The book comes down and then Jibreel begins the message of إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ. So the reason why Laylatul Qadr is holy, one of the reasons why, is that the Quran itself came down.

The Reference in Surah Ad-Dukhan

Another reason why this Laylatul Qadr is blessed and holy, is mentioned in Surah Ad-Dukhan. There are two references to Laylatul Qadr in the Quran. I repeat, there are two references to Laylatul Qadr in the Quran. The first is the whole Surah Al-Qadr. And the second is Surah Ad-Dukhan, verse number three.

"Ha Mim. By the clear Book. Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind]. On that night is made distinct every precise matter."

The blessed book, the clear book, and then Allah says إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ - "We reveal the book in a blessed night." إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنذِرِينَ - "We are going to warn the people." فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ - "On that night, every divine command is decided." On that night, every divine command is decided. أَمْرًا مِّنْ عِندِنَا - "Every command from us."

So لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ is a night that the divine commands are announced, that the divine commands are actually decreed.

The Meanings of Qadr

What is the meaning of لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ Scholars have differed in a number of interpretations. What does قَدْرٍ mean? لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ? Because the word قَدْر in Arabic has multiple meanings.

First Meaning: The Night of Dignity

One meaning of قَدْر is might. قَدْر means ذُو شَأْنٍ صَاحِبُ قَدْرٍ - this is a man who is worthy or famous. And so لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ is called لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ because it is a blessed night. It is a night of holiness. It is a night of weight or dignity. قَدْر means sanctity. قَدْر means ذُو شَأْنٍ which means nobility. So one of the interpretations لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ - the night of sanctity. The night that is worthy of being basically blessed.

Second Meaning: The Night of Multiplication

Another meaning of قَدْر is to multiply or to have a set measurement. And from this, scholars say, the second meaning of لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ is that this night is multiplied to many nights. And Allah mentions this that لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ - "The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months." (Quran 97:3(

So it is the قَدْر of this night is not one night. The actual قَدْر in the eyes of Allah is a thousand months. So another meaning of الْقَدْرِ it is the night that has been multiplied. قَدْر much more times than it actually is worth. And of course from this we also understand the question of the sahaba when they said, we only have one life span. Allah is saying, well I've given you in every year, I've given you one life extra.

And in fact it is more than a life. Because we might live 60, 70 years if Allah blesses us with that. True. But of those 60, 70 years, how much is actually spent in the worship of Allah? Do the mathematics and calculation. 15, 20 years simply to grow up and become an adult, right? Another 20 years you're sleeping and eating. Another 20 years you're actually going to work and back. How much time is actually left for the ibadah of Allah? Literally 5 years, 10 years, if we are practicing Muslims and if we have a full life span, you actually calculated out 5, 6, 7 years you're actually worshipping Allah.

Allah is saying that I'm giving you 83.333 years. I'm giving you basically an entire life and more of pure worship. So Laylatul Qadr is not just one night. The Qadr is 83 years. So this is the second interpretation of Laylatul Qadr.

Third Meaning: The Night of Restriction

The third interpretation of Laylatul Qadr is that Qadr here means restrictness. The opposite of the second meaning. Qadr here means multiplying. Another meaning of Qadr is to restrict. So for example Allah says in the Quran وَقُدِرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُهُ - "His rizq is restricted." (Quran 65:7(

So Qudira also means to restrict. Why is Laylatul Qadr called the restricted night? Because there is no space for the angels on earth. There is no space for the angels. It's tight, it's congested. That's one of the meanings of Qadr. Why is it tight and congested? We read in the Quran.

"The angels and the Spirit descend therein."

All the Malaika and the Holy Spirit in it, they come down. How many angels are there? More than any human can think about. Allah says وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ - "And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him." (Quran 74:31)

The only being who knows how many angels there are is Allah. And on that night, they all come down to this earth. So there is no space at all. So it is called Laylatul Qadr. In this interpretation, the night of congestion. There is no space. Because the whole world is full of angels.

Fourth Meaning: The Night of Divine Decree

And the fourth meaning of Laylatul Qadr that the scholars have derived is that قَدَّرَ يُقَدِّرُ تَقْدِيرًا - Qadr means here divine destiny, predestination. Just like Qada and Qadr. So this is predestination. And of course this meaning is

also valid. Because what happens on Laylatul Qadr, Allah tells us فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ أَمْرًا مِّنْ عِندِنَا - "On this night, every divine decision, it is made and it is announced." (Quran 44:4-5)

This is the decision that will do. أَمْرًا مِّنْ عِندِنَا So Laylatul Qadr is the night that Allah's decrees are actually decreed.

Now this does not mean that Allah does not know what's gonna happen before Laylatul Qadr. What it means is that on Laylatul Qadr, the angels are assigned the Qadr of Allah. Ibn Abbas said that a person might be busy in his agriculture on Laylatul Qadr. And he doesn't know that Allah has just announced he's gonna die that year to the angels. He's busy in his dunya. But Laylatul Qadr, the decree has come down.

Allah doesn't أعوذ بالله in English, change his mind. Allah doesn't change. Allah knows what's gonna happen. But on Laylatul Qadr, it is announced. To whom? To the angels. Why? Because the angels, they execute the commandment of Allah. The angels are the ones who take the souls, who breathe the soul into the womb of the mothers. The angels are the ones who bring the rizq, who take it away. So they're the executioners of Allah's decree.

When do they find out their roster for the year, the checklist for the year? On Laylatul Qadr. And so this is the night when the angels are told what they have to do for the following year. And therefore this is called Laylatul Qadr.

Summary of the Four Meanings

So I've given you four meanings of Laylatul Qadr. And in fact, all of them are valid. And all of them are equally authentic. They all come into place and they're all meaning Laylatul Qadr. So, Laylatul Qadr is the night of magnificence. Laylatul Qadr is the night of multiplying good deeds. So we said that one deed is made equivalent to a thousand months. The third meaning of Laylatul Qadr, as we said, is that it is restricted. Why is it restricted? Because of the quantity of the angels. And the fourth meaning of Qadr, we said, is the divine decree of Allah. And therefore on this night, Laylatul Qadr, the divine decree is announced to the angels.

Continuation of Tafsir: Second Verse

So Allah says إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ - "We have sent this Quran down on Laylatul Qadr." (Quran 97:1(

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ - "And what will make you know what the Night of Decree is?" (Quran 97:2)

Whenever this phrase occurs in the Quranوَمَا أَدْرَاكَ, مَا يُدْرِيكَ. Whenever this phrase occurs in the Quran, the meaning here is that pay attention. What will make you understand? The significance is being driven home again. It's a rhetorical question. What will make you understand what is Laylatul Qadr? So Allah is once again emphasizing Laylatul Qadr.

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ. What will make you realize how important Laylatul Qadr is? Simply the rhetorical question shows us how important Laylatul Qadr is. How will you possibly understand? And this is something we hear, remember, rhetorical questions always, even in the English language, they're meant to emphasize a point. They're meant to drive something home that you know. You already know it, but somebody says it to you to

drive the point home. What will make you appreciate how much somebody has done for you? This is a question that there is no answer to. It is an emphasis. Laylatul Qadr is something that's very important. وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ

Third Verse: Better Than a Thousand Months

"Laylatul Qadr is better than a thousand months."

And we already explained what this means. Is that worshiping Allah on this night will be the equivalent of 83 years without Laylatul Qadr. So 83 years without Layatul Qadr is equivalent to one night of Laylatul Qadr لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ

And this answers the questions of the sahaba when they said, how can we compete with those nations who were given long lives? Here is the answer. For every year that you have, you have 83 years of worship. So if you do Laylatul Qadr for 10 years, that gives you 830 years of worship. For 10 years of Laylatul Qadr, you get 830 years. For 20, for 30, for 40. Imagine, the playing field is not just leveled. You have the advantage. You have the home player's advantage. Because you have a blessing the earlier nations did not have. لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ

The Three Blessings Mentioned So Far

What happened? So now there are three blessings now. That Allah says, we revealed the Quran on Laylatul Qadr. Verse number one. Verse number two. How will you understand what is Laylatul Qadr? So you're being told this is an important night. Verse number three. Laylatul Qadr is better than a thousand nights or a thousand months. Every verse is emphasizing Laylatul Qadr.

Fourth Verse: The Descent of Angels

"The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter."

All of the angels of Allah. The verb here means, in batches. تَنَزَّلُ means in batches. They're all coming down in hordes. And the spirit within it. And this is a magnificent phrase. Why? Because, after the lifting up of the prophets. After the seal of the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Jibreel has no need to visit earth. Khalas. Why would Jibreel come down? Because Jibreel, his purpose was to give Wahi to the prophets. Isn't that correct? Right? The purpose of Jibreel is to do what? To communicate with the prophets.

Jibreel has no reason to come to earth anymore. But Alhamdulillah, Allah allowed the most noble and the most beautiful and the most magnificent of all of the angels. So magnificent that Allah mentions him by name and says, Whoever shows animosity to Jibreel, let him be warned that it is Jibreel whom Allah has chosen to reveal the Quran to your prophet. The one angel whom Allah mentions by name in the Quran in this manner. That whoever dares to oppose Jibreel, know that Jibreel is the one who has been chosen to reveal the message. So Jibreel himself, comes down on this night.

The Mercy of the Angels

And the presence of the angels signifies the mercy of Allah. Wherever there are angels, the shayateen leave.

Wherever there are angels, Allah's rahma descends with it.

Because the angels, they accompany the mercy of Allah. Their presence indicates the mercy of Allah. And their absence indicates the absence of Allah's mercy.

And so, when this whole world is full of the angels, including the angel Jibreel, they come down بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم - with the command of their Lord. What is this command? We just explained. The Qadr of Allah. The Qadr of Allah. The announcements of what they have to do for the following year. This is, they come down with the Qadr of Allah. That Allah has told them, so and so will die this year. So and so will have a child. Breathe the ruh into the womb. So and so his rizq. So and so his rizq will be taken. So and so his rizq will be multiplied.

So they come down and they have their list. They know what they have to do. مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ - This has been interpreted in many different ways. All of the commands or all of the actions of man are decreed by Allah. مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ . Whatever you have in mind that you're gonna do, Allah has decreed what's gonna happen for the next year.

Fifth Verse: Peace Until Dawn

Peace. There will be peace. What does this mean? When you have the presence of angels across the earth, then the shayateen cannot be on it. The shayateen will be leaving it. When the angels are saturated with the earth and all that is around it, there can only be peace. سلام. This peace and Laylatul Qadr will last حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ until the crack of dawn, until Fajr comes out.

Every single one of these five verses emphasizes Laylatul Qadr. Every one of these five verses praises Laylatul Qadr.

Ahadith About Laylatul Qadr

And of course our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke about Laylatul Qadr in many many ahadith. Of them is the famous hadith in Bukhari in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: مَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ - "Whoever manages to stand on Laylatul Qadr with Iman and expecting the reward from Allah, all of his previous sins will be forgiven." (Sahih al-Bukhari 1901)

So you have two conditions. You have to have Iman and you have to have Ihtisab. What is Iman? We know to have faith in Allah. What is Ihtisab? That you expect this reward from Allah. You're not doing this to show off. You're not doing this to impress the other people. You have Ihtisab. And that means you want that reward only from Allah.

Whoever manages to stand Laylatul Qadr with Iman and with Ihtisab, all of his previous sins will be forgiven. That is an amazing blessing. That for one night if you stand with Iman and having that desire, all of the previous sins will be forgiven.

The Debate: Major or Minor Sins?

Scholars differed. Does this include major sins or only minor sins? Some scholars said only minor sins. Other scholars said no. If you truly stand on Laylatul Qadr, then you will also repent to Allah. And when you repent to Allah, then even your major sins are forgiven. And really the Ikhtilaf as we say is lovely. It's a very minor

Ikhtilaf. They all agree that if you stand Laylatul Qadr with repenting to Allah, all of your past sins will be forgiven.

The Prophet's Practice in the Last Ten Nights

And Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) tells us that when the last ten nights came, when the last ten nights started of Ramadan, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he would tighten his belt. And he would roll up his sleeping bag. He didn't have a bed, he had a thin mattress. He would roll up his mattress. And he would spend the whole night awake. And he would wake up his family and his household.

Four things would happen:

1. He Would Tighten His Belt

Number one, he would tighten his belt. What does this mean? Scholars have said it means two things. First and foremost, it's an expression in Arabic, which means that he would get serious. Tighten your belt, you get serious. Secondly, Aisha is referencing in a very polite manner, that in these ten days, he did not have any need with his wives in an intimate manner. Not that it is not allowed, but that his mind was preoccupied with things far bigger than this. So Aisha said he would tighten his belt. Khalas, he's now only concentrating on the Ibadah of Allah.

2. He Would Roll Up His Bed

He would roll up his bed, that he's not gonna sleep at night.

3. He Would Spend the Whole Night Awake

And he would spend the whole night awake. Now, Aisha herself narrates, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never spent the whole night awake in Tahajjud. She herself says this. And yet she's the one saying he spent the whole night awake. How do you reconcile between the two? Very simple. Outside of these ten nights, he never spent the whole night awake in Tahajjud. Outside of these ten nights of Ramadan, he never spent the whole night awake. But only during these ten nights of Ramadan, he would spend the whole night awake.

And the scholars say, that if you go to sleep for a while, that doesn't negate making Qiyam on this night of Qadr. This is the perfection. And who amongst us can meet that perfection? That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the whole night.

4. He Would Wake Up His Family

And also, if you cannot pray the whole night, the scholars say, pray a portion of the night. And they base this on the Hadith also of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Abu Dawud. In which one of these last ten nights, he stood in Qiyam. We said already a few halaqat ago, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only prayed Taraweeh twice in his life. One of those two times, when he finished, and this was on the odd nights of the last ten. When he finished, and he said Salam, and he was gonna go in. One of the Sahaba said, يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ تَنَقَّلْتَ لَنَا إِلَى الصُّبْحِ - "O Messenger of Allah, why don't we continue praying these Nafl until Fajr time?" Let's continue. Let's all do the whole night.

And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then said, مَنْ صَلَّى مَعَ الْإِمَامِ حَتَّى يَنْصَرِفَ كُتِبَ لَهُ قِيَامُ اللَّيْلِ - "That whoever prays with the Imam, the whole prayer, until the Imam finishes, Allah will bless him with the reward, as if he prayed the whole night." (Sunan Abu Dawud 1375, Sunan al-Tirmidhi 806)

So in this Hadith, we learned that in Jama'ah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not pray the whole night. He would stay awake the whole night, with Du'a, with Dhikr, with Quran, with Salah. But he didn't do Jama'ah the whole night. And he said, if you pray with the Imam until the Imam finishes, then you will get the blessing of, as if you prayed the whole night.

Praying More Than the Minimum

Now, as we're gonna come to, Insha'Allah Ta'ala, if you pray with the Imam, the Taraweeh that we're praying, until the end, Alhamdulillah, that is good. If you pray more than this, then of course that is better. No one should think that, okay, it's the same. No. The Hadith says, if you pray this amount, you will get as if you prayed the whole night. But whoever prays this amount, and more than that, will obviously get more, than the one who only prayed, this amount of Taraweeh.

The Dua for Laylatul Qadr

And Aisha also said, O Messenger of Allah, what if we find ourselves, praying on Laylatul Qadr, what Dua should we make? So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, make this Dua:

O Allah, You are Al-Afuww. And Al-Afuww, means, the one who wipes away, without a trace. And Al-Afuww, in some aspects, is more powerful, than Al-Ghafoor. And Al-Rahman, and Al-Tawwab. All of Allah's names, are beautiful. And some names, are more powerful, than other names, in some aspects.

So Al-Afuww means, the one who erases completely. Al-Ghafoor means, the one who protects you, from the consequences of your sins. Al-Ghafoor, Al-Ghaffar, you will be protected, from the consequences of your sins. Al-Tawwab means, the one who accepts your repentance. Al-Afuww, it's as if you never committed this sin, in the first place. It's wiped away, completely. And therefore, this name, in some aspects, is more powerful.

So we say, Allahumma, innaka afuwwun, tuhibbu al-afwa, fa'afu anna. O Allah, You are Al-Afuww. And You love, to practice Afuww. Therefore, have Afuww, on us.

Practical Advice for the Last Ten Nights

And InshaAllah ta'ala, we conclude in a few minutes, and I hand it over to Imam Zaid. Some practical advice. Brothers and sisters, in this land that we live in, Alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed us with many things, but unfortunately, not everybody can take off, in these nights. In Muslim countries, we have a little bit of laxity, we can show up work, late the next day. You know, things are a little bit easy, in other lands.

In this land, Alhamdulillah, we thank Allah for many things, but one of the negatives, if you like, is that, our jobs cannot be shifted, because of Ramadan, except for those who are able, to take holiday off. So, I wanna be practical here. If you have to get to work, at 7 or 8 in the morning, you're not able to pray, you know, 5-6 hours at night, that doesn't mean, that you do nothing.

No. That doesn't mean, that you just sit at home, and say, Khalas, I cannot do it. Do what you can. If you're not gonna sacrifice now, when are you gonna sacrifice? There's only 10 nights, and in these 10 nights, one of these odd nights, our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, is Laylatul Qadr.

We don't know which one. And some scholars said, it varies every year, on purpose, that Allah, in one year, might have it 21st, in another year, 23rd, in another year, 25th. It varies throughout the year. And this is one opinion, amongst the scholars. Only 10 nights, that's all there are. If we're not gonna sacrifice now, to get that 83 years of worship, when are we gonna sacrifice?

Practical Steps for the Last Ten Nights

So, practical steps. First and foremost, brothers and sisters, first and foremost, advice to me and all of you. Know that, praying the Fard, in the Masjid, is the most blessed thing, you can do. More blessed, even than praying Taraweeh. Praying Salatul Isha, and Salatul Fajr, in particular.

And if people were to come, and drive here, far from their homes, just to pray Isha, and then they have to wake up, and go to work, so they leave after Isha, Wallahi, there is a lot of khair, just in this. Just to pray Isha, because Isha is Fard. And Taraweeh and Qiyam, are Sunnah and Nafl.

So just to pray the Fard, in your local Masjids, with the Imam, Alhamdulillah. So, Fajr, and Isha. And in particular, these two, because our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, whoever prays these two in Jama'ah, it is as if he has prayed the whole night, to Allah. This is outside of Ramadan. So how about inside of Ramadan?

Two Slots for Qiyam at MIC

Point number two, we're offering, at MIC, and other Masjids have their schedules as well, we're offering, two slots for Qiyam. The first of them is right after Isha, we plan to finish around 10:30, 10:40, every night. And the second is from 3:30 to 4:30. For those who can attend both, Alhamdulillah, excellent. For those who can only attend one, there is no doubt, that the 3:30 one is better than, the one after Isha. Because the later you delay the Qiyam, the more blessed it is, because that is the last third of the night, and that is when Allah Himself, descends down, and asks the servants, who is there, who is asking, who is begging, who is seeking forgiveness, I will give him.

So the last third of the night, is the holiest portion. If you can do that. If you cannot do that, and you can only do the first portion, then try to stick with the Imam, for the entire Raka'at, so that you get the reward of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Worship at Home

And, if you cannot come back at 3:30 to the Masjid, at least, wake up 15, 20, 30 minutes, before your usual

Suhoor time, and do some extra worship at that time. Because it's not necessary to pray in the Masjid, and in fact, in fact, some scholars say, it is preferred to pray at home. Some scholars. Why? Because they said, you have no fear of showing off, and you can make as long Dua and Sujud that you want, and you have a private worship with Allah.

And the correct opinion is, it is better to pray wherever your Iman increases. For some people, being in the Masjid, their Iman increases. For other people, being in the privacy of your home, for Nafl, your Iman increases. Nonetheless, if you cannot pray here in the Masjid, then pray at home.

The Importance of Dua on Laylatul Qadr

What do you pray with? And with this we conclude, Insha'Allah ta'ala. This is Laylatul Qadr. So realize, that at this point in time, on Laylatul Qadr, your decisions and decrees that will affect you, Allah is announcing them. And realize that our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, nothing changes Allah's Qadr, other than, other than what? Dua.

Nothing changes Allah's Qadr, other than Dua. Therefore, what should you be making Dua about? For the good of this world and the next. رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ - "Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and protect us from the punishment of the Fire." (Quran 2:201)

You're asking Allah for forgiveness. You're asking Allah to save you from the fire of hell. You're asking Allah for every good that you want in this Dunya and the next. This is why you're supposed to be worshipping on Laylatul Qadr.

You want this Laylat to be a blessed night. You want this Laylat that whatever you do is multiplied for 83 years. Whatever you do will be multiplied for 83 years. So therefore, Quran, Dhikr, Dua, do whatever type of worship you can. If you can't pray the whole night, pray a portion of the night, and try to do it the last third of the night. Whatever you can do, whatever you can do, make sure this is the most you do for the year.

Because if you're gonna fail in these nights, then really, there is no Himmah. If you don't have the Himmah, if you don't have the resolve to worship Allah in these 10 nights, then when are you gonna have the resolve?

Closing Dua

Brothers and sisters, I advise myself and every one of you, give the next 10 nights the best that you've ever given in this whole year. The best that you've ever given. This is the least that we can do when Allah has blessed us with this Laylatul Qadr.

May Allah give us the tawfiq to stand on this blessed night. May Allah accept our meager deeds on this night. May Allah overlook our shortcomings. May Allah cause us to be amongst those who have prayed on Laylatul Qadr, and their prayer has been accepted.

Wa aakhiru da'wana alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen. Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Words from Imam Zaid Shakir

And of course I'd like to welcome Imam Zaid Shakir, who has an immensely busy schedule. He's already spoken at 2-3 events today. He's literally driving from one event right now to this masjid. We're very very grateful and humbled that a scholar and a national da'i to the caliber of Imam Zaid has humbled us, really honored us with his presence. So jazakumullahu khair Imam Zaid for coming. And I apologize for speaking while you're here. It's very awkward. But inshallah the floor is all yours. And alhamdulillah. Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah I've benefited so. I'm glad you were speaking while I was here. And I'm sure the brothers and sisters benefited. And if you're going like this every night, what can I say about Ramadan?

The Many Avenues of Forgiveness in Ramadan

I just want to reiterate what Shaykh Yasir mentioned about the forgiveness of Laylatul Qadr. That whoever stands for worship during the night. And as Yasir so passionately and articulately mentioned. Not necessarily the entire night. But a good portion for those who can. Some portion for those who can do that. With sincere faith anticipating a reward their prior sins will be forgiven. And he explained the difference between the lesser sins or greater sins or both.

But this is one of the many many avenues of forgiveness that Allah opens for us in Ramadan. And I'm sure they've all been mentioned. But repetition is one of the great teaching devices. So he mentions of course it's the month of fasting. So it's the month of fasting. It's the month of Quran. It's the month of Taqwa. So it's the month of Taqwa. It's the month of fasting. It's the month of spending.

"The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most generous of all people. And the time he was especially generous is in Ramadan, when Jibreel would study the Quran with him." (Sahih al-Bukhari 6, Sahih Muslim 2308)

So it's many things. But forgiveness, the avenues are open.

(Sahih al-Bukhari 38, Sahih Muslim 760)

(Sahih al-Bukhari 2009, Sahih Muslim 759)

"Whoever remembers Allah abundantly in Ramadan, they will be forgiven."

So many, many avenues. Abu Huraira relates يُغْفَرُوا فِي رَمَضَانَ إِلَّا مَنْ يَأْبَى - "Everyone will be forgiven in Ramadan except those who refuse." (Related in various collections)

وَمَنْ يَأْبَى وَقَالُوا - "Who is the one who refuses?" The one who refuses to ask Allah to be forgiven.

So during these nights, ask Allah for forgiveness. Ask Allah to forgive our sins. And Allah will forgive our sins. This is from the mercy of Allah. So, this is a great opportunity. This is an immense opportunity. There are so

many avenues. To give the fasting person something to break their fast with, is a means of forgiveness. So, there are so many.

Honor This Month as Allah Has Honored It

So, may Allah bless all of us to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity. And we mentioned in Juma earlier today, we should honor this month as Allah has honored it. We mentioned, شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ - "The month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed" (Quran 2:185) is honored to be the month that the last, and many scholars say all of the scriptures were revealed, but the last for sure is revealed in Ramadan.

This is an honor for this month. Allah has honored it. Do we honor it? And how do we honor it? We honor it by going to the Quran. We should be reciting the Quran. We should be studying it. Reflecting on its meaning. We should be coming to pray, to listen to it recited. We should not leave it on the shelf like we do throughout the year. We should honor this month.

We should turn the televisions off. Don't spend your night, you look for the shortest tarawih. I heard this masjid, they pray one word each raka'a. Alif Lam Mim Allahu Akbar, La Dhali Kal Kitab Allahu Akbar, La Rayba Fi Allahu Akbar. And so we get it to one page in Baqarah, we're done. And we race home. Yeah, the masjid, they really should quit tarawih.

And race home and watch ESPN reruns and whatever. No, turn the television off and open up the mushaf. Spend some time in prayer. Take time to remember Allah. Engage in the adhkar of the morning and the evening. Whatever formula, ma'athurat, wird latif or sahih muslim or other places where they're gathered. But whatever you do, take time for these things. These are the things that help us to take advantage of this tremendous, tremendous opportunity that we have for forgiveness. And to be touched.

Expose Yourself to the Breezes of Allah's Mercy

Ibn Rajab mentions a hadith. It's a weak hadith, but he mentions it. And just to encourage us, we'll relate it. He says that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned, اطْلُبُوا الْخَيْرَ دَهْرَكُمْ كُلَّهُ - "Seek good in all time you spend on this earth."

In Ramadan, all these paths of goodness are open. وَتَعَرَّضُوا إِلَى نَفَحَاتِ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّكُمْ - "And expose yourself to the breezes of your Lord's mercy."

And those breezes, they're blowing in Ramadan. Now how do we expose ourselves? We expose ourselves with our, when you're hot. Here in Memphis, I know it gets hot, humid and muggy. And so it's a hot day and you're sweating bullets, as they say. And you change your t-shirt twice that day. And you wrung the sweat out of it. And then if the storm comes, a nice rain. If no one's around, what do you do? You just expose yourself and you get soaking wet. Right?

So, when these rains and breezes of Allah's mercy comes, expose yourself. And you expose yourself with Quran. Not by watching television, chit-chatting on the phone. Getting the latest gossip. Oh, I'm watching the news. As we mentioned, news, what's new in the news? It's all old. Some people killing each other. That's old.

That's been going on since Qabil and Habil. Since Abel and Cain. That's been going on. Some people robbing, stealing. That's been going on since the beginning of time.

What's new in the news? And it's going to be there after the month. These people in your state here, they're trying to stop Sharia. Whatever that means. I think Governor Christie in New York and New Jersey had the best explanation. It's a bunch of crap. This is literal words. This whole anti-Sharia thing. But it's going to be there after Ramadan. You don't have to follow blow by blow during Ramadan. Glued to the television. Oh, what are they talking about? Did the debate come up in the state house? It'll be there after Ramadan. You're not going to miss anything from this dunya.

Don't Miss This Ramadan

This dunya is the dunya. It's not changing. And that's why the message of Quran is timeless. So, don't worry. If you dedicate yourself to Quran. If you take time to come to the both of the Qiyams that were mentioned. For these last 10 days. If you try to do 2 or 3, 4 khatams of Quran. If you can read Arabic in Ramadan. If you take time to do your Awrad. And you're doing your Adhkar as-Sabah and al-Masaa. And you take time to do them.

And so you can't watch your news. And you can't watch your ESPN. And you can't see who the Memphis Grizzlies drafted in the draft or whatever. It's all going to be there after Ramadan. It's not going anywhere. It takes you 2 hours to catch up. Just go online. Do a Google search. And you can catch up in 2 hours.

But you can't catch up if you miss this Ramadan. You can't catch up next Ramadan. That's a new opportunity. And this one is gone. Take advantage of this one. Expose yourself to those breezes.

And Ibn Rajab, he says, Alhamdulillah, he mentions this. He comments. He says, whoever is touched by one of those breezes, experience bliss that's so deep, he's never saddened for the rest of eternity. Meaning he'll be the people from people of Jannah. So, expose yourself. Take advantage.

Once the time goes, it's like a person. And he comes. He asks, do you have a dollar? I'm in dire straits. And someone stole my wallet. I need a dollar to call my wife. You know, this guy is trying to hustle me. And so the guy leaves. And you give your dollar to the next person. You gave a dollar but that person, you could have given 2 dollars to him and the next one. But now you lost that opportunity. And it's gone.

Once this Ramadan is gone, the opportunity, all those blessings of Laylatul Qadr, that Shaykh Yasir was mentioning, all those blessings of Ramadan, they're gone. They're gone. And they're not coming back. There'll be a new Ramadan, Inshallah. But this Ramadan and the opportunities that it holds to benefit our soul is gone. So, brothers and sisters, take advantage. Lose a little sleep.

Three Characteristics That Destroy People

This is Ibrahim al-Nakha'i, Rahimahullah, one of the teachers of Abu Hanifa. He mentioned هَلَكَ الَّذِينَ هَلَكُوا مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ بِثَلَاثِ خِصَالٍ فُضُولُ الطَّعَامِ وَفُضُولُ الْكَلَامِ وَفُضُولُ الْمَنَامِ - "Those who were destroyed before you were destroyed by three characteristics: too much eating, too much talking, too much sleeping."

And look at the wisdom of Ramadan. It cuts down on our eating because we're fasting. Especially in these long days now. And our stomach starts shrinking. We can't even make up at night. There's no room. So, we try to like

compensate. I have breakfast, lunch and dinner at night. No, there's no room. There's no time. So, it cuts down on فُضُولُ الطَّعَامِ .our eating

It cuts down on our speaking. Because towards about 6 o'clock, we run out of gas. And we become very judicious in our words. Like, well, if it wasn't Ramadan, I would argue with you. But I don't have the energy right now. And then from the adab of the prayers that guard our tongue. So, it cuts down on our talking.

وَفُضُولُ الْمَنَامِ - And it cuts down on our sleeping. Because we stay up for Taraweeh. And we get up early for Suhoor. And so, an hour, hour and a half early. It cuts our sleeping down.

And this unleashes our spiritual energy. Because we're not feeding our carnal energy. Our carnal appetites. We're feeding our ruh. And we have the strength. And we read Quran. We stand in Qiyam. We do all these things that require spiritual energy. It's unleashed.

This is a special time. And it's sharaf az-zaman. This is a noble time. Allah has blessed it and honored it to reveal the Quran in it. And so, the nobility of the time. And the fact that we're unleashing this spiritual energy. This makes Ramadan special. Take advantage. Because as we said, it may never come again.

The Blessing of Shaykh Yasir

We'll stop there. May Allah bless you. You're very blessed to have Shaykh Yasir in your midst. And he represents a young generation of scholars. Who bring together the best of many traditions. But also conversant with this landscape here. He grew up here. He doesn't speak with the foreign accent. He can talk about, if he wanted to, pizza and basketball. Basketball as opposed to soccer or cricket. That's not true, Shaykh. That's not true. He's still hooked on cricket. Okay, soccer. But he can tell you about the Houston Texans. If you push them a little bit.

And so, there's a lot of benefit. And also, being a courageous person. Because it's easy to be trapped in whatever you find yourself in. But it takes a lot of courage to go beyond those limits. But it's the people that can go beyond the limits. Those are the people that alter and change the course of history. People who are dogmatically trapped within history. They just go with the flow of history.

But the people have the courage to step back and to ask the hard questions. The easy questions anyone can ask. And the easy answers anyone can give. But the hard questions are very difficult to ask. What should we be doing as a Muslim community? And what are the unique aspects of our composition being in this country? And asking that question is difficult. And then providing an honest answer.

To say, you know, maybe there's some things that we're going to have to adjust. When you have the weight of history pushing you to not give that answer. To just go with the flow. It takes a lot of courage. And Shaykh Yasir, is one of those people who can ask the hard questions. And can grapple with the hard and difficult answers.

May Allah give him Tawfiq. May give the effort here a lot of success. May your expansion proceed with ease and in rapid fashion. May the embrace that you receive from your neighbors. May that embrace continue. May their hearts and their arms be open and welcoming. For Muslims in establishing the project that you envision

here. May it be a landmark project that really helps to do something positive. Not only for Muslims but for this whole country.

Never Sell Islam Short

And I'll say in conclusion. I went over the time. That never sell Islam short. In other words, never think, oh, these people they're hating on Muslims. They're talking about us. I just want to go somewhere and hide. And so the last thing is to think Islam can make a positive contribution to this country. Islam can make a positive contribution. And it is making a positive contribution.

And we can mention so many ways. And you have a responsibility to make sure that it continues to make a positive contribution. People can benefit from the racial harmony that Islam brings. But we have to make that real in our communities. People can benefit from the real family values that Islam has to offer. Again, we have to make those realities in our community. We have to tackle the domestic problems we're dealing with in our own community. But as a system and as a teaching, Islam has much to say in that regard.

Islam has much to say about balancing between the requisites of justice and the requisites of stability and continuity in a political sense. This is something Islam has to offer to the conversation. There's so many positive things. Islam has to offer, and in these days, compassion. We're taught as foundation of our religion is Ithar. To give preference to others.

So if that's a foundation, the people that we set up as examples for ourselves, the Muhajireen and the Ansar, وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ - "They gave preference to others even though they themselves had dire need." (Quran 59:9)

Look at a world that's being taken over by selfishness, by greed, by lack of consideration for the rights of others. What does a religion that says giving preference to the rights of others is a fundamental ethical concept in the religion? What does it have to offer to the discourse? Islam has amazing things to offer. But we have to believe that. And more importantly, we have to live that. And when we believe it, and we live it, then we're going to go out and offer it to the best of our ability. Don't hide your Islam.

These are not the days to hide. Because if you hide, it's not going away. Think if we hide, just be quiet, it'll go away. It'll get worse because it goes unchallenged. All the racism and narrow-minded and bigotry and hatred that's being encouraged. I have, well, in Dr. Bashar's car. I have a printout from one of these anti-Muslim people who says that we have to declare war on Islam. And we have to kill Muslims indiscriminately. Possibly men, women, children, possibly down to the last Muslim to get rid of this religion.

These are people that are sick. And if we allow this sickness to go unchallenged and to not be addressed, then we're being totally irresponsible to our future generations. No, we stand up with dignity. With dignity. And with wisdom. But with courage.

And we say, oh no, that is not Islam. What you're talking about, that's not Islam. And I'm going to show you to the best of my ability what Islam is.

لَيْسَ الْفَتَىٰ مَنْ قَالَ كَانَ أَبِي وَلَكِنَّ الْفَتَىٰ مَنْ قَالَ هَا أَنَا ذَا - "The courageous young person isn't one who says, my father used to do this and that. The courageous young person is one who says, here I am."

And now is the time for all of us. Men, women, children in your school, stand up and say, here I am. I'm not perfect. I'm not without my faults. But I have the courage to try to represent this religion to the best of my ability as it should be represented. هَا أَنَا ذَا - "Here I am."

These are our times. These are wonderful times. These are great times. Because they give us an opportunity to shine. May Allah give you all Noor. From Ramadan. May Allah bless you. May Allah bless again the community. Bless Shaykh Yasir. Make his stay here a source of great good. For this area and for the community.

Closing Dua by Imam Zaid

And may the hearts be healed. Everywhere. May our hearts be healed. May our hearts come together. As they came together in the first instance. By the leave and the grace of Allah.

"And remember the favor of Allah upon you when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers."

Says it twice. وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا - This to emphasize the greatness of this great blessing of brotherhood.

كُلَّ عَامٍ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ كُلَّ لَحْظَةٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِخَيْرٍ. رَمَضَانُ مُبَارَكٌ. وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

As-salamu alaykum.