LAILATUL QADR (THE NIGHT OF DESTINY)
A Long Arduous Search
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
We sent it [Quran] down on the Night of Destiny. And what will make you comprehend what the Night of Destiny is? The Night of Destiny is better than a thousand months; on that night, the angels and the Spirit come down by the permission of their Lord with His decrees for all matters; it is all peace till the break of dawn. (QURAN 97: 1-5)
THE ‘Night of Destiny’ falls towards the end of the month of Ramazan. The Prophet’s wife Aisha, asked Prophet Muhammad what she should do if she finds the Night. Prophet Muhammad said she should pray:
O God! Certainly You are the One who grants forgiveness for sins. You love to forgive, so forgive me. (Al Bukhari)
The act of seeking forgiveness is significant because by doing so, a believer realizes the smallness of his being and the greatness of God. He realizes that God alone has the power to forgive and none else.
Common belief is that the Night of Destiny can be found in the final phase of Ramazan. This is wishful thinking! Similar to scientific discoveries, finding is the result of a long and arduous process of seeking.
To belittle scientific discoveries, some say these are serendipitous occurrences. But such accidents happen only to scientists! ‘Finding’ is an outcome of long preparation and search. A scientist spends years studying the subject and researching it, and after a long, gruelling effort, he makes that one discovery. Similarly, to find the Night of Destiny one must prepare the mind. This involves years of effort and dua (supplication), at the end of which a believer is able to realize his insignificance and the supreme greatness of God.
To receive the blessings or knowledge from God, a believer must be a positive personality in the ultimate sense of the word.
A believer is required to spend a lifetime so that such a prepared mind comes into being, only then can he be hopeful of his prayer being accepted by God.
The prayer that Prophet Muhammad advised Aisha represents the gist of life. Muslims think that staying awake an entire night would ensure finding the Night of Destiny. This is a far-fetched idea. A believer has to spend a lifetime to attain a prepared mind and then hope his prayer will be accepted by God.
According to a Hadith report, once the Prophet was in etkaaf (seclusion practised in the final phase of Ramazan), then he came out of Masjid an-Nabawi (Prophet’s mosque in Madinah) but went back again. He later told his Companions that an angel had come to pass on the knowledge about the Night of Destiny. When the Prophet came out to inform the believers, he saw two of his people fighting amongst each other. Instantly, the knowledge of the Night was taken away from the Prophet’s mind. This incident has a great lesson for the believers! The fight was not an armed battle; the two believers were merely arguing, but even fighting with words is enough to have the divine knowledge taken away. Those who adopt the path of violence and suicide bombing can never become the recipients of divine blessings.
To receive the blessings or knowledge from God, a believer must be a positive personality in the ultimate sense of the word. Else the blessings may be showered, but not on him! Positivity is the most important trait that makes a man worthy of receiving God’s blessings. A positive mind will not engage in conflicts and would remain free of revenge, hatred, lust and negative thoughts. (Al Bukhari).
Run towards success
To be successful, a man has to exert
himself, while for failure, he has to do
nothing; it is itself running towards him.