Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. As the first of the last ten nights begins this Saturday, may Allah allow us to catch Laylatul Qadr. Everyone say Ameen. And since tomorrow inshallah ta'ala we're obviously going to be busy with the fundraiser, I wanted to take tonight to do a quick primer inshallah ta'ala as to how we can make the most of these last ten nights. And hopefully within ten minutes inshallah ta'ala just do a quick refresher as to ten ways that we can make the most of the next ten nights. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to catch Laylatul Qadr. Allahuma Ameen. And so inshallah ta'ala I'm just going to go through ten tips bi'idhnillah. Some of them are well known to you, some of them maybe have been an afterthought in the previous cycles of the last ten nights. And we know inshallah we have so many people that are observing Ramadan with us for the very first time. And so I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to allow this to be of benefit to us in some way. The first tip dear brothers and sisters is to avoid the sins of the day. I think that this is one of the most underestimated elements of the last ten nights. Throughout the year, لا تعصيه بالنهار يوقيذك بالليل. Do not disobey Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala during the day, he will wake you up at night. If you sin during the day, you shut the doors of the heavens for you at night. You might be entering into the night with a sin that has displeased Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is throughout the year, so how about then with the last ten nights of Ramadan and the potential of Laylatul Qadr? You don't want to be entering into Salatul Maghrib and you have the غضب of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the anger of Allah already upon you due to a sin that you committed during the day of Ramadan.
So please inshallah be very mindful, especially mindful of the sins that you commit during the day. So that's number one, avoid the sins of the day. Number two, avoid conversations at night. Avoid conversations at night. Now during the day obviously you'll have to work, you'll have to socialize, you'll have to do things with family, whatever it may be. But at night, as Imam Ibn Qudamah rahimahullah mentions, that most of the ways that the blessing of Laylatul Qadr is lost is when people mix with one another too much during the night and then it's only natural that at some point your tongue slips. It slips into some form of backbiting, a little bit of gossip, a little bit of a hint there. Dear brothers and sisters, if you haven't had your iftar parties yet, don't do them in the last 10 nights. And this is not the time to congregate and to hang out. MashaAllah we enjoy seeing each other, we enjoy socializing. But in these last 10 nights, try to prioritize yourself. Try to prioritize your ibadah. Join the gatherings where we are remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala together. But this is not a time of socializing, this is not a time of conversation. So avoid the sins of the day, avoid the conversations of the night. Number three, very self-explanatory, but something that we might lose. Catch Isha and Fajr in congregation. Said al-Musayyid rahimahullah said, من صلى العشاء في الجماعة فقد نال حظه من ليلة القدر Whoever prays Isha in jama'a, in congregation, would have taken their fortune of Laylatul Qadr. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever prays Isha in congregation, it is as if they have the first half of the night. And whoever prays Fajr in congregation, it is as if they have the last half of the night. It is more precious to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that you catch Isha and Fajr in congregation than you spend the whole night in prayer.
So prioritize being here for Salatul Isha and Salatul Fajr. Number four, pray with the imam a full set. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever prays behind the imam in qiyam, until the imam finishes, then that person has caught the entire night of prayer. Now there are multiple interpretations of that hadith by the way. So if you have two imams for example, and one imam is leading the first half, the second imam is leading the second half. Does it count if you pray just with the first imam? If you have in the last third of the night, obviously we do three o'clock qiyam here, and you pray with that imam the entire time. Does that count as a full night? The answer is all of them could count, and the more you do the better. Obviously if a person wants to pray the full twenty, that is the best. There is no doubt about it. But if a person only prays with one imam throughout the night behind them as they recite, then insha'Allah ta'ala we hope that that would be enough to achieve this particular reward. Number five, read the Qur'an extra throughout the night. Seems very self-explanatory, but it's actually missed sometimes. You know Qatad rahimahullah, he used to finish the Qur'an every three days of Ramadan, but then he would do a khatmah every night of the last ten nights. And there is a general trend that you find amongst the salaf, amongst the pious predecessors, that they increase their recitation of the Qur'an, their wird, in the last ten nights specifically. So even if you're trying to finish a certain amount during the day, by the way it is one of the most beautiful things, that you surpass your Qur'an reading goal. If you wanted to finish one khatm for example in Ramadan, and you're doing a juz' a day, if you finish one and a half, that's better than one. And it will kickstart you insha'Allah ta'ala into shawwal, so that maybe you have a khatm at the end of shawwal as well.
But read more Qur'an in the nights, in the last ten nights than you do during the rest of Ramadan, especially during the day of Ramadan. And subhanAllah the very first word revealed to the Prophet ﷺ on this night was, iqra', read. And surely in that is a sign that you honour the Qur'an with these nights. So try to increase your share of the Qur'an as you read. Don't diminish what you're reading in the day, increase what you're reading in the night, bi'ithnillahi ta'ala. Number six. I did five, right? Okay. Number six. The du'a of the Prophet ﷺ that he taught Aisha radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha. اللهم إنك عفوًا تحب العفو فاعف عني. Aisha radiyaAllahu anha asked the Prophet ﷺ, if I find myself in Laylatul Qadr, what should I recite? The Prophet ﷺ said, Say اللهم إنك عفوًا تحب العفو فاعف عني. Oh Allah, you are the forgiver, you love to forgive, so forgive me. Read this du'a throughout the night. Start your du'as with it, end your du'a with it, read it between the personal du'as that you are making insha'Allah ta'ala. There's nothing more blessed than the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ in what du'as that we should make in this regard. Number seven. Make du'a and dhikr even while you are in motion. I'm gonna explain what I mean here. When we take hajj groups, may Allah write us down from the hijjaj and Laylatul Qadr as well. اللهم أمين. I always tell people, you know, don't waste the day of Arafah when you're waiting in line for this and waiting in line for that. Even that is a time of du'a. As you're walking, it's a time of du'a. As you are moving, it's a time of du'a. As you're driving, it's a time of du'a. You want to make use of every single moment. And some of the blessed athkar are the ones that are coming just as you are moving from place to place, going from house to masjid, wherever it may be. Even if you're waiting in line for your suhoor,
keep your tongue busy with du'a and dhikr even while you are in motion on that night. Treat that night like every single second matters. Treat that night like every single second matters. Number eight. Increase your prostration. Increase your sajda on these nights. Where do I get that from? First and foremost, the Prophet ﷺ said, من قام ليلة القدر إيماناً واحتساباً غفر له ما تقدر من ذنبه. That obviously the general rule is, whoever stands up on the night of Laylatul Qadr with faith and seeking the reward, then they will be forgiven for all of their sins. But the best part of qiyam is the best part of salah. أعني على نفسك بكثرة السجود is to increase the time of your sajda. And in fact, subhanAllah, right before you read إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ the last words of the surah is what? That came down before it. وَاسْجُدْ وَاقْتَرِبْ Prostrate and come closer. Prostrate and come closer. So increase the time of your sujood. Take your du'as with you to your sujood inshaAllah ta'ala during the night as you make these special forms of worship in these special nights. Number nine, giving and charity. Now I'm gonna start off here when I say giving and charity that there is nothing that suggests explicitly that the Prophet ﷺ gave more charity in the last ten than he did the rest of Ramadan. However, subhanAllah, many of the scholars of suluk, they say look at two things. Scholars of spirituality say look at two things. Charity has two effects. Number one is increase and you seek increase in the night of Laylatul Qadr which is increase. Number two, تُطْفِعُ غَضَبَ الرَّبِّ as the Prophet ﷺ said. Charity, especially صَدَقَةُ السِّرِ secret charity extinguishes the anger of the Lord. And on a night of increase where the greatest reward that you can seek is forgiveness, what better than an act that you do every single night
inshaAllah ta'ala that is associated with increase and associated with the extinguishing of the anger of the Lord. So if you're automating charity or if you're giving charity yourself or if you see someone, whatever it is, be someone who is open to charity in these last ten nights constantly as you are to all good deeds. Number ten, spend the last few moments of every single one of these ten nights in istighfar and seeking forgiveness. وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ And during the time of suhoor, that time, they are seeking forgiveness. This is during regular times. What about the last ten nights? What I mean by that is that sometimes people will be eating and socializing until the very last minute. And it might be that in that last minute of one of those ten nights, you say, Oh Allah, forgive me. Oh Allah, accept my good deeds despite their shortcomings. Oh Allah, accept me despite my shortcomings. That in those last few moments of istighfar we are asking Allah for acceptance that the whole night is overlooked and if the whole night is accepted then a whole lifetime of reward is granted. So spend the last few moments بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى making istighfar, seeking forgiveness, prioritize the last five minutes before the adhan of fajr, every single one of these last ten nights in sha Allah ta'ala and seeking forgiveness from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. اللهم بلغنا ليلة القدر اللهم بلغنا ليلة القدر اللهم بلغنا ليلة القدر Oh Allah, allow us to observe ليلة القدر Oh Allah, allow us to observe ليلة القدر Oh Allah, allow us to observe ليلة القدر اللهم أمين رزاكم الله خيرا In sha Allah ta'ala we look forward to spending these ten nights together. It's always a special time for our community as well. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow blessings and tranquility and acceptance to continue to descend upon us in this masjid, in our community throughout these ten nights. بارك الله فيكم والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
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