# How Can You Despair of the Lord of Laylatul Qadr? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #10

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Pause and Reflect
**Published:** 2026-03-12
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/ECKPJ_C2LAs
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-10-how-can-you-despair-of-the-lord-of-laylatul-qadr
**Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia

## Summary
In this Ramadan reflection, the speaker draws a powerful parallel between contemporary political scandals — specifically referencing the Epstein files and the war on Iran as a potential distraction — and historical patterns of elite corruption described in the Quran. He focuses on the ayah from Surah Al-Isra [Al-Isra 17:16]: 'And when We wish to destroy a town, We command its elite, and they commit wickedness therein, so the word is justified against it, and We destroy it with complete destruction.' The speaker presents three scholarly interpretations of this verse: (1) Allah commanded the elite with righteousness and they disobeyed; (2) Allah allowed their evil to consume them as a precursor to destruction; and (3) Allah gave them wealth, power, and means, which they used to indulge their lowest desires until destruction came. He connects this Quranic principle to historical examples, including how Allah exposed Al-Walid ibn Mughirah's illegitimate birth when he tried to humiliate Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), how Prophet Yahya (ﷺ) was martyred for refusing to legitimize the corrupt desires of Herod Antipas, and how Fir'awn's regime was built on exploitation and moral depravity. The speaker emphasizes that the pattern of corrupt elites using distraction, deflection, and war to cover their scandals is timeless. He concludes with hope, noting that in the Quran, the exposure and destruction of corrupt elites are divinely linked — when they feel most invincible and most exposed, that is precisely when Allah's punishment arrives. He calls on believers to recognize these signs and to make du'a for the oppressed.

## Transcript
**[0:00]** This juz is one of the most instrumental ajza, one of the most instrumental chapters in understanding why a person should never despair from the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Let me explain to you why.

**[0:17]** At the end of this juz, Say, O my servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair from the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

**[0:34]** Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Verily, He is Al-Ghafoor Ar-Rahim, the All-Forgiving, the Especially Merciful. And that word, qunoot, I just want you to think about the various examples of people who show you why you should never despair from the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the stories that we are hearing right now.

**[0:57]** Now, we have not yet gotten to Surah Az-Zumar yet in the recitation tonight. Those of you that attended the tahajjud last night, we had a beautiful recitation of these verses in Surah Az-Zumar. As many of the companions said, the most hopeful verse in the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

**[1:14]** And I want to highlight it with a question. How can you despair from a Lord who sends you Laylatul Qadr? How can you despair from a Lord who sends you Laylatul Qadr? What do I mean by that? The word here, la taqnatu.

**[1:31]** Subhanallah, I'm trying to speak over the rain. May Allah azza wa jal allow His mercy to descend upon us. Allahumma ameen. The word here, la taqnatu. Qunoot. There is a very famous hadith from Abu Razin, radiyAllahu ta'ala anhu, where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,

**[1:48]** Dahika rabbuna min qunooti ibadihi. Our Lord laughed at the despair of His servant when His help was so near. The help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is so near to him and he gets to that point of despair.

**[2:05]** And Abu Razin says, Ya Rasulallah, does our Lord laugh? And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Yes. And he responded and said, How can a person despair of a Lord who laughs? How can a person despair of a Lord who laughs? And so, I want us to add to that,

**[2:21]** How can a person despair of a Lord who gives us Laylatul Qadr? What do I mean by that? Especially in regards to this verse in particular. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives us all sorts of stories of people in this juz of people who could have despaired.

**[2:36]** But they didn't. You have Ayyub alayhi salam. Idh nada rabbahu anni massaniya ad-dhurru wa anta arham ar-rahimeen. When he calls upon his Lord and he says, That I have been struck by pain, by affliction. And you are the most merciful of those who have mercy.

**[2:53]** And Allah azza wa jal mentions, Fastajabna lahu. And so we answered him. And we relieved him of his distress. Imagine Ayyub alayhi salam. 18 years of pain and suffering. And he did not despair of the mercy of his Lord.

**[3:08]** He still called upon his Lord. And he said, You are the most merciful of those who show mercy. So you have Ayyub alayhi salam at the breaking point. Just at the point of despair. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala descends His mercy upon him.

**[3:24]** You have the man in Surah Yasin that we read about. Who was beaten to death by his people. And as he sees the mercy of his Lord, What does he say? Ya layta qawmi ya'lamoon bima ghafara li rabbi wa ja'alani min al-mukrameen

**[3:41]** And this is a rich tafsir by the way. When this man who was calling people to the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Calling people to the forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Was beaten to death. And he finally saw, he entered into Jannah. And he saw what he was calling the people to.

**[3:56]** If only my people knew, Bima ghafara li rabbi, How much forgiveness my Lord has shown me, And how much my Lord has honored me. Of the wisdoms of the tafsir of this verse, Is that this man was calling them to the mercy of Allah,

**[4:13]** Calling them to the forgiveness of Allah, Calling them to the Jannah that's been promised by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But even when he experienced it, It was a whole another level. It was something far beyond his imagination. And his saying,

**[4:29]** If only my people knew, Is saying that if only my people knew, They would not insist on their disobedience. Bima ghafara li rabbi. And so because my Lord forgave me, The potential of the Lord to forgive them as well, If only they turn back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,

**[4:46]** The way that I turn back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And their despair looks like insistent disobedience. But are they not going to see, That they have a Lord from whom they should never despair? Some of the ulema even mention, That despair could have sunk into Sulayman alayhi salam.

**[5:04]** But it's a different type of despair. And you're thinking to yourself like, What hardship does Sulayman alayhi salam have? Sulayman alayhi salam could have looked at everything, That Allah azza wa jal already gave to him, And thought, I have enough mercy from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. I have enough fadhl from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

**[5:20]** I have enough of the bounty of Allah azza wa jal. But he still did not despair from calling upon, A Lord of grace who gives more. And in the same juz, Qala rabbi ighfir li. First and foremost, my Lord forgive me. Wahab li mulkan la yanbaghili ahadin min ba'di.

**[5:36]** And give me a kingdom that you will not give to anyone else. He didn't say, I have enough, I'm too shy to ask Allah. Because who could despair of asking Allah for more, When Sulayman alayhi salam asked Allah for a kingdom, That no one would ever have. And Allah gave it to him. Because Sulayman alayhi salam would use it for His sake.

**[5:53]** So the message is very simple. You go back to that ayah, La taqnatu min rahmatillah. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saying, Dahika rabbuna min qunooti ibadihi. Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saying, That Allah laughed at the one who despaired from His mercy.

**[6:11]** That's a sign that my khatirah is over, right? We just introduced this into Valley, insha'Allah. We used to have the red light, now we have a beep. You know, time is up. Don't despair from the Lord, Who loves your repentance so much,

**[6:27]** That He incentivizes it, With a reward and a bounty, That your imagination could not even comprehend. And imagine, by the way, Subhanallah, the way the servant would feel silly,

**[6:42]** On the Day of Judgment, When they see the Jannah, That Allah azza wa jal has given, And all of the opportunities that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave to forgiveness, And they did not avail themselves of those opportunities. So the message is twofold, Especially as we go into these nights of Laylatul Qadr.

**[6:57]** How could you despair of the mercy of the Lord, Who sent you a night, That could transform your entire life and afterlife? How could you despair of the mercy of the Lord, That wants to forgive you to the point, That with one night of ibadah, He will give you an entire lifetime of good? How could you despair of the mercy of the Lord,

**[7:13]** Who is willing to forgive you for a lifetime of sins, For one night of worshipping Him? How could you despair from the mercy of a Lord, Who multiplies your good deeds, And does not multiply any of your sins? How could you despair of the mercy of your Lord, Who calls Himself,

**[7:28]** Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Al-Ghafoor, Al-Wadood, Al-Haleem, And all of these other beautiful names, At-Tawwab, And calls you back to Him subhanahu wa ta'ala. And that is the primary message of this 23rd juz. And I pray that Allah azza wa jal, Allow us to be amongst those that avail ourselves,

**[7:44]** Of the opportunity of His mercy. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Never make us amongst those who despair from His mercy, And stop seeking His forgiveness. Allahumma ameen. BarakAllahu feekum, Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

## Other Episodes in "Pause and Reflect"
- [Singling Out the 27th Night for Worship? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #12](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-12-singling-out-the-27th-night-for-worship.md)
- [Pay Attention to the Masjid Al-Aqsa Shutdown | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #11](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-11-pay-attention-to-masjid-al-aqsa-shutdown.md)
- [What If Laylatul Qadr Is The Wrong Night? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #9](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-9-what-if-laylatul-qadr-is-the-wrong-night.md)
- [Sharia Takeovers and Middle East Chaos | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #8](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/ramadan-pause-and-reflect-8-sharia-takeovers-and-middle-east-chaos.md)
- [Why The Epstein Empire Attacked Iran | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #7](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/why-the-epstein-empire-attacked-iran-ramadan-pause-and-reflect-7.md)
- [How Am I Supposed To Feel About Israel vs. Iran? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #6](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/how-am-i-supposed-to-feel-about-israel-vs-iran-pause-and-reflect-6.md)
- [The Only Surah Without Bismillah | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #5](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/the-only-surah-without-bismillah-ramadan-pause-and-reflect-5.md)
- [One Small Sin That Tips the Scale | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #4](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-4-one-small-sin-that-tips-the-scale.md)
- [He Wrote on Himself Mercy | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #3](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-3-he-wrote-on-himself-mercy.md)
- [The Scholars Who Can’t Read | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #2](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-2-the-scholars-who-cant-read.md)
- [The Baqarah Challenge | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #1](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-1-the-baqarah-challenge.md)