All praise is to Allah, the Protector of the final Message which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) through the Angel Jibreel. May Peace and Blessings be upon the final Messenger, his family, companions and all those who follow him until the last hour.
Narrated by `Aishah RA: Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) used to practise I`tikaf in the last ten nights of Ramadan and used to say, “Look for the Night of Qadr in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan.” (Bukhari)
Each year you go through the same routine; the last 10 nights approach and you know that you need to give them your best so you can hit that gold mine of “a night worth a 1000 months!”
However, the 10 nights begin, and you get busy with work, Eid Shopping, some deadline that appeared from nowhere! And before you know it, Ramadan is over and you have this deep sense of guilt that you missed on a very important night that might have saved you on the Day of Judgement.
You regret it, possibly cry, and promise yourself: “Next year, I’ll do better In Sha Allah”.
Guest what? Next year comes and you repeat the exact same routine. Something or the other comes and goes and ruins your last 10 nights of Ramadan.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results”. That’s how it seems for most of us who don’t take reigns over the daily decisions they make to live a productive lifestyle and simply “go with the flow”
But this year – it’ll be different in sha Allah. Why? Because this year, I have prepared an easy-to-follow set of guidelines to act upon on the last ten nights.
If not, then at least last five odd nights (21, 23, 25, 27, 29).
I have taken time out to prepare this for many of my brothers and sisters, who I feel are missing out on the ‘jackpot’ of reward. Yes! Worshipping on Laylatul Qadr is just like winning the lottery! Unfortunately, most of us just worship a single night or 27th Ramadhan and max out our efforts. Rather, we should try and do little every night in the last ten nights or just the odd nights.
So I have come up with a list (feel free to edit) this isn’t set in stone:
- 2 or 4 Rak’ah Tahajjud
- Qur’an
- Sadaqah £1 (minimum)
- Durood Sharif (booklet of forty) http://40durood.com/category/40-durood-salaam-e-book-pdf/
- Istighfaar x 100 – Please see below for PDF booklet
- A portion of Hizbul Azam/Muawwadhat https://www.at-tazkiyah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2287:al-mu-awwadhat-supplications-for-safety-refuge-from-calamities&catid=192&Itemid=21
- Read an Islamic book/Tafsir
- Make a Du’a list (please pray for the writer)
Allah grant us all the ability to make the most of Ramadhan, the last ten nights and grant us the opportunity to seek out The Night of Power. Ameen.
In the end, I thank brother Yusuf Issat for the inspiration to write this article by constantly reminding me every Ramadhan to make a timetable for the last ten nights.
P.S. Having a second look at the list you can use it for any Holy night or day, such as Arafah day, 10th Muharram, Laylatul Bara’ah etc.
Ismail Ibn Nazir Satia (In dire need of Allah’s forgiveness, mercy and pleasure).
19 Ramadhan 1436