Laylat al-Qadr, The Night of Power – 2011

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power:
And what will explain to thee what the night of power is?
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.
Therein come down the angels and the Spirit (Jibril, or Gabriel) by Allah’s permission, on every errand: Peace!…This until the rise of morn.   – Qur’an, 97:1-5

Laylat al-Qadr, (also known as Shab-e-Qadr), the Night of Destiny, Night of Power, Night of Value, the Night of Decree or Night of Measures, is the anniversary of the night the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

Muslims believe that revelation of the Qur’an occurred in two phases, with the first phase being the revelation in its entirety on Laylat Al-Qadr by Allah to the Archangel Gabriel in the lowest heaven, and then the subsequent verse-by-verse revelation to Prophet (pbuh) by Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic). The revelation started in 610 CE at the Hira cave on Mount Nur in Mecca.

Because of the revealed importance of this night, Muslims strive harder in the last ten days of Ramadan since the Laylat al-Qadr could be one of the odd-numbered days in the last ten (the first, third, fifth, seventh or ninth)

The Night of Destiny will be, inshallah, on August 25, 2011 for those countries that started fasting on July 31st, and August 26, 2011 for those countries that started Ramadan on August 1st.

The Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever prays on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and sincerity, shall have all their past sins forgiven.”   –  Bukhari and Muslim, from Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with them).

Ya Haqq!

“…those who spend for Allah’s sake…”

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

“The likeness of those who spend for Allah’s sake is as the likeness of a grain of corn; it grows seven ears, every single ear has a hundred grains, and Allah multiplies (increases the reward) for whom He wills, and Allah is sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.”  – (Qur’an, 2:261)

“Those who (in charity) spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public. have their reward with their Rabb (God, the Sustainer). On them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.”  – (Qur‘an, 2:274)

Ya Haqq!

Surat Al-Ikhlas – A Hadith and Reminder

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

Abu Said narrated that he heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say to his Companions, “Is any one of you incapable of reciting one-third of the Qur’an in one night?” They considered it burdensome and said: “O Messenger of Allah, which one of us can afford to do that?” He said, “Surat Al-Ikhlas (He is God, the One) is equivalent to one-third of the Qur’an.”   – (Bukhari)

Surat Al-Ikhlas is the 112th Sura of the Qur’an. It is a short declaration of tawhid, God’s absolute unity, consisting of 4 ayat. Al-Ikhlas means “the purity” or “the refining,” meaning to remain pure and faithful, or a state of purging one’s soul of non-Islamic beliefs, such as paganism and polytheism.

Such a purification is the burning away of all of the worldly misunderstandings, concerns and desires that separate us from the One; the One and Only upon whom we depend, the One and Only who is our foundation rock, the Eternal One and Only.

Surat Al-Ikhlas

Arabic:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ١
اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ٢
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ٣
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ ٤

Transliteration:
Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem

1 Qul huwa Allahu ahad
2 Allah hu samad
3 Lam yalid wa lam yulad
4 Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Say: He is Allah, the One and Only!
Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
He begetteth not, nor is He begotten.
And there is none like unto Him.

 

Ya Haqq!

Ramadan Goes Looking – A Poem

Ramadan Goes Looking

Ramadan goes looking for the
people who fast the best

wearing the phases of the moon
as a shield upon its breast

ignoring stars and galaxies
as too far out in space

concentrating instead
on light in a faster’s face

or if a face is darkened
what is passing through the heart

of someone who resists the world
for this month so set apart

It goes to the best and worst places
looking for a perfect one

who finds the diamond of Ramadan
flashing in the daytime sun

High and low it searches
among the elegant and the poor

who put aside food and drink
to stand in Allah’s corridor

awaiting entrance to His precincts
where finer delicacies are served

who spend their days in fasting
and never think to swerve

It climbs to mountain caves
and sits with hermit saints

and sees illumined worlds in eyes
no words can ever paint

of nearness by Allah’s tight blessing
on the hearts of His bosom friends

who’ve left all vestiges of matter
for nourishment that never ends

But then it sees a glimmer
not far off at all

in the deep intention of everyone
to fulfill the Prophet’s call

that shines in the heart of our hearts
and is the diamond behind that shine

to endure hardship for Allah’s sake
however simple or sublime

And sees in its faceted perfection
every faster’s face

on the surface of that diamond
out of all time and space

in the answer to Allah’s call
to turn to Him alone

before everything we so love in the world
turns to stone
_______________
8/14
14 Ramadan
Copyright by Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore. All rights reserved.

Interview on the Law of Attraction and Meditation

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

A new, short interview with me has been posted on the Egyptian Code blog, with some interesting questions and answers :)  For those interested, it can be read HERE.

Ya Haqq!

A Special Ramadan Du’a (Prayer)

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

Ramadan Mubarak!

The following is a du’a that is constantly read in Tarim, a town in the Wadi Hadhramawt, Yemen, throughout the blessed month of Ramadan. This beneficial du’a has been translated and made available through Sidi Amin Buxton (Allah preserve and increase him):

Sayyiduna Salman narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) spoke to the Companions on the last day of Sha`ban. He informed them that they were about to enter a great and blessed month, a month in which there is a night better than a thousand nights. He mentioned some of the merits of the month of Ramadan. Then he said: “Do four things in abundance: two things with which you please your Lord, and two things which you cannot do without. As for the two things with which you please your Lord: your testification that there is nothing worthy of worship other than Allah and your seeking His forgiveness. As for the two things which you cannot do without: your asking Allah for Paradise and seeking refuge in Him from the Fire.”1.

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) taught al-Sayyida `A’isha to say on Laylat al-Qadr:

“O Allah, truly You are all-Pardoning, You love to pardon so pardon us.”^2.

On the basis of these two hadiths the scholars and people of Tarim repeat the following du`a throughout the month of Ramadan:

أشْهَدُ أن لا إلهَ إلا الله نَسْتَغْفِرُ الله نسأَلُكَ الجنَّةَ ونَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ النَّار (3)

Ashadu alla ilaha illallah, nastaghfirullah, nas’aluk’l-jannata wa na`audhu bika min an-nar

“I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship other than Allah and we seek the forgiveness of Allah. We ask You for Paradise and take refuge in You from the Fire.” (3 times)

اللهمَّ انَّكَ عَفُوٌ تُحبُّ العفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنَّا (3) يا كريم

Allahumma innaka `afuwun tuhibbu-l’`afwa f`afwa `anna

“O Allah, truly You are all-Pardoning, You love to pardon so pardon us” (3 times). On the third time say “O Most Generous” (Ya Karim).

1 Narrated by Ibn Khuzayma

2 Narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Majah and Tirmidhi with a sahih chain of transmission.

–  from Abdul Karim’s blog, Interpreter’s Path.

Note: Wadi Hadhramawt is a 220-mile wadi (seasonal river valley) which has a collection of 31 small sultanates with Aden in the middle. Hadhramawt is the biggest wadi in the Arabian Peninsula and runs for 99 miles through a stony desert. This area has been settled since at least the 3rd century AD and brilliant green fields ran alongside the wadi.

Ya Haqq!

The Fast and the Qur’an – a Ramadan Hadith

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

“The fast and the Qur’an are two intercessors for the servant of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. The fast will say: ‘O Lord, I prevented him from his food and desires during the day. Let me intercede for him.’ The Qur’an will say: ‘I prevented him from sleeping at night. Let me intercede for him.’ And their intercession will be accepted.”  

– A hadith, or saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. (Ahmad)

Ramadan Kareem!

Ya Haqq!