The Prophet
Muhammad (Peace and Blessing of Allah be
upon him) said, “If any Muslim comes out of Ramadan without gaining forgiveness
and goodness, he is a real loser” (Ibn Hibban and Thabarani).
The last ten days of Ramadan
are very special days in the life of every Muslim. According to Muslims, they
are the most blessed days in the blessed month of Ramadan, the month the Qur’an
was revealed. Muslims believe that although the Prophet Muhammad (PBH) was
promised
Paradise
, he used to exert himself even more in worship
during these last ten days, hoping to draw closer to Allah. The Prophet’s wife
`Aysha (May Allah please with her) said: “With the start of the last ten days of
Ramadan, the Prophet used to tighten his waist belt (i.e., work hard) and used
to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers”
(Bukhari).
For Muslims, the last ten days
should be a time to perfect one’s fast and avoid anything that may break it. It
is a time to give more charity and to settle disputes and forgive one another.
It is also a time for soul searching, evaluating one’s life, supplicating, and
asking forgiveness. This should be done sincerely because if Allah accepts the
supplications, the reward is the remission of one’s sins.
The best time to do it is in
the last part of the night. Abu Hurayrah (R) reported that the Prophet (PBH)
said: “When the last one third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious
One, (His mercy and kindness) descends towards the lower heaven and proclaims:
Is there anyone supplicating to Me, so that I grant his supplication? Is there
anyone begging of Me for anything, so that I grant him his wish? Is there
anyone who seeks My forgiveness, so I forgive him?” (Bukhari and Muslim).
During the last third of
Ramadan, one should read more Qur’an and remember Allah more often, even
constantly.
The last ten days are also
known for i`tikaf (spiritual retreat). The Prophet (PBH) used to perform i`tikaf
in the Masjid during the last ten days of Ramadan, barely sleeping during that
time. I`tikaf requires a total devotion to Allah; it is a sort of vacation with
Him. The time is spent worshiping, performing ritual Prayers, reading the
Qur’an, making Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and du`a’ (supplication).
Lailathul Qadr
The great value of the Night of
Power (Lailatul Qadr) has been emphasized in the Qur’an and in the traditions
of the Prophet (PBH), at various places. In the Qur’an, a whole chapter is devoted
to this theme: We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of power:
And what will you know what the Night of Power is? The night of Power is better
than a thousand months. Therein come
down the angels and the Spirit by Allah permission, on every errand. Peace! ..... This until the rise of morn!
{Qadr}.
The Prophet (PBH) is reported
to have said: “The past sins of a person
who remains engaged in acts of worship in the night of Power with faith and
awareness of Reckoning will be forgiven” (Agreed).
It is, indeed, Allah’s wisdom
and kindness that He has left this night unrevealed and has simply referred to
it as one falling in the last ten days of Ramadan. This, as a matter of fact,
encourages Muslims to adorn all the last ten nights of Ramadan with acts of
worship, supplication and invocation in search of this night.
Most traditions agree that
Lailathul Qadr falls in the last ten days of Ramadan, probably in the last
seven days, and is one of the odd nights. Ibn Umar (May Allah please with him) narrates: “Lailathul Qadr was shown
in dream to some of the Companions of the Prophet as occurring in the last
seven days (of Ramadan). On it the
Prophet remarked that as their wishing to find it should search for it in the
last seven days”. Aysha (R) narrates:
“The Prophet of Allah (PBH) used to observe seclusion in the Masjid (I’thikaf)
in Ramadan in its last ten days and told (us) to search for Lailathul Qadr in
the last ten days of Ramadan”. In
another Tradition related again by A’ysha, may Allah be pleased with her, the
prophet of Allah, blessings and peace be on him, said: “Search Lailathul Qadr
in the odd night of the last ten days of Ramadan” (Bukhari).Moosa Sonkal 
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