Muslims are advised to intensify their acts of worship in Ramadan, especially on the last 10 nights of the month, in order to capture the rewards and blessings that descend on mankind on the Night of Power.
Allah, Most Wise, in the Holy Qur'an says, {The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.}
The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged us to look out for this night; he said, “Whosoever stands in ibaadah (worship) on this night, with sincere faith and with genuine hopes of gaining reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim)
When is this night, which is better than a thousand months? The Messenger of Allah said, “Seek it [the Night of Power] in the last ten nights. For verily, it is during the odd nights, 21st 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th or the last night of Ramadan.” (Sahih Ahmad)
A devout worshiper, Wedad Al-Housamy, has already informed her friends that she will be unavailable for any social events and will answer her phone only if it is extremely urgent, because she wants to benefit from the last 10 nights of Ramadan. She shared with us how she plans to spend these nights.
These practical tips will help you be one of the winners on the Night of Power, the winners of Allah's forgiveness, mercy, and acceptance. 1. Take a short nap in the afternoon to give your body the strength to stand in the night prayer.
2. Eat a light iftar meal. Overeating drains the body's energy and makes you feel heavy, sluggish, and drowsy – not the right state of mind to spend a long night in worship.
3. Be firm in your resolve to repent from the sins you have fallen into; be it backbiting, skipping prayers, disobedience to parents, or any other sin – make the commitment to quit bad habits.
4. Ask Allah for forgiveness. Ask Allah to forgive you and to forgive your parents, spouse, brothers, sisters, children, teachers, in-laws, friends, and all Muslims.
5. The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed his wife and companions to say this supplication on the Night of Power, “O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.”
6. Focus more on quality rather than quantity. It is better to pray 6 rakaat wholeheartedly and with awareness and yearning for Allah's forgiveness than to pray 24 rakaat hastily, absent-mindedly, and without truly engaging your mind and heart.
7. Avoid arguing and bickering, and forgive those who have wronged you. Now is the time to let go of any grudges you may have been harboring.
8. Be wary of your tongue, which is often the source of gaining bad deeds. Once when counseling his companions, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took hold of his tongue and said, “Keep this in control.”
9. Have confidence and trust that Allah will answer your supplications and ease your pain, no matter what type of pain it is.
10. Repeatedly invoke the peace and blessings o Allah upon Prophet Muhammad.
11. Be insistent and urgent in your supplications to Allah to spare you from the Hellfire and to grant you an eternal abode in Heaven.
12. When in prayer, remain in prostration for as long as possible. When in this position, increase your supplication to Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The closest that a servant is to his Lord is when he is in prostration.” (Sahih Muslim)
13. Make wise use of your time. On these miraculous nights every minute counts, so do not waste them away with idle talk, checking social media updates, watching TV, or shopping.
14. Remain in worship for the most part of the night: praying, reading Qur'an, remembering and praising Allah, and supplicating until dawn. 15. Do not forget to thank Allah for bestowing upon us faith, health, wealth, safety, and so much more.
16. Give in charity. Always carry loose cash with you to give to the poor women and children and to the street cleaners that you will see on your way to the masjid and back. In an authentic Hadith in the books Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the companion Ibn Abbas said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was the most generous of people. He was especially generous in Ramadan when the Angel Gabriel would come and review the Qur'an with him. Gabriel would review the Qur'an with him every night during the month of Ramadan. Verily, when Gabriel would come and review the Qur'an with him in Ramadan, the Messenger of Allah was more generous than the free-blowing wind.”
17. Apologize to those you may have upset or hurt, either intentionally or inadvertently.
Cleanse your thoughts, heart, and body so that on the Night of Power you will be pure and peaceful, both inside and out. You will be in a state that is ready and receptive to the blessings, rewards, forgiveness, mercy, and happiness that will shower down on the pious believers.
