Dear brothers, the run-up to the last ten nights of Ramadan has started –among them is the Night of Al-Qadr, the most important one. Due to its virtue, it is mentioned in the Qur'an in Surah Al-Qadr, where Allah says:
97. Surah Al-Qadr (The Night of Decree)

((1. Verily! We have sent it (this Qur'an) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree)
2. And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is?
3. The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).
4. Therein descend the angels and the Ruh [Jibrael (Gabriel)] by Allah's Permission with all Decrees,
5. Peace! (All that night, there is Peace and Goodness from Allah to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn.))

A Distinctive Mark of the Night of Al-Qadr

 Surah Al-Qadr contains two time references –the Night itself and a thousand months.
 A thousand months equals an 83-year-long lifetime, which is considered to be a very long one given that man's life expectancy is between 60 and 70 years.
 Thus, a single night is pronounced to be better than enjoyment of a long lifetime! Why? What is the virtue of this night?
 It should be taken into consideration that the Qur'an is mathani (reiterative), which implies that each ayah has its twin sister which explains it. Thus, Allah Most High says in Surah Az-Zummar:

67. {They made not a just estimate (ma qadaru) of Allah such as is due to Him (haqqa qadri). And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand.}

 So, we should know that the knowledge of Allah the Great and Almighty is in the Night of Al-Qadr, and if you know Him, this is better for you than worshipping Him negligently for 83 years. The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months…

How Can We Get to Know Allah

 Allah the Great and Almighty says in Surah Al-An’am:

103. {No vision can grasp Him, but His Grasp is over all vision.}

 So, no vision can grasp Allah but minds and hearts can do so by contemplating His Creation (cosmic signs), His Words (Quranic ayaat) and His Acts (genetic marvels). Allah says in Surah Al-Kahf:

46. {Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world…

 Having wealth without children is a heartbreak and having children without wealth is a hardship.

46. {Wealth and children are the adornment of the life of this world. But the good righteous deeds (five compulsory prayers, deeds of Allah's obedience, good and nice talk, remembrance of Allah with glorification, praises and thanks, etc.), that last, are better with your Lord for rewards and better in respect of hope }

 Rationally speaking, sticking to Allah's absolute Oneness by eliminating from His remembrance, that is His glorification and praise, all anthropomorphic concepts, we arrive at the good righteous deeds that last and have to consider wealth and children as transitory.

The Meaning of Subhan Allah (Glory to Allah)

 When you say subhan Allah, you don’t just denote that Allah, in His Essence and Acts, is exalted above all drawback, but you also magnify Him through glorification of His Best Names and Attributes.

The Meaning of Alhamduli- Allah (All Praise is Due to Allah)

 Praise is the acme of gratitude achieved through the following three levels:

The Cognitive Level

 It is when you realize that all of your blessings (good health, exquisite five senses you posses, healthy mind, mobility, having good wife and children
and, above all, knowing Allah ) are all from Allah the Great and Almighty.
 All of these blessings can be classified into the following three groups:
 Blessing of Creation – Blessing of Sustenance – Blessing of Guidance.

53. { And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allah. } Surah An-Nahl

The Emotional Level

 It is when you thank Allah, love Allah and are fully grateful to Him.

 Narrated Ibn Abbas that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

(( Love Allah as He nourishes you with His countless blessings))

[Al-Tirmidhi]

The Practical Level

 It is when you thank Allah by being useful to His servants.

13. { "Work you, O family of Dawud (David), with thanks!" }

Surah Saba'

 Gratefulness and praise do not ascend to the Most High unless there are useful deeds.

The Meaning of La ilaha illa Allah

 It is when you put your trust in none other than Allah and perceive that no hand manages the affairs of this world except His.

84. { It is He (Allah) Who is the only Ilah (God to be worshipped) in the heaven and the only Ilah (God to be worshipped) on the earth. }

Surah Az-Zukhruf

123. {,and to Him return all affairs (for decision). }

Surah Hood

17. {And you (Muhammad ) threw not when you did throw but Allah threw, }

Surah Al_Anfal

10. { The Hand of Allah is over their hands. }

Surah Al_Fatih

26. { They have no Wali (Helper, Disposer of affairs, Protector, etc.) other than Him, and He makes none to share in His Decision and His Rule." }

Surah Al_Kahf

 Abu Ad-Darda’a narrated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

((Every thing has its truth, and the servant will not attain the truth of iman until he realizes that his affliction is not the result of his faults nor will his faults bring him about affliction.))

[ Ahmad and At-Tabarani ]

The Meaning of Allahu Akbar

173. Those (i.e. believers) unto whom the people (hypocrites) said, "Verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them." But it (only) increased them in Faith, and they said: "Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us)."
174. So they returned with Grace and Bounty from Allah. No harm touched them; and they followed the good Pleasure of Allah. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.

Surah Aal-Imran

 True believers believe that Allah is the Most Great. He is Greater than all you can know about His Greatness; whereas disbelievers get scared of anyone who is just stronger or greater than themselves.

 So, only when you perceive properly the denotation of the four above mentioned aspects of the remembrance of Allah (the good righteous deeds that last) –Glory to Allah, All praise is due to Allah, La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar– it can be said that your heart is still beating, that you know Allah very well, and thus you know everything. But, if you fail to get to know Him, you will certainly miss everything and yours will be a spiritless heart.

21. { (They are) dead, lifeless, }

Surah An-Nahl

22. { Verily, Allah makes whom He will hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in graves.}

Surah Fatir

 It has been said:

The dead one isn’t the one who dies and becomes motionless.
Rather, it is the lifeless one amidst the living.
***

The Significance of the Night of Al-Qadr

 Dear brothers, the great significance of the Night of Al-Qadr is to make you repent faithfully, to worship properly as well as to obey Him, to praise and to estimate Him highly, putting your trust fully in no one except Allah.
 If you achieve this repentance, estimate, obedience and worship, even though in just this one night, it is better for you than living a very long useless lifetime.

 Narrated Sahil Ibn Sa’d that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Allah loves what is noble and elevated and He hates what is low and banal. ))))

[ Al-Hakim ]

Relationship with Allah results in understanding of the Qur'an

 When you obey Allah and turn to Him in sincere repentance, and when you hasten to get closer to Him, He will permit and aid you to understand the Qur'an properly.
 On the other hand, Allah describes the incapacity of the zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers) to understand the Qur'an properly when He says:

44. {and it (the Qur'an) is blindness for them. }

Surah Fussilat

82. {,and it increases the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers) nothing but loss.}

Surah Al-Isra’

198. { And if We had revealed it (this Qur'an) unto any of the non-Arabs, 199. And he had recited it unto them, they would not have believed in it. 200. Thus have We caused it (the denial of the Qur'an) to enter the hearts of the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists, sinners, etc.).}

Surah Ash-Shu’ara’

 Thus, you may rest assured that you won’t understand the Noble Qur'an as long as you disobey Allah and stray far away from His Right Way.
 In Ramadan, Forgiveness is the Natural Consequence of Approaching Allah

 Don’t forget, dear brothers, that Ramadan is the month of peacemaking with Allah. It is the month of forgiveness and getting away from Fire. So, it is a great chance of turning over a new leaf in our relationship with Allah. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, began to ascend the minbar and

((After he climbed the first step, he said "Amin”. After he climbed the second step, he said: "Amin"; and he repeated it after having climbed the third one. Afterwards the people asked him why he had said it three times, and he answered: Jibril came to me and said: The loser is the one who hasn’t obtained Allah’s forgiveness after Ramadan. ))

[Al-Bukhari, on the authority of Jabir]

(( Ramadan is an expiation for everything you did before it))

[Ahmad ]

 Narrated Abu Huraira that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

"Whoever establishes prayers on the Night of Al-Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah will obtain forgiveness for all his previous sins; and whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah will obtain forgiveness for all his previous sins."

[ Agreed upon ]

Your Heart will Lit Up on the Night of Al-Qadr

 When you turn to Allah in repentance and get closer to Him, you will make your knowledge of Allah more complete and increase your righteous deeds and your uprightness.
So, on the night of Al-Qadr the lights of your Lord will shine into your heart and brighten it up, and thus you will be able to see the Truth and the Falsehood as they really are.

28. { O you who believe [in Musa (Moses) (i.e. Jews) and 'Iesa (Jesus) (i.e. Christians)]! Fear Allah, and believe too in His Messenger (Muhammad ), He will give you a double portion of His Mercy, and He will give you a light by which you shall walk (straight), and He will forgive you.}

Surah Al_Hadid

The Night of Al-Qadr transforms a worshiper into an 'alim

 Indeed, there is a great difference between a worshiper and an 'alim. The worshiper’s resistance to life’s allurements and pressures is fragile, so he easily steps out from the Right Way.
On the other hand, the strong faith of an 'alim can be affected neither by the governors’ heavy scourges nor their glittering gold ingots.

 Narrated Ibn Abbas that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

(( For Shaytan, one faqih (an authority on the Law of Islam) is a more difficult victim than a thousand worshipers.))

[ Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah ]

 Narrated Mu’adh that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

((The predominance of an 'alim over the worshiper is as that of the full moon over all the other planets.))

[ Abu Na’eem]

 Narrated Abu Umamah Al-Bahili that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

((The predominance of an 'alim over the worshiper is as my predominance over the minor among you.))

[ Al-Tirmidhi ]

 Nowadays, delusive suspicions and temptations are numerous. So, to be a worshiper who merely practices piety, prays and fasts isn’t enough to be saved. You need, furthermore, awareness, knowledge and work.

 Our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to a man who was worshipping in the mosque during work time and asked him: Who feeds you? The man answered: My brother does. He replied: Your brother worships Allah more than you do.

 Thus, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commended the brother’s way of worship, because the worshiper worshiped Allah and benefited no one but himself and purified his heart and soul only, whereas the brother worked to feed not just himself but also him.

105. { And say (O Muhammad ) "Do deeds! Allah will see your deeds, and (so will) His Messenger and the believers.}

Surah Al_Taubah

 So, in the Night of Al-Qadr you may attain a peculiar conversion from the stage of worshiper to the stage of an 'alim just through doing righteous deeds.
When is the Night of Al-Qadr?
 Actually, every minute is of the Night of Al-Qadr because the day and the night follow each other (all around the globe). Every minute there is fajr, every minute there is dhuhr, every minute there is asr. More than that, it actually happens every second while the earth revolves around the sun. The Night of Al-Qadr is calculated according to the Hijrah calendar, and Hijrah calendar runs along the Christian calendar; and the Night of Al-Qadr is every day. How is it that Ramadan moves from summer months to winter months? Similarly, the Night of Al-Qadr moves round the year and round every second of the day. It is we who should calculate it.

What to do in the Night of Al-Qadr

  Dear brothers, when we verily acknowledge Allah and contemplate His Creation, we have to consider each night and day of the same status as the Night of Al-Qadr.

67. {They made not a just estimate (ma qadaru) of Allah such as is due to Him (haqqa qadri). And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand.}

Surah Az_Zumar

 Don’t be mere worshippers and don’t feel content with faith as something inherited. Instead, be men of knowledge who search, learn and work so that you can’t be subdued easily.

 Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Woe to those who don’t think deeply about the significance of the following ayaat:

( from Surah Aal-Imran )

190. { Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. 191. Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.}

 Dear brothers, the main objective of our lesson today is to perceive properly the very essence of the Night of Al-Qadr. It is the night in which to grasp the proper knowledge of Allah; it is the night for one’s advancement from one stage (worship) to a higher one (knowledge).
 In short, the Night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months.
 The one who has conscience of the Night of Al-Qadr

 The one who is conscious of the real significance of the Night of Al-Qadr and lives it as it should be lived, is really blessed for he is distinguished by the following aspects:

Being conscious of the Night of Al-Qadr leads to knowledge

(( Allah won’t accept an ignorant one unless He teaches him.))

[Al-Hafith Ibn Hajar ]

Being conscious of the Night of Al-Qadr and good conduct

 It is not possible for a believer to be treacherous, deceitful or dishonest.

Being conscious of the Night of Al-Qadr and nobility

 Believe me, brothers, you won’t acquire consciousness of the real significance of the night of Al-Qadr until you become completely convinced that there is no one on this earth happier than you except those who are more devout and sincere with Allah.

If there is awareness of the Night of Al-Qadr

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, you will fear nothing but your sins and trust no one but your Lord.

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, you will consider yourself as one of Allah’s servants and so will live only for Him.

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, you will say: O Lord! You’re my Only regard and Your content is my only desire.

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, you will deliver Allah’s Message and fear no one but Him.

 I If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, you will say as our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said in the following ayah:

162. { Say (O Muhammad ): "Verily, my Salat (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).}

Surah Al-An’am

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, You will be as our Imam Ibrahim.

37. { And of Ibrahim (Abraham) who fulfilled (or conveyed) all that (what Allah ordered him to do or convey),}

Surah An-Najm

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al_Qadr, you will live only for Allah.

41. { "And I have Istana'tuka, for Myself.}

Surah Ta-Ha

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, the Afterlife will become your big concern. Nevertheless, you will not cease to be concerned about your worldly existence.
  Narrated Anas Ibn Malik that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

((If one considers the Afterlife as his big concern, Allah enriches his heart, makes him the cause of unity, and obliges dunia to come to him. Whereas, if one considers dunia as his big concern, He makes him obsessed with poverty, makes him the cause of discord, and gives him nothing more than what has been decreed for him.))

[ Al-Tirmidhi ]

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, you will hold firmly to no one except Allah.

 Narrated Kaab Bin Malik:

(( If a servant of Mine holds firmly only to Me, and I know this from his intention, I shall provide for him a way out of his affliction even though all the inhabitants of the Heavens intrigued against him.
On the other hand, if a servant of Mine holds firmly to one of My creatures, and I know this from his intention, I shall cut off all his possible connections to the Heavens.)

[ Bin Asakir ]

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, you will prefer the Afterlife more than the worldly existence, and so you will get and succeed in both of them. Otherwise, you will lose both of them.

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr… what can I lose if I find You? And what can I get if I lose You?

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, you will say: Oh Allah! If You support me, who can go against me? And if You are against me, who can support me?

 If you really comprehend the meaning of the Night of Al-Qadr, pleasure will fulfill your heart.

How to abandon what we are in

  Dear brothers, to obey Allah the Great and Almighty and to satisfy and placate Him is a stable truth that belongs to the days of our Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his companions. It is so easy to placate Him, for example by giving sadaqah.

 Narrated Ibn Abbas that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

(( The secret sadaqah appeases the Lord's anger.))

[ Ibn Asakir ]

 Narrated Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

(( Give your sadaqah as soon as possible to turn away the distress.))

[ Abu As-Sheikh, Ibn Abu Ad-Dunia and Al-Baihaqi ]

87. { And (remember) Dhan-Nun (Jonah), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him (i.e. the calamites which had befallen him)! But he cried through the darkness (saying): La ilaha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers." 88. So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness).}

Surah Al-Anbiyah’

 When you invoke Allah, He answers you. This is a Divine law.
 When Sayyidina Yunus suddenly found himself in the darkness of the night and the darkness of the sea and the darkness of the whale’s belly, he invoked Allah, and verily Allah answered him and delivered him from the distress.

 So, Allah the Great and Almighty, won’t let you be empty-handed when you ask Him, as He has promised to answer us any time we invoke and ask Him to satisfy every single need of ours. He answers the needy with His Mercy and He answers the oppressed with His Justice.

 Narrated Abu Hurairah:

((My wrath falls on the one who does not invoke Me.))

[ Al-Askari in The Sermons ]

 Narrated A’ishah:

(( Allah the Great and Almighty loves those who invoke Him insistently.))

[ Al-Hakim Ibn Udai and Al-Baihaki ]

 Invoking Allah is considered to be the believer’s force, so necessary nowadays under the pressure of terror, threat and subjugation.

 So, nothing is better than to turn to Allah in repentance faithfully, to make a covenant of obedience with Him and to ask Him day and night to rescue and secure us from our distress and agony.