Night of Power
Friday, May 31 is the Muslim holiday Laylat al-Qadr meaning “Night of Destiny” or “Night of Power.” This is the night when, according to classical exegesis, the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Muhammad. The Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an states:
The phrase “Night of Power” (laylat al-qadr) appears in q 97:1, and lends itself to the name of the sūra (Sūrat al-Qadr)…This night is described as a night better than a thousand months in which angels…descend by leave of their lord from every command, and there is said to be a peace that lasts until the break of dawn. The “blessed” night during which God sent down the Qurʾān is believed to be the night of qadr (Ṭabarī, Tafsīr, xxv, 64).
Muslim commentators, following Ibn ʿAbbās (d. 68/686-8), have suggested that the Qurʾān was sent down from the Preserved Tablet ( cf. q 85:21-2) to the lowest heaven on this night and then revealed by Gabriel to Muḥammad over a period of twenty or twenty-three years (Ṭabarī, Tafsīr, xxx, 166; cf. Ibn Isḥāq-Guillaume, 111-2); or, following al-Shaʿbī (d. ca. 103/721), that this night was the occasion of the first revelation (Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ, ix, 516-21; Rāzī, Tafsīr, xxxiii, 27-8; cf. Ṭabarī, Tafsīr, xxx, 166)…
Learn more about Laylat al-Qadr from Sheikh Ali Gomaa the former Grand Mufti of Egypt and one of my favorite Muslim scholars.
In the below video Ali Gomaa discusses Laylat al-Qadr and why the beginning of Ramadan is about mercy and its middle is about forgiveness and its end is freedom from hellfire? Ali Gomaa answers the questions: What is the time of the Night of Power? When was the Quran sent down and revealed to Prophet Muhammad? Why did God bestow the Muslims with the Night of Power?
In this video Ali Gomaa answers: What are the virtues and the signs of Laylat al-Qadr and why is it worth more than 1000 months in worship? Is there some special supplication for this night?
In this video Ali Gomaa answers: Does a menstruating woman or the one with post natal bleeding have its share of the Night of Power? can a menstruating woman read the Quran? How does abstaining from fasting for women in their menstrual period is considered an act of obedience worth of a reward?
In this video Ali Gomaa answers: Can Zakatul Fitr be paid in money format or is it only applicable to be given in grains? What is the amount of this type of zakat? Who are the eligible payers of zakat? When is Zakatul Fitr due?
Ali Gomaa taught that piety is acting according to God’s revelation. How can Muslims be pious when they deny God’s recorded work and revelation found in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures?
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