LAILATUL QADR: THE NIGHT THAT CHANGED HISTORY

THE NIGHT THAT CHANGED HISTORY
The Khutbah (Sermons) of Arshad Gamiet (Royal Holloway College, University of London, UK)

First Khutbah:

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam,

During the last ten nights of Ramadhan, we feel a special kind of excitement, a special sense of anticipation, because of one very important night. I refer of course to Lailatul Qadr, the Night of Power.

Surah 97 [Al-Qadr] of The Holy Qur'an reads:

"We have indeed revealed this [Message] in the Night of Power. And what will explain to you 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’s permission on every errand. Peace…this until the rise of Morning!" [Surah Al-Qadr]

What is so special about Lailatul Qadr? Why does The Holy Qur'an describe it as "better than a thousand months?" If there were no Lailatul Qadr, what would it matter?

The first Lailatul Qadr was the night that changed history. It was the night that Jibreel (alayhis salaam) brought the first revelation, the first verses of The Holy Qur'an were pronounced in a cave on Jabal Nur, the Mountain of Light. Just imagine, if there were no Lailatul Qadr, there would have been no Qur'an today, if Allah had sent no new revelation after Nabi Isa. The world would have been in an unimaginable mess! There would have been no authentic record of the pure and unadulterated Word of Allah, for all generations to be able to seek and find correct guidance. Mankind would have followed Torahs and Bibles, which were constantly under revision and review, depending on what was expedient at the time. The Holy Books we would have used today, would have drifted further and further away from the original teachings of those great prophets Moses and Jesus.

Let us consider the world scenario on the day before Jibreel (alayhis salaam) appeared in the Cave on Jabal Nur, to pronounce those majestic words:

"Read, in the Name of your Lord and Cherisher, who created! Created man out of a mere clot of congealed blood. Read, and your Lord is most Bountiful. He who taught the use of the Pen. Taught man that which he knew not!" [Surah Al-'Alaq 96: 1-5]

Think about the state of the world just before these words were pronounced! Pompous, arrogant and unjust rulers governed Rome and Persia, who were superpowers at the time of Muhammad. They believed that might was right. They regarded the Arabs as a wild and uncivilised people, unworthy of conquest. The followers of two great religions, the Jews and the Christians, had lost the original teachings of Nabi Musa and Nabi 'Isa (alayhis salaam). They had substituted those teachings with their own writings. Their Torah and Bible now reflected their own human desires. These holy books could no longer be regarded as the pure, unadulterated Word of Allah.

Outside the Christian and Jewish worlds, the Arabs were practising Idolatry, and they had desecrated the Holy Ka’ba with 360 idols, almost one for each day of the year. Women were treated unjustly, and newborn daughters were often buried alive. Nowhere appeared any sign of hope and it seemed that mankind was doomed to a dismal fate. Then literally and metaphorically, out of the darkness of the Cave, and out of the darkness of human despair, there appeared the first words of The Holy Qur'an, the first rays of light for suffering humanity.

That same light that filled the Cave during Lailatul Qadr, that filled the heart of our dear Prophet Muhammad [saw], has shone brightly down the ages, to fill our lives also. Year after year, for over 1,400 years, almost a Millennium and a half, the light of Lailatul Qadr has brought hope and renewed faith, to a world that would otherwise be stumbling in total darkness and despair.

Dear brothers and sisters, we all take great care that our homes have adequate gas and electric power. It is also important that we do not neglect our spiritual power. Let us plug our heart and soul in to Lailatul Qadr and recharge our iman batteries. If Muslims hadn’t been so lax about their faith over the last few centuries, we would not today have to witness the humiliation and tragedy of Chechnya, Bosnia, Kosovo, or Kashmir.

Let us spend our Night of Power, remembering Allah s.w.t., and offering thanks to Him, for his countless blessings that we enjoy each moment of our lives. Let us ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to lift the burden of injustice and oppression from so many Muslim communities around the world. Let us ask him for his Divine power to help us become the dynamic, disciplined and balanced community, the Ummatan wasatan, the Witness to the nations, as described in The Holy Qur'an. Let us spend this historic night asking our Lord and Master, to help us become the model Muslims that our children and all future generations would love to follow...

Second Khutbah:

The Night of Power energised history. The brilliant and irresistible light of Allah’s revelation illuminated the darkness of human ignorance and deprivation. In the 7th Century, Islam lit up the world. And despite many setbacks, trials and tribulation, in communities large and small, Islam still lights up the darkness of human weakness, ignorance and evil.

What can we learn from the history of Islam, that will help us build a better future?

We learn that no miracle will come out of the sky, just because we made a wish. In Surah Al-Ra’d, 13:11, we read:

"Truly, never will Allah change the condition of a people, until they change what is within themselves…"

Allah will not change our condition, until we make the effort to turn away from what displeases Him, and we strive, sincerely, to seek His pleasure. At times, we might feel that this is too difficult. It seems much easier just to do what pleases ourselves, like most other people seem to be doing. Remember that our Prophet Muhammad [saw] started his prophetic mission, as a minority of one. Family and friends later joined him. But he had to work hard, with sincerity, patience and perseverance, for his community to grow. Because he was determined, and Allah was pleased with him, that growth was inevitable, and it developed in quantity and quality.

Within a few years, the effect of that first Lailatul Qadr was that it transformed the weak and troublesome Arab tribes into a nation of Supermen. It was as if the desert sand of Arabia had turned into gunpowder, and when the fuse of iman was lit, the Muslims became an unstoppable, irresistible force. They exploded out of the Arabia, north, south, east and west. Even the Roman and Persian superpowers who used to regard them with contempt, were swept aside within a few short years.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, that mystical and mysterious force that descends by the command of Allah Most High, during Lailatul Qadr, the Night of Power, has proven itself in history. Its clear evidence is there for all of us to see. Remember that it was during Ramadhan that some of Islam’s noblest and greatest victories were achieved, for example, the Battle of Badr, the Conquest of Makka, the Conquest of Spain, and the Defeat of the Mongols at Ain Jalut.

That same irresistible force that helped our noble ancestors to attain victory in these epic battles, is there for us to discover and use, if we make a sincere and total commitment to serve Allah. From this great Night onwards, let it be our goal, our lifetime commitment. Let us make a covenant with Allah, that we will serve him alone, with all our energy, wealth, talent and possessions. Remember, Allah wants us to be full-time Muslims, not merely Friday Muslims or Eid or Ramadhan Muslims. Allah does not accept anything divided, especially our divided loyalty.

So, my dear Brothers and Sisters, why not let me, and you all here, make a commitment today, to serve Allah whole-heartedly, and to let our first love be our love for Allah. And for His sake alone, let us strive every moment of every day to purify and improve ourselves, in body, heart and soul.

Anything less than this will be unworthy of us who choose to call ourselves Muslims and Believers. Only when we have purified our hearts from greed, vanity, cowardice, envy and malice, and we have filled that space with a love of truth, beauty and justice, can we expect Allah to change our condition. Once we have won this Jihad al nafs, this battle against our innerself, we can deserve the help and Mercy of Allah.

I pray that during this historic time, in this Holy Month, on this Great Night of Power, when His angels are sent by His Command, that Allah Most Gracious will accept our commitment. May He also help us to purify our hearts, strengthen our faith, and enable us to meet every challenge, overcome every difficulty in our lives. May Allah allow us to serve Him in our work, in our leisure, in our study, in our business and professions and in our family life and social relations. And when the time comes for us finally to return to Him, may Allah admit us to the companionship of those whom He loves as His friends.

Ameen!

[Source: Khutbah Bank (edited). Images added.]