Five Motivators for Seizing Laylat al-Qadr

In the name of Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.

Introduction: The Importance of the Night of Power

I would like to start, my brothers, by speaking about the Night of Power in a few minutes, if Allah wills. As you know, this night is one of the most hoped-for nights to be the Night of Power, and thus we should think: What motivates us to strive to catch the Night of Power? Why should we strive in this night and in the remaining nights of Ramadan, especially the 27th and 29th, the odd-numbered nights?

I would like to mention, my brothers, five reasons that motivate and inspire us to seek the Night of Power and strive in worship during these nights.

Motivations for Seizing the Night of Power

Motivation One: Forgiveness of Sins

The saying of our Prophet, peace be upon him: "Whoever stands (in prayer) during the Night of Power with faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven."

Look at the great generosity of Allah, the Most High, and look at the beauty of the meaning. A person enters this night with sins and faults, then exits it pure, cleansed of all sins. Can you imagine all sins being forgiven in one night by the generosity of the Lord of the Worlds, the Most High!

And his saying, peace be upon him, "with faith": meaning with belief in what Allah, the Most High, has prepared as a reward for those who stand in prayer during this night. Whoever believes in what Allah, the Most High, has prepared as a reward for those who stand in prayer during this night, he will attain this great reward, and his previous sins will be forgiven. Of course, "seeking reward": asking for the reward and the blessing.

Motivation Two: Better than a Thousand Months

The saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him: "The Night of Power is better than a thousand months." And a thousand months are equivalent to eighty-three years and four months, meaning a long human lifespan, a complete life.

You might be living in comfort, with ample wealth, in a beautiful house, with a distinguished job, and you look at others with pity for those who have not attained what you have. Meanwhile, the truth is that they are the winners with Allah for their good worship during this night, and you are deprived, if Allah wills not, because "whoever is deprived of its good has been deprived."

Motivation Three: Knowing Your Status with Allah

Noble ones, one of the things that encourages you to perform good worship during these nights is that you know, according to your striving, your status with Allah, the Most High. You know, according to your striving or your laziness, your status with Allah, the Most High.

Often, we wonder: I wonder, do I have honor with Allah? Do I have a status with Allah? Does Allah love me? Does Allah hate me? How do I know?

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, has a great and very beautiful saying: "Whoever wants from the workers to know his status with the sultan, let him look at what work he is assigned and what he is occupied with." Whoever wants from the workers to know his status with the sultan, let him look at what work he is assigned and what he is occupied with.

And he said to the other: "Come, your time is now, you are my right-hand man, I will not decide on any matter until I consult you, I will not execute anything until I ask your permission." This is a man of great status with the sultan, why? Because the sultan occupied him with great work.

And Allah's example is the highest. If you see that Allah occupies you during these nights with great works and with good striving, worship, and obedience, know that you have a status with Allah. And if you see that you are lazy, you do not distinguish this night from other nights, God forbid, this is a sign of evil.

And my brothers, take heed, sometimes a person is either at the highest ranks or not, either he says that he must feel the flight of his soul and immense happiness and intimacy with Allah and longing for Allah during this night. Okay, if these meanings are not achieved, do not lower the degree, do not say that I have no share of good. No, my brother, no, no, "and for all are degrees of what they have done." Yes, the flight of the soul and immense happiness and the ecstasy of worship are very beautiful. Did you not achieve them? Be content with what is below them, that you force yourself to worship, you strive for worship, you compel it with compulsion. You have a great reward for the great. And immense happiness or complete ecstasy and asceticism in worship, no, there are degrees "and for all are degrees of what they have done."

Motivation Four: The Night of Honor and Status

Noble ones, the night of honor and status.

Motivation Five: Blessing for the Rest of the Year

The Night of Power, if we seize it, is a blessing for the rest of the year. We said that it is called the Night of Power because it is honorable and of high status, meaning the honorable, great night of power. There is another mention of the reason for its name, and there is no objection to both sayings being acceptable, that it is called the Night of Power from estimation and planning, meaning the night in which the estimation of what happens in that year is made. As Allah, the Most High, said in the Night of Power: "Therein is decreed every matter of wisdom." Therein is decreed every matter of wisdom.

And thus, when you stand in this night, my brothers, when one seeks it and asks Allah to guide him to obedience in it, he should invoke this meaning that with this night I invoke blessing and good estimation for the rest of the year, for the entire year. Therefore, let us seize it and strive in worship within it and increase in supplication: "O Allah, You are the Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me." As in the authentic hadith, our Prophet, peace be upon him, directed our mother Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, to supplicate with this supplication during this night.

Therefore, my noble brothers, in the Night of Power specifically, for this reason, my noble brothers, I call upon myself first and I call upon you, even those who have been negligent in the past days, to strive with all their might on the 27th night, the most hoped-for, then the 29th night, and it is also possible that it is the Night of Power, and let us also strive in the remaining nights. And Allah, the Most High, knows best.