Page 18 - Nahnu Anşārullāh

walking along, instead of stopping, sacred form of worship that one whoever had been in ‘Ītikāf with the
and he did not alter his course for Ramadān he refrained from ‘Ītikāf Messengerﷺ of Allah should return
that purpose. (Abu Da‘ūd) because a few of his blessed for it.’ The people returned to the
wives had pitched their cubicles in mosque (for ‘Ītikāf). There was no
The Holy Prophetﷺ maintained the sequence next to his” (Friday Sermon, trace of clouds in the sky. But all of
practice of ‘Ītikāf throughout his 29th October 2004) a sudden a cloud came and it rained.
prophethood as narrated by Hazrat Then the prayer was established and
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Abu Hurairā , Night of Decree the Messengerﷺ of Allah prostrated
ۡ َ ۡ ُ َ َ ۡ ۡ َ ۡ ُ َ َ ۡ َ َ ٰ ۡ َ ۤ َ َ in mud and water and I saw mud
“The Messengerﷺ of Allah used ۬ۙ ِ ردقلا ةلیل ؕ ِ ردقلا ةلیل ام کردا ام و over the forehead and the nose of
ۡ ُ َ َ
ُ َ
to perform ‘Ītikāf every year in و ةکئلملا لزنت ﴾۴﴿ؕ رہش ِ فلا نِم ریخ the Messengerﷺ of Allah.”(Sahih
ۡ َ
ۡ َ
ّ َ
ۡ َ ۡ ّ ٌ
َ
ٰٓ َ
the month of Ramadān for ten ِ ۡ ّ َ ۡ ٍ َ ۡ ُ ۡ ُ ّ Bukhārī)
days, and when it was the year of ۚ مِہبر ِ نذِاب اهیِف حورلا
ِ
ِ
his death, he stayed in ‘Ītikāf for Seeking this single night in
twenty days.” (Sahih Bukhārī) “And what should make thee Ramadān is perhaps why, Muslims
know what the Night of Destiny lay so much emphasis on the last ten
On one occasion however, the Holy is? The Night of Destiny is better days of Ramadān. Many people who
Prophetﷺ differed in this practice. than a thousand months. Therein tend to not focus on their prayers,
This was the year when Hazrat descend angels and the Spirit by the Taraweeh, recitation of the Qur’ān,
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‘Aisha asked his permission to command of their Lord” (Al-Qur’ān and various acts of bringing them
let her practice ‘Ītikāf also and he 97:3-5) closer to God, in the first twenty
allowed her to do so. She therefore days of Ramadān, now try to better
decided to pitch a tent for herself in According to the verses of the Holy themselves.
the mosque beside his tent. When Qur’ān, this blessed night is greater
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Hazrat Hafsa heard of it, she also than all other nights in a person’s However, it should be clearly
pitched a tent for herself, and when lifetime if it is realized and acted understood that recognizing and
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Hazrat Zainab heard of it, she too upon. It is the night when the prayers receiving the blessings of this night
pitched another tent. Thus, four tents of sincere servants of God are are not by mere chance. Otherwise,
were erected in the mosque. When answered and a unique connection why would anyone strive in their
the Holy Prophetﷺ saw them he is made with Allah the Almighty. efforts of worship and remembrance
asked to know their purpose and was of Allah throughout the rest of the
informed about what had happened. The Holy Prophetﷺ was granted year, indeed the rest of their lives, if
Expressing his displeasure, the Holy the knowledge of its occurrence they only had to achieve it once for
Prophetﷺ said, and sought to make his followers salvation and forgiveness?
aware of its significance. Hazrat
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“What made them do this? Is it Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri elates that he Speaking on the same topic, our
aa
righteousness? Remove the tents, heard the Holy Prophetﷺ talk about beloved Huzoor states:
for I do not want to see them.” So, the blessed night in the following
the tents were removed. The Prophet Hadīth, “We must remember that
did not perform ‘Ītikāf that year in the worship and prayers of a
the month of Ramadān, but did it in “Once we were in ‘Ītikāf with single night will not ensure our
the last ten days of Shawwāl”. (Sahih the Messengerﷺ of Allah in the forgiveness, or salvation or the
Bukhārī) middle ten days of (Ramadān) and acceptance of our prayers; nor
we came out of it in the morning will it make us the true servants
th
The reason for this is explained of the 20 , and the Prophetﷺ of of God” (Friday Sermon August 27, 2010)
aa
by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V as Allah delivered a sermon on the
th
follows, 20 (of Ramadān) and said, ‘I was Just as we seek the example of the
informed (of the date) of the Night Holy Prophetﷺ in all our dealings,
“One should not niggle over of Decree but had forgotten it. so too did his beloved companions.
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where one sits for ‘Ītikāf...because So, look for it in the odd nights of His wife Hazrat ‘Aisha asked
acceptance of prayer is not confined the last ten nights of the month of him what she should pray for if she
to any special site. So averse was Ramadān. I saw myself prostrating were to be granted the blessing of
the Holy Prophetﷺ to even a doubt in mud and water on that night (as recognizing the Night of Decree.
of pretension to creep in this most a sign of the Night of Decree). So,
نن
ت
May - August 2021 Nahnu Ansarullah 15
نن
ی
ء2021�پرا ا� یرجنو للہارنصاا �
للہارنصاا �
ُُ