Omar Suleiman – Taraweeh Reflections – 10 Tips For The Last 10 Nights
AI: Summary ©
The speaker gives advice on preventing the sins of the day, avoiding conversations at night, and prioritizing praying with queries. They suggest avoiding conversations at night and reciting the Prophet's words, increasing the recitation of the day, and prioritizing being present for the full set of prayer. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of improving the time of the day and increasing the use of the word "day." They provide guidance on how to increase one's share of the Quran, including reading between personal and daily activities, and seek forgiveness from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
AI: Summary ©
As the first of the last 2 nights
with Nila Wa Ta'ala begins this Saturday. May
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala allow us to catch
Laylatul Qadr. Everyone say, Ameen.
And since tomorrow InshaAllah Ta'ala we're obviously going
to be busy with the fundraiser. I wanted
to take tonight to do a quick primer
InshaAllah Ta'ala as to how we can make
the most
of these last 10 nights. And hopefully within
10 minutes insha Allah ta'ala just do a
quick refresher
as to 10 ways that we can make
the most of the next 10 nights. May
Allah allow us to catch, Laylatul Qadr, Allama
Ameen.
And so InshaAllah time, I'm just gonna go
through 10 tips bidinillah.
Some of them are well known to you,
some of them maybe have been an afterthought
in the previous
cycles of the last 10 nights. And we
know mashallah we have so many people that
are observing Ramadan with us for the very
first time. And so I ask Allah Subhanu
wa Ta'ala to allow this to be a
benefit to us in some way. The first
tip, dear brothers and sisters,
is to avoid the sins of the day.
I think that this is one of the
most underestimated
elements of the last 10 nights.
Throughout the year,
Do not disobey Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala during
the day, He will wake you up at
night. If you sin during the day, you
shut the doors of the heavens for you
at night. You might be entering into the
night with a sin that has displeased Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
This is throughout the year so how about
then with the last 10 nights of Ramadan
and the potential of Laylatul Qadr?
You don't want to be entering into Salatul
Maghrib and you have the ghadab of Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, the anger of Allah already
upon you
due to a sin that you committed during
the day of Ramadan.
So please inshallah ta'ala be very mindful especially
mindful
of the sins that you commit during the
day. So that's number 1, avoid the sins
of the day.
Number 2, avoid
conversations
at night.
Avoid conversations
at night.
Now during the day obviously you'll have to
work, you'll have to socialize, you'll have to
do things with family whatever it may be.
But at night, as Imam al Punjal Rahimu
Allah mentions
that most of the ways that the blessing
of Laylatul Qadr is lost is when people
mix with one another too much during the
night. And then it's only natural
that at some point your tongue slips. It
slips into some form of backbiting,
a little bit of gossip, a little bit
of a hint there. Dear brothers and sisters,
if you haven't had your Iftaab parties yet,
don't do them in the last 10 nights.
And this is not the time to congregate
and to hang out. Mashallah. We enjoy seeing
each other, we enjoy socializing.
But in these last 10 nights, try to
prioritize
yourself.
Try to prioritize your Ibadah.
Join the gatherings where we are remembering Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala together, but this is not
a time of socializing, this is not a
time of conversation. So avoid the sins of
the day,
avoid the conversations
of the night. Number 3, very self explanatory
but something that we might
lose. Catch Isha and Fajr in congregation.
Sayyidim Musayid Ibrahim
Whoever praise Isha in Jama'a, in congregation
would have taken their fortune of Laylatul Qadr.
The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said that whoever
prays isha in congregation, it is as if
they have the first half of the night.
And whoever prays fajr in congregation is as
if they have the last half of the
night. It is more precious to Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala that you catch your isha and
fajr in congregation,
then you spend the whole night in prayer.
So prioritize
being here for salatul Isha and salatul Fajr.
Number 4, pray with the imam a full
set. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said
that whoever prays behind the imam in Qiya
until the imam finishes then that person has
caught the entire night of prayer. Now there
are multiple interpretations
of that hadith by the way. So if
you have 2 Imams for example
and some of you know 1 Imam is
leading the first half, the second Imam is
leading the second half. Does it count if
you pray just with the first Imam? If
you have in the last 3rd of the
night, obviously we do 3 o'clock piyam here
and you pray with that imam the entire
time, does that count
as a full night? The answer is all
of them could count and the more you
do the better.
You know, obviously,
if a person wants to pray the full
20, that is the best. There's no doubt
about it. But if a person only prays
with 1 imam throughout the night,
behind them as they recite, then insha Allah
ta'ala, we hope that that would be enough
to achieve this particular
reward.
Number 5.
Read the Quran extra throughout the night.
Seems very self explanatory, but it's actually missed
sometimes.
You know, Khattad Rahimullah.
He used to finish the Quran every 3
days of Ramadan.
But then he would do a khatma every
night of the last 10 nights. And there's
a general trend that you find amongst the
salaf, amongst the pious predecessors,
that they increase their recitation of the Quran,
their width in the last 10 nights specifically.
So even if you're trying to finish a
certain amount during the day By the way,
it is one of the most beautiful things
that you surpass your Quran reading goals. So
if you wanted to finish 1 khatam for
example in Ramadan, and you're doing a juz
a day, if you finish 1 and a
half that's better than 1, and it'll kick
start you Insha'Allah Ta'ala into Shawwal, so that
maybe you have a khatam at the end
of Shawwal
as well. But
read more Quran in the nights, in the
last 10 nights than you do during the
rest of Ramadan especially during the day of
Ramadan. SubhanAllah,
the very first word revealed to the Prophet
on this night was
Iqraah, read. And surely in that is a
sign that you honor the Quran with these
nights. So try to increase
your share of the Quran
as you read. Don't diminish what you're reading
in the day, increase what you are reading
in the night. Number
6. I did 5, right? Okay.
Number 6. The dua of the Prophet
that he taught Aisha
Allahumma innaqaafuwintuhibbuafwafaafu
annee.
Aisha radiAllahu Anha asked the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam, If I find myself in later Qadr,
what should I recite?
The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, Say, Allahumma
nakafu went tohibulafu
fafu ani. O Allah,
You are the forgiver. You love to forgive,
so forgive me. Read this dua throughout the
night. Start your duas with it, and your
duas with it. Read it between the personal
duas that you are making InshaAllah Ta'ala. But
there is nothing more blessed than the guidance
of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam in what
duas that we should make in this regard.
Number 7.
Make dua and dhikr even while you are
in motion.
I'm gonna explain what I mean here.
When we take Hajj groups, and may Allah
write us down from the hijaj and laylatul
Qadr as well. Allahumu ami.
I always tell people, you know, don't waste
the day of Arafah when you're waiting in
line for this and waiting in line for
that. Even that is a time of dua.
As you're walking, it's a time of dua.
As you are moving, it's a time of
Dua. As you're driving, it's a time of
Dua. You want to make use of every
single moment. And some of the blessed athkar
are the ones that are coming just as
you are moving from place to place, going
from house to Masjid, wherever it may be.
Even if you're waiting in line for your
sukur,
keep your tongue busy with du'a and dikr
even while you are in motion
on that night. Treat that night like every
single second matters.
Treat that night like every single second
matters.
Number 8.
Increase your prostration.
Increase your sajdah
on these nights. Where do I get that
from?
1st and foremost, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
said,
That obviously the general rule is whoever stands
up on the night of Layut Al Qadr
with faith and seeking the reward, then they
will be forgiven for all of their sins.
But the best part of qiyam
is the best part of salah. A'inmi alanafsi
ka bi kafrul tsujood is to increase the
time of your sajda.
And in fact, SubhanAllah,
right before you read, Inna Azzanahu Filiya Tuqadr.
The last words of the surah
is what? That came down before
it.
Prostrate and come closer. Prostrate and come closer.
So increase the time of your sujood. Take
your du'as with you to your sujood. Insha'Allah
ta'ala
during the night as you make these
special forms of worship in these special nights.
Number 9, giving and charity.
Now I'm gonna start off here when I
say giving and charity that there is nothing
that suggests
explicitly that the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam gave
more charity in the last time than he
did the rest of Ramadan.
However, subhanAllah many of the scholars of Suruk,
they say look at 2 things. The scholars
of spirituality say look at 2 things.
Charity has two effects. Number 1 is increase,
and you seek increase. In the night of
Laylatul Qadr, which is increase.
Number 2, tutfir ughaddbarram
as the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said.
Charity, especially salakatussir,
secret charity, extinguishes the anger of the Lord.
And on a night of increase where the
greatest reward that you could seek is forgiveness,
what better than an act that you do
every single night insha Allah ta'ala
that is associated with increase and associated with
the extinguishing of the anger of the Lord.
So if you're automating charity or if you're
giving charity yourself or if you see someone
whatever it is, be someone who is open
to charity in these last 10 nights constantly
as you are to all good deeds. Number
10.
Spend the last few moments of every single
one of these 10 nights in Istighfar, and
seeking forgiveness. Wabit Asahari,
home yastaghfirun.
And during the time of suhoor,
that time, they are seeking forgiveness.
This is during regular times. What about the
last 10 nights? What I mean by that
is that sometimes people will be eating and
socializing until the very last minute.
And it might be that in that last
minute
of one of those tonight you say, Oh
Allah,
forgive me. Oh Allah, accept my good deeds
despite your shortcomings. O Allah accept me
despite my shortcomings.
That in those last few moments moments of
istighfar and asking Allah for acceptance,
that the whole night is overlooked. And if
the whole night is accepted, then a whole
lifetime of reward is granted. So spend the
last few moments bayidnillahi ta'ala making istifa seeking
forgiveness. Prioritize the last 5 minutes before the
Adhan of Fajr. Every single one of these
last nights insha'Allah ta'ala. And seeking forgiveness from
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Allahumma balitna radiatul Qadr.
Allahumma balitna radiatul Qadr.
Allah, allow us to observe Laylatul Qadr. Allahumma
Ameen. Bzaakmalu Khayram. Insha'Allah Ta'ala. We look forward
to spending,
these these 10 nights together. It's always a
special time for our community
as well. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala allow
blessings, and tranquility, and acceptance to continue to
descend upon us in this Masjid, in our
community throughout these 10 nights.