Taraweeh Reflections – 10 Tips For The Last 10 Nights

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

community throughout these 10 nights.

community throughout these 10 nights.