Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, is most kind, compassionate, merciful and benevolent to His servants. The Noble Quraan and Ahaadith are full with verses that explain this most beautiful quality of Allah, in fact, the very first verse that we find when we open the Quraan is:

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.

Allah begins by awakening the hearts of men, that don’t ever forget that your Lord – Allah, is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful.

However, it is understood from the Ahaadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that even on this night, some servants of Allah are deprived of His forgiveness.

We can thus gauge the severity of these sins and the need to perpetually abstain from them as they are so grave that even on an occasion when Allah’s mercy comes to the fore, they still pose an obstacle to our forgiveness.

They are as follows:

1. Idolaters
2. Those who harbour enmity against others
3. Consumers of alcohol
4. Those who disobey their parents
5. Those who wear their trousers, kurtas, lunges, etc. below their ankles;
6. Those who commit adultery and murderers
7. and those who sever family ties.

Every Muslim should consider carefully and if they are involved in any of these sins, they should sincerely repent and seek forgiveness for their sins lest they be deprived of the amazing forgiveness and kindness of Allah on this night.

Another important point is the fact that those sins which deal with the rights of our fellow men (Huqooqul Ibaad), will not be forgiven by Allah until forgiveness has not been sought from the one who has been harmed and a genuine and sincere effort to redress the wrong committed against him has not been made.

Actions to do on this Night

Often one wonders “What should I do on this night?”

We should keep in mind that attending lectures and listening to talks on this night is recommendable, as it guides us to understanding the virtues of the night, however just attending the talks is not sufficient. We should engage in some form of physical worship as well.

In order to obtain maximum benefit from this auspicious night, one should allocate a specific portion of the night for solitude and close communion with Allah Ta’ala. Fervent dua and repentance should be priority and make the sole intention for Allah Ta’ala’s pleasure and reformation of the inner self.

There are various forms of worship which one can engage in:

(a) Salaah – Salaah is one of the most preferable acts to be performed during this night. There is no particular number of Rak’ats nor is there any specific salaah with specific surahs to be read. The Night prayer (Tahajjud) of Nabi ﷺ consisted of eight rakaats (followed thereafter by the three rakaats of witr). It is also advisable that each part of the Salaah like qiyam, rukoo’ and sajdah should be longer than normal. Also try and recite as much qiraat in salaah as possible.

(b) Tilawah – The recitation of the Holy Quran is another form of worship that is very beneficial on this night. After performing Salaah, or at any other time, one should recite as much of the Holy Quran as possible.

(c) Zikr – Engage ones heart in Zikr (remembrance of Allah Ta’ala). One should also recite abundant durood on Rasulullah ﷺ. Zikr can also be recited while walking, lying on bed and while engaging in other tasks.

(d) Dua – The best benefit one can draw from the blessings of this night is prayers and supplications. Dua (supplication) itself is an ‘Ibadah, and Allah Ta’ala gives reward on each prayer along with the fulfilment of the supplicator`s needs. Even if the purpose prayed for is not achieved, one cannot be deprived of the reward of the prayer, which is, sometimes more precious than the mundane benefits one strives for. The prayers and supplications also strengthen one’s relation with Allah Ta’ala, which is the main purpose of all kinds and forms of worship.