The Last Ten Days – Blueprint Newspapers Limited

If one cannot benefit spiritually during this month (Ramadan), then in what other month can he benefit? If one does not turn to his Lord with repentance during this month, when else will he do so? If one stops doing good deeds now, when will he do them? You should hurry to grab the opportunity this month, before it’s too late! You should preserve your souls from the ways of misery and destruction.

The blessed month is waning; his precious days and nights are nearing an end. So try to utilize the remaining period by doing good deeds and repenting before Allah. All’s well that ends well. So, you have to perform your actions at the end of this month in the best possible way. Two-thirds of the month of Ramadan is over and there is still a third left, which is the best of the three parts. Exert your efforts during these ten days by spending on charity, performing righteous deeds and offering optional night prayers, submitting to Allah, hoping for His good reward and seeking protection from His punishment. Allah says (what does it mean): And when my slaves ask you (O Muhammad) about me, indeed I am near. I respond to the supplicant’s invocation when he calls upon Me. So let them answer Me (with obedience) and believe in Me, that they may be rightly guided.[Quran 2: 186]Our Lord descends every night into the heaven of the earth when the last third of the night remains. He offers his slaves generously, saying: Who offers me a prayer that I may answer it? Who asks me for something so that I give it to him? Who asks me for forgiveness so that I forgive him? (Bukhari and Muslim)
In the last ten days of Ramadan there is Laylat Al-Qadr (the Night of Decrees) in which each precise question of wisdom is made distinct and all the events of the coming year are decreed. It is on this night that angels descend from heaven and blessings become abundant. Whoever prays his nights, believing in it and hoping for his reward from Allah, Allah will forgive all his previous sins. Whoever loses this night and deprives himself of his good; he is to blame. Allah has not specified the order of the ten nights so that people can exert their utmost efforts during all ten days in worship, performing the optional night prayer, reciting the Holy Quran and performing righteous deeds. This is also a means of distinguishing between those who are active in devotion and those who are not. If Laylat Al-Qadr had been identified, many people would have limited themselves to devotion only on that night, neglecting the other nights. Furthermore there would be no evaluation criteria between the workers and the lazy.

So, seek the reward of Laylat Al-Qadr by doing good deeds consistently and sincerely. Ask Allah for a share of His reward and that He protect you from leaving Ramadan empty-handed.
If you hear or recite a Qur’anic verse that mentions His mercy, ask Allah to provide you with His bounties. When you hear or recite a Qur’anic verse that contains a warning, you ask for Allah’s protection from His punishment. Say glorifications of Allah many times in your Rukoo (bowing) and make many supplications in your Sajdah (prostration), as a Muslim is closest to Allah when in prostration. A person can supplicate Allah for himself, for his parents, for his children, for his relatives and for all those dear to him among Muslims. Prolong the Qiyaam (standing) after rising from Rukoo (bowing) and the Jalsah (sitting) after rising from Sajdah (prostration), so that you can maintain a balance between all the positions of Salah. The standing position after rising from Rukoo (bowing) is a position of praise to Allah, so say many greetings, praises and exaltations of Allah in it. The sitting position which is between the two Sajdah (prostrations) is a position of supplication to Allah for forgiveness, so ask Allah for forgiveness in it.

You can begin your Qiyaam (optional night prayers) with two short Rakahs, because Shaytaan (Satan) ties three knots behind your head when you sleep and seals them by saying, “You have a long night ahead, so sleep.” If you wake up and remember Allah, a knot is untied. If you purify yourself then another knot is untied and if you pray the third one is also untied.

If any of you goes to the mosque and the prayer has started, he should join the congregation with the Imam rather than praying two Rakahs before the congregation, since in this case joining the congregation has priority.
Some people leave a blank space in the first line, so that the Muathin (person who calls to prayer), or someone who recites the Quran, can fill it after the prayer begins. This is not in line with the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasallam Sunnah, as filling gaps in the ranks of the faithful and fixing the ranks is an obligation. After establishing the prayer, the Muathin or the reciter can position themselves in the place where the line of faithful ends.

Allah says (what it means): Indeed, We sent it (i.e. the Quran) on the Night of Decree. And what can let you know what the Night of the Decree is? The Night of the Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit (i.e. Gabriel) descend there with the permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace is until the dawn breaks. [Quran 97: 1-5]

The practice of the Prophet during the last ten nights

‘Aaishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: When the last ten days of Ramadan arrived, the Prophet stayed up all night, woke up his family and girded himself. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. In the book of Imam Muslim the narration said: He strove hard and girded his loins. Imam Ibn Hajar said: His stay all night was in worship and acts of obedience, and the reason why he woke up his family was for them to pray the optional night prayers, and girding his loins referred to him refraining from sleeping with his wives.
Aaishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: The Prophet exerted himself hard (in worship) during the last ten days of Ramadan in a way that he did not exert himself at any other time. [Muslim]Zaynab Bint Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: Whenever the last ten nights of Ramadan came, the Prophet would not leave any member of his family who could physically pray the night prayers but would wake him up. [At-Tirmithi]

The way of the Prophet in Itikaaf

Aaishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: The Prophet, sallallaahualayhiwasallam, used to do Itikaaf (residing in the mosque with the intention of worshiping) during the last ten days of Ramadan until his death, then his wives did Itikaaf after him
Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: The Prophet used to do Itikaaf during the last ten days of Ramadan [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]Aaishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: When the Prophet wanted to do Itikaaf, he prayed Fajr, then entered the place where he was to do Itikaaf [Al-Bukhari and Muslims]Once the Prophet wanted to do Itikaaf in the last ten nights of Ramadan, so he ordered a small tent to be placed for him in the mosque. Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her, also commanded that a tent be placed for Itikaaf, and after that the other wives of the Prophet also commanded the same. After reciting the Fajr prayer he noticed the tents and ordered his tent to be removed and did not take Itikaaf for the remainder of Ramadan, and instead went to Itikaaf on the first ten nights of the month of Shawwaal. This shows that he had a special area isolated away from the people for Itikaaf which was sufficient only for him.

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: The Messenger of Allah used to perform Itikaaf every year in the month of Ramadan for ten days, and when it was the year of his death, he remained in Itikaaf for twenty days. [Al-Bukhari]Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet said: Seek Laylatul-Qadr (i.e. the night of decree) in the last ten days of Ramadan [Al-Bukhari]Abu Saeed Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Messenger of Allah did Itikaaf during the first ten days of Ramadan, then he did Itikaaf during the middle ten days in a Turkish tent [a circular structure] in which a mat was placed. He said: Then he took the mat in his hand and placed it at the side of the tent, then he raised his head to speak to the people, so they came near him. He said: I did Itikaaf during the first ten days, seeking this night, then I did Itikaaf during the middle ten days. Then someone came to me and said that it is in the last ten days, so whoever of you wants to do Itikaaf, let them do it. Then the people made Itikaaf with him. He said: I was shown an odd night, on the morning of which I was prostrate in the mud and water. Then on the morning of the twenty-first, he got up to pray the Fajr prayer and it was raining; the roof of the mosque was leaking and there was mud and water. He came out when he finished praying and had mud and water on his forehead and nose. That was the morning of the twenty-first, one of the last ten days. [Muslim]Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet said: Whoever remains awake praying during Laylatul-Qadr (i.e. in prayer) by faith and in the hope of Allah’s reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

‘Aaishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: When the Messenger of Allah was in Itikaaf, he inclined his head towards me and I combed his hair while I was menstruating in my room (i.e. overlooking the mosque), and he did not enter the house except out of necessity (i.e. to relieve himself). [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] He would accompany his wives home if any of them visited him in the mosque during Itikaaf.
Al-Husayn Ibn Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: Safiyyah, the wife of the Prophet, came to visit him during his Itikaaf in the mosque during the last ten days of Ramadan. He talked to him for a while, then got up to go home. The Prophet got up with her to accompany her back, then when she reached the door of the mosque, near the door of Umm Salamah, two men from the Ansaar passed by and greeted the Prophet and quickly walked away. The Prophet said to them: Wait, this is Safiyyah bint Huyay. They said: Subhaanallaah, O Messenger of Allah! They felt distressed (thought they might think something bad). The Prophet said: The devil is as close to man as his blood. In another report: The devil flows in man’s veins like blood. I was afraid that the devil might throw some evil idea into your hearts. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Ibn Al-Qayyim said: Whenever the Prophet was in Itikaaf, a mat and a bed were put on him, and if he went out to use the toilet, he did not talk to anyone, and his Itikaaf area was small, unlike what some ignorant people do who fit their area to ten people so that they can receive visitors. This is contrary to the manner of the Itikaaf prophets

Source: Islamweb