Twitter
Advertisement

A magical night of prayer & penance

In the last 10 days of Ramzan, many devotees isolate themselves in mosques, waiting for the night of Laylat ul Qadra.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

In the last 10 days of Ramzan, many devotees isolate themselves in mosques, waiting for the night of Laylat ul Qadra. But barring an estimate, no one knows when the night falls for sure. Ashutosh Shukla stays awake with the devotees on the holy night

It is Iftaar time at Zakeria Masjid in Bhendi Bazaar. While the thaals are being laid out, devotees hurry to find a place for themselves. The huge crowd at the mosque comprises of people who want to pray during, what Muslims consider to be, the most virtuous night or the night of Layalat ul Qadr. On this night, Sunni Muslims the world over stay awake with a prayer on their lips.

Interestingly, no one really knows when the night of Layalat ul Qadr falls for sure. As Imam Nizam Ashraf of Zakeria Mosque puts it, Layalat ul Qadr falls on odd days (like the 21st, 23rd up to 29th night of Ramzan), beginning from the 21st night of Ramzan. “To ensure that they do not miss out, devotees pray diligently on all these nights,” explains Imam Nizam Ashraf. “But most scholars have stated it to be the 27th night of Ramzan.”

 A few Muslims even live in seclusion inside the mosque. At the first floor of the Zakeria Masjid Mosque, 20 people between ages 15 and 40 spent the last ten days of Ramzan at the mosque, praying and observing a ten day abstinence from all the worldly desires, also called I’tikaaf. Here, nights come alive with the sound of devotees praying, reciting Quran or narrating the glorious stories of prophets to children.

 Curious to know more about the night of Layalat ul Qadr, I move into the mosque on the 27th night of Ramzan. “God himself descends from heaven to bless people generously. He only has to hear you pray and seek his forgiveness and generosity,” says a devotee, with his prayer bead in hand. He, however, declines to give his name.

 While the elder devotees prefer to be left alone with their thoughts, the younger lot is more forthcoming. Soon, I meet 28-year-old Yusuf Kashmir, who has been coming to Zakeria Mosque for the past 16 years. He agrees to talk readily. “I will get sawab (blessings) if I talk about the night,” explains Kashmir.
 

While the Holy Quran is believed to have been revealed during the month of Ramzan, devotees believe that the night of Layalat ul Qadr is when the first verse of the Holy Quran got revealed. “Praying on this night is more rewarding than a thousand months’ prayers,” explains Kashmir.

 He breaks off for the next cycle of prayers, which includes attending the Imam’s recital of the last chapter of the Holy Quran and praying for forgiveness at the sanctum sanctorum of the mosque. Here, the Imam congratulates people who observed the I’tikaf by presenting them shawls. He, then, seeks forgiveness for the devotees which lead many of them to shed a tear. “Crying or even getting into that mode it believed to help us get rid of all our sins,” says 29-year-old Moinuddin Surti.

 There are several signs that help a devotee to gauge whether a particular night is the night of Layalat ul Qadr. For one, the hair on devotees’ forearms stands up. Even a drop of tear is considered to be yet another sign. Other signs include cooler nights and water, and softer sun-rays.
 
Over here, devotees prefer to talk about life’s problems and how they got sorted out. “We realised that we managed to pray on the night of Layalat ul Qadr when our life’s issues got solved. We could help our families too,” explains Noor Mohammed, a middle aged man who declines to get into the details of the divine intervention.

 Surti, however, admits that he cried when the Imam did. “Many of us did. Although we can’t say if we managed to pray on the night of Layalat ul Qadr, we certainly know that we didn’t miss it,” he says.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement