As the last one-third of the month of Ramadan approaches, the faithful are seen occupied in making the most of these blessed days. The Holy Prophetsa of Islam has told us that these last ten days of Ramadan are where one can earn salvation from the fire of hell.
It is in these last ten days that a very blessed night occurs which is called the Night of Qadr, meaning the Night of Destiny. Every faithful desires to experience this night at least once in their lifetime. But is it only this one night in the month or the whole year or, for that matter, the whole of a lifetime that Muslims search for? Let us have a look at the very enlightening description of this night, given to us by the Promised Messiahas:
“Then He says:
انا انزلنه في ليلة القدر
[Surely, We sent it down on Lailatul-Qadr (the Night of Destiny).]
“The true meaning of this Surah [Al Qadr] … is to lay down the general principle regarding the time and age when a Book and a Prophet are sent into the world. That principle is: When hearts are enveloped by darkness so complete as to be entirely captivated by the world, and then, as an evil consequence of their beings engrossed in worldliness, all of their doctrines, deeds, actions, morals, etiquette, intentions and resolves become totally corrupt, the love of God vanishes from their hearts entirely, and this pandemic spreads so widely that the entire world is plunged into darkness like night; at such a time, when darkness reaches its limit, Divine mercy is moved to deliver people from this darkness and to set out, in His Word, the means by which to reform them. This is what Allah the Almighty has indicated in the above verse by saying, ‘We have revealed the Quran in such a night when it was absolutely necessary for the reformation and benefit of mankind to explain the nature of the right path and to lay down the limits of the Sharia and faith.’ That is to say, when the darkness of misguidance had reached the extent where it had become like a night plunged in pitch darkness, it was then that Divine mercy was kindled to send down a light powerful enough to dispel that darkness. So, by revealing the Holy Quran, God bestowed upon His servants that resplendent light which dispels the darkness of doubts and misgivings and diffuses enlightenment.
“Here it should be borne in mind that this spiritual Night of Destiny [i.e. the descent of the Holy Quran] does not conflict with the concept of the physical Night of Destiny that is well known to the common people. Rather, it is the eternal way of Allah that He does everything in the most appropriate manner, and whatever external form is suitable for the internal reality, He bestows that upon it. Hence, since Lailatul-Qadr, in its inner reality, is the time of extreme misguidance in which Divine grace attends to the reformation of the world, God – in order to establish that mutual connection – appointed a physical night to externally represent the last part of the age of misguidance in which [spiritual] darkness reached its ultimate point. This was the night in which God Almighty, finding the world steeped in extreme misguidance, decreed to reveal His Holy Word to His Prophet. So, as a result, this night became one of immense blessings, or in other words, these blessings were present within it since eternity in accordance with eternal divine will, and then, Divine acceptance and blessings were preserved in that particular night for all times to come.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part 4, p. 56)
How fortunate are Muslims who have accepted the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa who brought with him the light that broke the spells of the dark night that prevailed the whole world. And then, when the darkness of evil and ignorance started to spread again, how fortunate are Ahmadi Muslims to have accepted the Promised Messiahas who dawned upon the world as the light of daybreak; the light that shows the right path to those who choose to open their eyes and wake up to this bright, colourful morning of Allah’s bounties.
