Laylat-ul-Qadr

Assalamu alaikoum wa rahmatAllah wa barakatoh,
We have entered into the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan. It went by so fast. But now we are within the time of the month in which the Quran had first been revealed to Mohammad (SAAWS), through the angel Jibriil (Gabriel). Here is what the Quran says about this night (There is an entire surah dedicated to it actualy):

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by God's permission, on every errand: Peace!...This until the rise of morn!

Surah 97 The Holy Qur’an

Muslims come together as a community during these last nights to pray together in congregation not only the salat and sunnah prayers like Taraweeh, but also for the late night prayer in respect of Laylat Ul Qadr.

I went for the first time to pray the late night prayer in a mosque with others. It was an amazing experience, like nothing I ever felt before. As we were getting close to the "Grand Mosque" in Kuwait City, I could already begin to feel the electric energy from all the people. From the outside it reminded me of the same thing you see before a superbowl game or something along those lines. But with an added element, spirituality and only good tidings for Allah among the people and of course a beautiful mosque. And instead of coming to the ballpark to watch the winning team, people have gotten up from their sleep in huge numbers and arrived to the mosques just to seek the favor of Allah and to worship and adore him. There are so many people who wish to come that many do not even fit in the mosques and pray on large Persian rugs out on the plaza and sidewalks.

We prayed under the open sky, the desert moon, cut in half like a slice of watermelon (raggae) as my good friend Sarah put it, shone its like down upon us in the courtyard of the mosque as we prayed. The reciter this evening for the suwar of the Quran and the message for the night just so happened to be Sheikh Nabeel Alawdy the same teacher of Islam that had been one of the lecturers at the Bedelha event. He was soooo dynamic in his message and his worship was heart felt and powerful for the glory of Allah. It was a magical night. The hours through the last 1/3 of the night went by like minutes. In between sets of prayers we would take breaks and during those moments I would either hear a lesson from the prayer leader or read in my Quran the Surah that was the highlight of the night, Surat Al-Isra. He also talked about the importance of honoring our parents, one of our biggest duties as good muslims.

I felt so connected with everyone there as we all made our petitions to Allah and worshipped him for his greatness together. I was really happy to have been able to go for the first time there with my friend Sarah. She is such an amazing young Muslima. I feel so proud to know that there are such good young people like her in the world. She has such a big heart, like her cousin Salma. They are such sweet hearts, really I feel so blessed just to know them. Sarah's dream is to work in the hospital here that specializes in care for patients of Diabetes. She is such an inspiration. May Allah grant her the success.

She taught me some Du3aa on the way home which I will post insha Allah soon as well. Here is a great article that can better explain what the experience was like tonight for me. I found it in the Kuwait Times. I hope you enjoy it. I'm looking forward to going to the Grand Mosque again and spending the night in prayer tomorrow and the next and the next..... Although some nights I plan also to pray at home which is also very very good to do, just you and Allah.

Here's the good article about this very topic:

Published Date: October 03, 2007 (Kuwait Times)
By Ahmad Al-Khaled, Staff Writer

KUWAIT: The importance of the final ten days of Ramadan is exemplified by the late night prayer Salat Qeyam Alayl, which can be literally translated to 'pray at night.' After the evening Eshaa prayer, the optional Salat Qeyam Alayl usually begins at or around midnight, lasting for several hours depending on the mosque. Some locals already began their late night prayers on Monday night but most will have started on Tuesday, changing their daily routine in order to partake in the night prayers which offer en
ormous blessings to the faithful.

The struggle to stay awake late into the night was sidelined as unimportant by most of those who participate in the night prayers. "It is not a factor." said Abdulrahman Fahad, who added, "Praying together with hundreds of people in our small neighborhood mosque and knowing there are millions of Muslims around the world praying with us is easy." When Kuwait Times asked if he changed his schedule to accommodate the late night visit to the mosque, Abdulrahman responded saying, "I sleep after Taraweeh prayers
and wake up for Qeyam Alayl and depending on the time we finish I decide whether or not to sleep again before Suhoor...it is not meant to be easy, that is the point - it is a special time, hence it should be a bit of a challenge.

Also commenting on the late night prayers, Iman Jasem said, "I sleep when I can but Allah comes first and it is very little for me to wake up for ten days and worship - especially knowing the Laylat Al Qadr comes sometime during these days." During the last ten days is Laylat Al Qadr or 'the night of power' wherein prayers carry a heavier weight. "I pray the Qeyam Alayl as many nights as I can during the last ten days of Ramadan, Inshallah this year I will pray on each night of the ten days and witness Lay
lat Al Qadr." said Osama Ali. "I pray I receive Allah's grace on Laylat Al Qadr." said Umm Meshary who added, "Qeyam Alayl is a time to forgive and be forgiven, while others sleep I will pray for the salvation of my family.

The last ten days of Ramadan also brings many more women to the mosques than usual. "It is traditional for us to pray at home but during Ramadan we go for the Taraweeh and for the Qeyam Alayl," said Umm Bader who noted, "God is great - I pray with my daughter, daughters-in-law and granddaughters at the mosque every night for Qeyam Alayl - it is tradition and the will of Allah." Salat Qeyam Alayl brings large numbers of followers to local mosques. "I enjoy the fervor of it all...it is an intense time to pra
y...there are so many Muslims praying together you can feel the energy." said Yasser Muhamed. "The large numbers are a sight to see - it is a joy to see all those who walk together in the middle of the night toward the mosque seeking Allah's greatness." said Iman Raed who added, "I particularly like the sound of voices all engaged in prayer in the still of the night - it is very inspiring.

Many of those speaking to Kuwait Times noted that they drive to mosques outside their neighborhoods for Qeyam Alayl. "Our family goes to the Grand Mosque for the night prayers on these ten days - it is filled to capacity and I am moved by its beauty," said Umm Waleed. "My son and I go to the large mosque in Adailiya which is where my father's home used to be - we do so to remember the past." Talal Muhamed had this to say to Kuwait Times readers, "If you are not participating in Salat Qeyam Alayl yourself,
and happen to be awake in the wee hours of the night, open your window and you may hear the faint sounds of millions of voices united in prayer - God is great.