The last 10 nights

For many of us, tonight is the 21st night of Ramaḍān. In one of these nights, there is a period of time where our worship will be equivalent to 1000 months or 83 years of worship! I just want to mention 3 practical tips:

1) Reduce distractions – There are so many distractions in the form of phones, watsapp messages, long iftar parties, TV etc etc. I know it’s tempting to check social media at night (slightly guilty of this myself!) but what is supposed to be a quick 2 minute browse easily becomes a 15 minute video or random discussion.

In these nights, every moment is valuable and so we should aim to reduce (ideally ‘remove’) these distractions to gain the most benefit.

2) Maximise Maghrib until Fajr – This is the golden time where we should aim to maximise our recitation of Qur’ān, prayer, dhikr, du’ās, charity and good deeds. Sufyan al-Thawri said ‘When the last ten nights come, it is beloved to me [for one] to spend the night in Tahajjud, striving in it and waking the family for prayer if they can bear it’. Don’t hold back – this is the time for us to give it our best shot!

To repeat an analogy we hear every year – if we were told we would be given £1 million pounds to stay up for just 10 nights in a row in worship, everyone would be drinking coffee/tea all night, bolt their doors and wouldn’t talk to each other! SubhānAllah, Laylat’l-Qadr is more valuable than anything this dunya can offer…

3) Mindset of our *last* Ramaḍān – The reality is that none of us can guarantee we will make the next Ramaḍān. To help get us in the mode, we should imagine that this is our last Ramaḍān and that we might not get another opportunity at this majestic night of power.

Once we internalise this, we then understand the advice of our beloved Prophet (Saws) for us to constantly seek forgiveness for our many transgressions and shortcomings through the du’a;

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

“O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft Pardoning, you love to forgive, so forgive me” (Tirmidhi)

May Allah allow us to find Laylat’l-Qadr, accept our worship for his sake and forgive us our sins.