11-23-2003, 04:23 AM
Asalam~O~Alykum
Allah! the Pardoner, the forgiver!
Allahuma inaka `afun ( the pardoner), tuHibu al-`afuwa (u love to pardon), f`fu `anaa (pardon us!)
My respected sisters and Brothers, Salaamu Allahi 3alaykum wa raHamtuhu wa Barakaatuhu! inshaAllah todays topic is going to find each one of u in ur best of heath and eman! Well, tonight is the night of 27th! so 3-4 more days! The blessed days are passing us! and we should all means try our best to fire our energy within those days and can get rest later during Eid! Meanwhile, we should pray MORE than alot, and i wanted to attach the following hadiith narrated by Abu Huraira, which says,
It is reported by Abu Hurayra (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (Sallalahu Aliaihi WaSallam) said: "None of you should say: 'O Allah! Forgive me if You wish,' or 'Bestow Your Mercy on me if You wish,' or 'Provide me with means of subsistence if You wish,' but he should be firm in his request, for Allah does what He will and nobody can force Him (to do anything)."
So be firm and ask wat ever u have in mind and inshaAllah it will be implented for u! Also, remember, today is Friday, and recall the hour of forgiveness! Most scholars state that it is the hour around sunset ! so, use this time effectively and prayers are mustajaab! Also, our assigned Qur`anic reading for Fridays are alwaz surat al-Kahif, chapter 15th!! Also, send extra prayers upon the prophet! so lets start with today's topic!
Tonight is the night of the 27th of Ramadan in some countries, and what many scientists and many of the Companions believe it is Laylat el Qadr, although as we have said this is not definite and that the prophet pbuh said to look out for it on the layaali al-wetriya (odd nights) of Ramadan. Tonight or tomorrow night in some countries, have a very special night. Some of the scientists looked at surit Qadr and saw that the number of words in it were 30, and found that [Peace! This (is)] is the 27th word, just an example of some theories there are about the time of it, but what remains is that we’re looking for this night. People are looking for this night, and it may be tonight.
Remember on the night of the 20th when we looked at the value of this night? But I saved some of the value of this night until tonight so that whoever forgot since then, would regain that feeling of this special night. So look at the verses [We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is?] Remember we said it was called the Night of Power from its great value, and because the people’s blessings will be valued on this night, everything, our blessings, our happiness, our fate, all is linked to this night.
[And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is?” It will be difficult for your brain to comprehend.
[better than a thousand Months] Imagine, that people go to perform Omra and go around the ka’aba and prayed in the Masjid al Haram, 2 prostrations there are worth 100 hasana, and 2 prostrations in the Masjid Al Nabawy are worth 1000 hasana, so they were praying so much so that they could get multiple hasanat. Maybe people at home watch them at home and cry for they are not able to be there for whatever reason, perhaps it’s a women without a Mihrim, or an old man who is not able to go. Then God sws comes and tells us that you can also gain thawab better than 1000 months, 84 years worth of thawab from your own home.
[Therein come down the angels and the spirit by God’s permission]. There will be so many angels coming down, imagine all these angels coming down to earth. Imagine that the angels in the sky, the prophet says that there is not the space of 3 fingers in heaven without an angel standing, prostrating, or kneeling in worship of God. Why [by God’s permission]? They ask permission to come down to earth on that night, can you imagine that the angels have to ask permission and there are people on this earth who are just wasting time and do not think about what’s happening.
Why do they want to come down to earth? Because the earth on this night has a very special importance, because this night on earth is greater than a thousand months. Look at how the verse says [Therein come down the angels and the spirit by God’s permission, on every errand], saying [spirit] not Gabriel, because it’s as if his coming down is bringing back the spirit to earth bringing back the light into people’s hearts who are far away from good, and brings them closer to God sws.
What are the angels made of? The angels are made of light, and the attributes of light are enlightenment and being able to see. The devils are created of fire is rotting and burning but do you know what, this night there won’t be any devils on this night. This is a night of light. How many people are enlightened on this night? If you know the numbers of how many people are enlightened on this night then you would know that this is a night filled with light.
[Peace! This until the rise of Morn!], so why the rise of Morn? It’s as if the rise of this morn is like a new dawn for islam, for you. Does anyone understand the value of this night?
OK, let’s assume that tonight is Laylat el qadr, what will happen tonight? Sayida aisha will give us the key to this night. She was asking the prophet “If I reached this night, what should I do?” The prophet told her to supplicate to God with this prayer: “Allahom innaka afo tohib ek afw fa’fwo ‘anny” as much as possible. This is the key. What is the name of God’s Gracious names did the prophet choose here? Al ‘Afo (the Pardoner) But why this of God’s Gracious names? Why not Al Ghafoor (the Forgiver)? Or the Repenter? We all want Him to forgive us for our sins, don’t we? Because el A’fo means the eraser of something completely, but Ghafoor means He who covers for your mistakes. What’s better, that something is totally erased for you, or just covered up?! It’s as if it was just forgiven it would still be recorded by the angels but it has been forgiven, but if it has been pardoned it as if it won’t appear at all! What’s my goal for tonight? I want you to feel this shyness towards God
and love towards him, and that you can keep praying tonight to Him The Pardoner. I want you to love The Pardoner, who loves to Pardon. It means that the sin will not even be there, the angels will forget it and perhaps the angels of the right and left hand sides do not remember it, and perhaps there will be something you can’t even remember because God erased it for you last Ramadan! As in the record is white! Like in the Hajj, when your sins are erased as if you’re a newborn baby again.
And look, the Pardoner has another meaning that He doesn’t just erase it, but He is also pleased with you! The Forgiver may forgive you for your mistakes but not be pleased with you. This is why when you have upset someone if you ask them if they have forgiven you they may say yes, but if you ask them if they are pleased with you they may still say that they cannot say so yet. He is also pleased with you! This is the most valuable level in life you can get to! This night is a night of being pleased with you. If you reach this night worshipping God, then He will be pleased with you. And also, the words of pardoning always come in the Quran after the major disaster. Even on the night of Badr, the people who left the prophet on that night. [Those of you who turned back on the day the two hosts met, it was Satan who caused them to fail, because of some (evil) they had done. But God is Oft-forgiving, most Forbearing.] (Al Imran) The major sins don’t have any other solution other than for
God to pardon them.
The pardoning is not just for the after life but also in this world. This world is filled with afflictions and tribulations. We all have major problems in our lives and there are people, at this very moment, people who are suffering from illness, from a husband who is mistreating her. The prophet says that tragedies will not occur without an act of disobedience, and it will not be removed without repentance. So what is the solution? To supplicate to God! Allahom innaka ‘afo tohibo el ‘afw fa’fo ‘anna! If God pardons you this night, this tragedy may be gone for you by next year. Pray this Allahom innaka ‘afo tohibo el ‘afw fa’fo ‘anna, after every prostration! Not only that but last year’s sins will be erased, and not only that but He would be pleased with you. Increase your prayers to God.
I see people who pray every night, “ Be pleased with me God” “God are you happy with me God?” Every night! If you reach this night then God will be happy with you.
Let’s listen to the ahadeeth which talk about Al ‘Afo. So your heart can feel it, and be filled with hope that tonight may be Laylat el Qadr. Listen to the hadeeth of the prophet. There is not a night that goes past when the sea doesn’t ask God to drown the con of Adam for eating from your own blessings but worshipped other than You” The earth says , let me swallow the son of Adam for he ate from your own blessings but worshipped other than You!” Then God sws says “No! Leave them, for if you had created them then you could destroy them!”
From another hadeeth “Oh son of Adam, if you came to Me with sins as many as the sand of the earth, then came to me saying you will not worship other than Me, I will give them back as much as the sand of the earth in forgiveness.”
Even if he made a hundred mistakes, if he goes back and prays for His forgiveness, God will forgive him. It doesn’t mean to go out and disobey God because He will always forgive you, but don’t give up on God’s forgiveness and go back to him and ask Him to forgive you no matter how much you have disobeyed Him.
From a hadeeth, God said that He is so angry at someone who does not believe that God may forgive him because his sin was so big, because you are not believing that He is The Pardoner. Tonight is the night of ‘afw - Allahom innaka ‘afo tohibo el ‘afw fa’fo ‘anna!
Listen to the hadeeth of Allah. “Oh son of Adam, I created you using My own Hands, and gave you hearing and seeing! Oh son of Adam! I cover for your mistakes and you do not fear me! I mention you and you forget Me! I am embarrassed in front of you and you are not embarrassed in front of Me! Who has asked me for something and I have not given it to them? Who has stood at my door and I have turned them away? Am I selfish that my servant is selfish to Me.” Truthfully, who is the one who closes the door on the other? Have you ever gone to Him and prostrated to Him and He didn’t answer your prayers? Allahom innaka ‘afo tohibo el ‘afw fa’fo ‘anna!
Have you felt how He loves to Pardon yet? Tonight is a night of pardoning!
A man went to the prophet saying “Oh prophet of God, I have disobeyed God many times, and committed many sins. Will God forgive me if I went back to Him?” The prophet said, “Yes, He forgives and pardons!”, and the man said “what about my disloyalties and arrogance?” and the prophet said “And your disloyalties and arrogance!” and the man repeated his question three times, each time with the prophet saying “Yes God will forgive you!” Can you feel this meaning now? He loves to pardon! Allahom innaka ‘afo tohibo el ‘afw fa’fo ‘anna. If you are forgiven and pardoned tonight and He is pleased with you, your name will be mentioned tonight by the angels and the prophets! subHanaAllah!
Even the non-believers, He said to them [say to the Unbelievers, If (now) they desist (from Unbelief), their past would be forgiven them] (Al Anfal) Even the non-believers, if they repented then He will forgive them. Allahom innaka ‘afo tohibo el ‘afw fa’fo ‘anna.
Tonight, in order for this pardoning to happen, it is a night of being humble in front of God, of remorse, tonight is a night of asking for repentance, and forgiveness and promising not to do whatever it was you did last year to disobey Him. Even sayidna Adam, after he ate from the tree and disobeyed God, was scared that God would not accept him. After he repented and cried and was in fear, as if God told him in the words of today “Oh Adam! If I protected you and your children from making mistakes, then from whom would I achieve my dream of your asking me for my forgiveness and my mercy. Oh Adam! You all ask me to protect you from disobedience, but if I protected all of you, then who would I prefer by allowing them to come to me to ask for my forgiveness when I am the Forgiver and the Merciful. Oh Adam! You used to come to us as a king to other kings, but now you come to us as a servant to kings, and this is more loved by us. Oh Adam! Don’t be hurt by My saying to you to leave
heaven, for I created heaven for you! But go down to the earth, and plant the seeds of Taqwa (God-fearing), and live from my sake, until thy longing for me grows, then come back to me and I will return you to heaven. Oh Adam! A mistakes which you come to us in humility for, is more loved by us than an act of obedience which you do only to be seen by Us. The lament of a disobeyer is more loved by Us than the tasbeeh of the ones who want to be seen” Let God hear your lamenting. And say to Him Allahom innaka ‘afo tohibo el ‘afw fa’fo ‘anna.
Pardon is not only this night, look at His pardon on the day of judgement. ‘Araby went to the prophet pbuh and asked him who was going to judge us on the day of judgement and the prophet said “Allah!”. He asked him if it would really be Him who would do it and when the prophet answered yes he said Allaho Akbar and smiled, that the prophet asked him what had made him so happy to which he replied “Oh prophet of God, the Generous, if He judged then He would pardon and He would forgive.” So the prophet said “ And there is no more Generous than God. Al A’raby has told the truth! God, if He judged then He would pardon and He would forgive!” Allahom innaka ‘afo tohibo el ‘afw fa’fo ‘anny!
Look at His pardon. He will ask His servants to come close to Him and will then say to him “Can you remember such and such disobedience?” so that His servant will think that he is going to be destroyed when God says to Him “Oh My servant, I covered for your mistakes in the world, and here I will forgive it for you today. Go, my servant into heaven.” Can you imagine the happiness in your heart as you hear the sound of God saying to you to go into heaven? And then the angels go and take you into heaven. Allahom innaka ‘afo tohibo el ‘afw fa’fo ‘anny.
Can you imagine this pardon? It will envelop you, but go to Him humble, tell Him you don’t have anyone else but Him.
There is a rule for you to be pardoned? Forgive people. The prophet knew what this day was and was going out to tell the companions but found 2 of them arguing and he ended up getting distracted by their arguing that he forget about the night! Be careful, this night could be lost to you because of an argument. Forgive people, don’t hold anything bad against anyone in your heart. Supplicate to God and be humble in front of him. The practical work for tonight is to forgive anyone we might be happy with, and if there was something you call them and say
Tomorrow is the last Friday in Ramadan, and the majority of scientists agree that the hour which our supplications will be answered is the last hour before Maghrib prayers. Why don’t we agree that we will all pray to God to succeed this omma at this time? A great Du’aa for the omma! And I will be on the internet supplicating with you at this time. Allahom innaka ‘afo tohibo el ‘afw fa’fo ‘anna.
Oh, Allah You Are the Forgiver, u love Forgiveness, forgive us then!
~~Ramadan is a month whose beginning is Mercy, whose middle is forgivensss and whose end is freedom from fire~~
The Prophet, fullest peace be upon him