After reciting the Tashahhud, the Ta’uz and the first chapter Al Fatiha of the Holy Quran, Hazrat Amirul Mo’emenine, Zafrullah Domun read the following verses of the Holy Quran:

shahru ramadhaan allazi unzila fihil qur'anu hudallinnasi wa bayyinaatim minal huda wal furqaan

***

inna anzalnaahu filailatim mubaarakatin. Inna kunna munzireen.

Fiha yufraqo kullu amrin hakim

***

bismillahir rahmaan ir rahim

innaa anzalnaa hu fii lailatil qadr

wa maa adraaka maa lailatul qadr

lailatul qadri khairum min alfi shahr

tanazzalul malaa-ikatu fiihaa bi izni rabbihim

min kulli amrin salaam

hayya hatta matla-il fadjr

Then he said:

The month of Ramadan is going by very swiftly. Since yesterday we have already entered the last blessed ten days of the month. Usually I have personally observed that when we arrive at this stage some people start showing some signs of bodily weakness which is eventually translated into spiritual ones. Most people continue to fast, of course. But there is some relaxation with regard to frequenting the mosque and with regard to other supplementary worships. But according to the hadith we learn that when the last days of Ramadan arrived the Holy Prophet Mohammad^saw redoubled his efforts to be more devoted to Allah and to do more good deeds. It is reported by Hazrat Ayesha in both Bukhari and Muslim that “he would strive [to do acts of worship] during the last ten days of Ramadan more than he would at any other time." And also “with the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work hard) and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers. [Bukhari]. Moreover during the last ten days of Ramadan it is on record that the Holy Prophet Mohammad saw used to seclude himself in the mosque i.e he used to do what is known as ittiqaf.

So if this was the practice of the Holy prophet and he is our model, we should strive to follow in his footsteps as far as we can incha Allah. It is my prayer and hope that Allah gives to everyone amongst you the capacity and the opportunity to be engaged in His worship during these last ten days of Ramadan to the best of your abilities.

Before I give you the translation of the verses of the Holy Quran that I have just read I would like to advise you that read or re-read my Friday Sermons of 5^th October 2007 and 26^th September 2008. They are both available at our website www.jaam-international.org . In both these sermons I had mentioned some fresh signs from Allah regarding our Jamaat and laylatul qadr. Re read them to refresh your memory about what Allah said in these two previous years.

In the beginning I read part of chapter 2 verse 186. Its translation is “The month of Ramadan is that in which the Holy Quran was revealed as guidance for mankind with clear proofs of guidance and discrimination”. The next two verses are from chapter 44 verse 3 and 4. Their translation is as follows:

Truly, We revealed it in a blessed Night.

Truly, We have ever been warning against evil.

In it all wise things are decided,( 44:5)

The translation of the 98^th chapter of the Holy Quran Al Qadr is as follows:

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.

Surely, We sent it down during the Night of Decree.

And what shall make thee know what the Night of Decree is?

The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.

Therein descend angels and the Spirit by the command of their Lord

with Divine decree concerning every matter.

It is all peace till the rising of the dawn.

In all these verses Allah speaks about the great night when the Holy Quran was sent down. From the part-verse that I read first we understand that the Holy Prophet started receiving the revelation of the Holy Quran in the month of Ramadan in the year 610 C.E. Then for the next 23 years the revelations went on until the Quran was completely revealed. We also learn from the hadiths that Hazrat Gabriel used to visit the Holy Prophet in every month of Ramadan and made him recite whatever portion of the book was revealed until then. This shows the importance of the month of Ramadan and its relationship with the Holy Quran. We have not heard of any hadith telling us that Hazrat Gabriel used to come for the recitation of the Holy Quran in other months of the year. It was only in Ramadan. Hazrat Gabriel came to refresh the Holy Prophets memory, so to say, because the Holy Prophet did not know how to read. Although the verses of the Holy Quran were being written when they were revealed on parchments or on goatskins or camel skins, yet the Holy Prophet read always from memory. Hence we should also make it our habit to read more of the Holy Quran in the month of Ramadan than in other months. But we should not make it a habit to read only in the month of Ramadan. If we do so, we will be depriving ourselves of a great source of goodness that has been bequeathed to us by Allah through His Prophet ^saw. So busy yourself with your Quran during the remaining days. If there has been negligence before try to read now and remember what you read so that it helps you in your life to distinguish between right and wrong and it is a real guidance for you.

In the next two verses that I read from chapter 44, Allah emphasizes that He has sent the book in the “blessed night”. Here Allah says mobarakatin which means full of blessings. The same is said again in chapter 98 by giving more details. Allah adds in this verse “inna kounna mounzereen”, that is to say “Truly we have ever been warning”. This emphatically shows that there is a clear connection between the “night of destiny” or the “night full of blessings” and the arrival of divine warners.

In fact when you read what Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as has said about the subject of laylatul qadr , he is totally justified in his stance. You may read part of what he said in his booklet “the victory of Islam” about this subject in my sermon of 26^th September 2008. There are plenty of extracts from his other books about this subject which has not yet been translated. These extracts may be read from his book Buraheen Ahmadiyya, Izala e Awham, Hamamatul Bushra. All these relevant extracts may be read from the commentary of the Promised Messiah which is available online at www.alislam.org/library. To Hazrat Ahmad^as, the laylatul qadr spoken about in the Holy Quran may also mean the special night in the month of Ramadan which is mentioned in the hadith, but it also refers to a period of darkness that calls for a new light to dispel it. He explains that at the time of the Holy Prophet ^saw the world was engulfed in darkness and he was sent as the light to dispel this darkness. This is how the arrival of the Holy Prophet ushered in a period of great positive changes in the world. If you happen to read a book about the Muslim’s contribution to civilization you will immediately understand how the Muslims brought light where there would have been utter darkness. Anyhow this is another story. As far as Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is concerned he said that Allah has helped him to understand the additional meaning of laylatul Qadr as we have explained above and as he has explained in his many books.

Now the traditional explanation that we have from the books of hadiths is that laylatul qadr is a special night in the last ten days of Ramadan. We are told that the Holy Prophet^saw asked his companions to look for it on odd nights. That is to say on 21^st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29^th. From the books of hadiths it is also reported that on the night of laylatul Qadr there is a drizzle of rain and there is light in the sky. Abu Hurairah^ra reported that the Messenger of Allah^saw, said: "Whoever stands (in prayer) in Lailatul-Qadr out of imaan (faith and sincerity) and seeking reward then his previous sins are forgiven". One cannot say before hand when will be the night known as laylatul qadr. In the time of the Holy Prophet, once it fell on the 21^st night at another time the 27^th night. Slowly with the passage of time, a majority of the umma has started looking for it only on the 27^th night. These days we know that

Here in Mauritius the 27^th night is a cause for celebration. Municipalities distribute cakes and fruits in all mosques. In some mosques some people prepare and distribute food. Most people seek redemption for their sins by praying the whole night. But the Holy Prophet asked us to look for that night not on a specified date but on the odd nights of the last ten days. We should stick to this Sunnah and not let ourselves be carried by innovations that take us far from the real purpose of our religion. In the path of God we need to struggle. Nothing is given to us on a golden plate. By following the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet we need to struggle harder to find the night and not concentrate all our strivings in only one particular night. Moreover the Muslims should not labor under the delusion that by praying only one night and by sinning on the other night’s one will get salvation. Our salvation will depend upon our behavior after we have taken the decision to stop sinning. That is to say we have migrated from the world of sinning to the world of virtue. If we just try to rely on just one night of prayer and repentance it will not be enough to save us.

Now I would like to share with my brothers and sisters some of the revelations that Allah has given me recently. They are as follows:

• Baargah hai eizdi se tou nayoun mayous ho- mouskilein kya chiz hein mouskil kusha keh saamneh.

Translation: You have access to the court of the Lord; be not so desperate- what are difficulties for the One who can remove them.

• Mannallaho alayna – Allah has sent His Blessings upon us.

• Inni akhtartoka le nafsi- I have chosen you for Myself.

• That day will come

• Allah will support His Messenger

• Wa maa kounna mo’azzebeena hatta nab’asa rasoula- We will not punish until We have sent a Messenger.

• Afa manit taba’a rizwanallahe Kaman baa’a be sakhatim minallahe laa yastawoun- Is He then who follows the Pleasure of Allah like the one who incurs Allah’s displeasure. They are not alike.

• Maghferatoum wa fazloum minallahe khayroum mimma yajma’oune- Pardon and Favour from Allah is better than what they amass.

• Balillaho mawlakomoul haq wa howa Ahkamoul Hakemeen khayroun naasereen- Allah is your True Protector. He is the Most just of Judges and the best of Helpers.

• Afalam yasirou fil arze fa yazoro kaifa kaana aaqabatoul mokazzebeen- Why do they not travel on earth to see what was the end of those who treated (a messenger) as a liar.

• Iqtaraba linnaase hisabahoum wa houm fi ghaflatim mou’rezoune- Nigh unto men has drawn their reckoning, yet they turn away in heedlessness.

• Wa kaana fazlohou alayka kabira- His Favors upon you are great.

• Yaa ayyohal Mustaz’efoune Rabbokoum Ma’akoum- O you who are weak Your Lord is with you (exact words may be slightly different)

This is a sample of the many revelations that Allah continues to gratify this humble one with. Our head is ever prostrate on His threshold and we can never thank Him for all His favors. In the words of a Sufi master I am tempted to say

Without Thee, O Beloved, I cannot rest

Thy Goodness towards me I cannot reckon.

Though every hair on my body becomes a tongue

A thousandth part of the thanks due to Thee I cannot tell.

My only wish is to be of help to all those who wish to know their Lord. Allah has given me permission from Himself to help His people. But it appears that most of them are content with what they have and they are not at all interested with what Allah wishes to give them. Our task is to pray for them that Allah Himself opens their heart and give them the light to make the necessary distinction. More incha Allah next time.