Ramadhan, the Month of God (18)

Welcome to the 18 episode of Ramadhan, the Month of God. Here is the special supplication for the 18th day of the Fast Month:

 “O Allah, waken me this day to the bountifulness of its pre-dawns (before the formal start of a fast), light up my heart with rays of its lights, and dispose all of my bodily member to follow its trail, with Your Light; O Illuminator of the hearts of the Gnostics."

Tonight we approach the 19^th eve of Ramadhan, which is considered to be the first Night of Qadr, or Grandeur, on which the Almighty enlightened with the holy Qur’an, the heart of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). It is called Qadr, because on this night God Almighty decrees everything for His creatures for the whole year. Thus, the Night of Qadr, whether it is the 19^th eve of Ramadhan, or the 21^st eve or the 23^rd eve, it surpasses all other nights of the year. It is better than a thousand months.

As we said, according to hadith from the Prophet and his Infallible Ahl al-Bayr, the Night of Qadr falls on one of the 19^th, 21^st and 23^rd eves of the blessed month of Ramadhan. It is the time of pondering and taking stock of our deeds, and starting from this eve, the faithful keep awake the whole night, praying and supplicating to God Almighty.

The 19^th eve of Ramadhan marks the period of mourning for the Commander of the Faithful, the Prophet’s First Divinely-Designated Heir, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS). This peerless personality after spending the whole night in the worship of God, was struck a fatal sword blow on his head while engaged in the ritual prayer at the break of dawn of 19^th day of Ramadhan. He attained immortal martyrdom in the late hours of the 21^st of Ramadhan, thereby greatly increasing the importance of this night of Qadr.

On the 18^th of Ramadhan, as the day gave way to the eve of the 19^th, the Commander of the Faithful visited the house of his younger daughter, Umm Kulthum for Iftar. As it was his habit, the Imam had a light meal and then stood up for prayers and supplications. He spent the whole night in a state of restlessness, but not anxiety or worries. From time to time, he would look at the sky and as the dawn approached, Imam Ali (AS) became more and more exhilarated. He said, "Neither I tell a lie nor have I been told a lie. This is the night on which I have been promised martyrdom."

Before the break of dawn, the Imam left for the Jame’ or Principal Mosque for performing in congregation, the Fajr prayer. As he gently proceeded to the door of his daughter’s house to leave for the mosque, ducks in the courtyard clung to his garment with strange sounds that looked like wailing, and tried to prevent him. When someone tried to chase away the ducks, the Imam said: "Leave them alone. Now they are making noise but very soon they will be mourning."

Umm Kulthum became anxious at these words of her dear father, and requested him not to go the mosque this morning, but send someone else to lead the congregational prayer.

But Imam Ali (AS) said, "The Divine Decree cannot be averted." Then he fastened his belt and left for the mosque.

Imam Ali (AS) entered the mosque and stood for prayer. When he was in the state of prostration, the renegade Ibn Moljam Moradi struck his head with a poisoned sword. The Imam's head was split up to the forehead and blood gushed out. At this moment the Commander of the Faithful said, "By the Lord of the Ka'ba I have succeeded."

At this very moment the ground trembled and a voice reverberated in the air, "By God, the pillars of guidance have collapsed; the signs of piety subsided; the firmest rope of guidance snapped, and Mustafa’s cousin, Ali Murtaza the endeared representative of God, martyred by the most wretched of the wretched."

Imam Ali (AS) was escorted home in this condition. For the next two days he was in great pain, but patiently discharged all duties. On his deathbed, he advised his family and friends with the words, "By God! By God! Be careful of ritual prayer as it is the pillar of religion." This was indeed part of his last will.

Sheikh Abu Bakr Shirazi, a scholar of the 4^th century AH, writes, "Ayahs 17 and 18 of Surah Zariyat, which describe the pious who are given tidings of paradise, are about Ali (AS) because he used to sleep one third of night and spend two thirds in worship."

In their works on hadith and history, prominent scholars, whether Sunni or Shi’a, have narrated Imam Ali (AS) as saying, "Before even a single person became Muslim or performed prayer, I had prayed with the Messenger of God for 7 years."

Imam Ali (AS) with his succinct words at the Mosque of Kufa clearly demonstrated his love for martyrdom and meeting God.

As the people of Kufa became anxious, he said, "By God, no unexpected thing has happened for me and I have attained my wish: that is, martyrdom. My parable is that of a person who looks for water during a dark night in the desert; and all of sudden finds a gushing spring. My parable is that of a seeker who has achieved his ideal."

These nights are the best time for praying at the divine court and being in communion with the real beloved, God.

In general, supplication means expressing one's needs in the Divine Court. It is also an expression of one’s internal cognition. One of the finest supplications is called Dua Kumail which Imam Ali (AS) taught to his companion Kumail ibn Ziyad, and which is among the best descriptions of the Majesty of God, His Mercy, and His Forgiveness of the penitents. The holy Qur’an has mentioned supplications of Prophet Abraham and of Prophet Jesus, as well as other prophets, as signs of achieving internal cognizance. The Sahifa as-Sajjadia of the Prophet’s 4^th Infallible Heir, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), contains supplications which brim with the concepts of cognizance and infuse the fresh spirit of faith in the hearts of the reciters.

Prayer and supplication is thus means of communion that God has granted His servants to express their inner feelings to Him in any place and at any time.

AS/ME