“What do you recommend for me if I find Laylatul Qadr?” is what our Noble Lady Aishah RadhiAllahu anha asked of our Beloved Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, whereupon he said:
Allahumma Innaka ‘Affuwan Tuhibbul ‘Afwa Fa’Fu Anni
O Allah, You are the One Who forgives and loves to forgive, so forgive me.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala is the Forgiver, the Eliminator of sins.
Al-’Afuw is the opposite of al-Muntaqim, the Avenger. Its meaning is close to that of al-Ghafur, the All-Forgiving One, only it is more intensive. The root for Ghafur means to overlook sins, while the root of the word ‘Afuw means to destroy, eliminate sins. In the first instance the overlooked sins still exist; in the second, the eliminated sins disappear.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala loves to forgive, to erase sins. He does not often punish the ones who deny, the ones who revolt. He accepts their recognition of their sins as repentance. He erases their sins. Instead of punishment, He bestows His bounties upon them.
There is a secret in His delaying punishment and forgiving sins. In teaching us that Hellfire is there, He is teaching us that there are ways to salvation. It is like an announcement by a rich, generous, compassionate being, declaring: Our doors are open, our tables set. The one who accepts this invitation is welcome, and we do not reproach those who do not come to feast.
Allah Ta’ala’s bounties in this world, which are temporal, are nothing in comparison to those promised in Paradise. The forgiving of sins is an encouragement to the deniers to change their ways, to come to the Straight Path, to Paradise. Allah Ta’ala’s infinite mercy is certainly more than the sins of His servants. His doors are always open to the ones who choose to enter.
But those who are blind and deaf to the warning that is the compassion, mercy and forgiveness of Allah Ta’ala, who persist in their infidelity and denial, who find justification for their denial in their repeatedly being forgiven, who are spoiled, who take pleasure in sinning, who try to lead others astray-they will finally be punished in this world by drowning in the gold they have accumulated, and in the Hereafter by the Hellfire. That punishment does not negate the attributes of the Forgiving One, the Eliminator of sins, but it is a manifestation of His beautiful name, the Just. Good and Bad are not the same. If it were made to appear so, it might cause confusion in the mind of the good servant.
Allah Ta’ala in His Divine Speech:
Those Angels who carry the ‘Arsh and this who surround it celebrate the praise if their Lord and have faith in Him. They beg forgiveness for the believers: ‘Our Lord, You embrace all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who turn to you and follow Your path...(40:7)
SubhanAllah…Angels begging for our forgiveness…so all the more we should be begging AL-’AFUW, the the Forgiver, the Eliminator of sins to completely eradicate our sins during this
Night of Glory is better than a thousand months (97:3)
Laylatul Qadr is moments away…do we want our sins eliminated, to be totally wiped away? or merely covered up? The excessive repetition of the Du’a our Blessed Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wasallam taught Ummul Mu’mineeen, Aishah RadhiAllah anha during these final nights of this Mubarak month, Insha’Allah will lead to the distribution of priceless prizes.
Laylatul Qadr…better than a thousand months of worshipping Allah Ta’ala! One night from dusk to dawn equivalent to 83 years and four months recorded as worship!
Insha’Allah invest seven minutes watching Ustadh Sulayman Muhammad, from Qibla, give a succinct lesson from Juz 24, illuminating forgiveness and the importance of Laylatul Qadr.
The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam taught people to seek forgiveness on this sacred and blessed occasion. In explaining the wisdom in this Prophetic teaching the Muhaditheen have stated that all through Ramadhan and in particular the last Ashara and Laylatul Qadr, the servants have strived and endeavoured greatly in worship and there was real danger that they may begin to rely on their actions (and believe these were enough) and turn their hope away for Allah Ta’ala’s mercy and grace. However in reality who can undertake deeds worthy of His Court and thank Him for for even one of His blessings? Therefore when the human cannot count all the blessings of Allah Ta’ala how can he show gratitude for them all! The lesson here is that those who have lots of sins should seek Allah Ta’ala’s forgiveness rather than His pleasure.
SubhanAllah…how Allah Ta’ala LOVES to listen to us begging His forgiveness…
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.
