The 1st Night of Qadr
The Night of Qadr: An Opportunity for Hearts that Remember Their Covenant
When the Nights of Qadr arrive, many turn to prayer and vigils. They place the Quran on their heads, shed tears, and supplicate. Yet, the truth of the Night of Qadr goes beyond all these actions. It is an opportunity to recognize the value of something we may have neglected for years—our heart.
The heart is the descending place of Allah’s Mercy. Have we kept it pure? Or have we allowed it to become entangled in worldly love, transient pleasures, and mortal attachments?
The Quran says [on the Day of Judgment]: “The day when neither wealth nor children will avail, except [for] him who comes to Allah with a sound heart” (The Quran, Shuʽarā: 88-89).
On the Day of Judgment, neither our wealth, nor our position, nor our dearest ones will benefit us, except for those who approach Allah with a sound and pure heart. But what is a sound heart?
It is the heart that is a dwelling place for Allah’s love, not the world’s; the heart in which worldly possessions have not dimmed the light of truth; the heart that remembers Allah’s voice saying, “Am I not your Lord?”—faithful to the covenant it made with Him.
Imam Ali (AS): The Epitome of the Heart that Belittled the World
Let us move from the Night of Qadr to a man who lived the truth of that night throughout his entire life: Imam Ali (AS). He saw the world and its deceptive manifestations as too insignificant to love. He lived neither for power nor fame, but solely for the pleasure of Allah. He sacrificed his life in this path, “selling his soul seeking the pleasure of Allah” (The Quran, Baqara: 207). He devoted his soul not to the world, but to the satisfaction of his Lord. When his head was struck by a sword, he spoke only these words: “I swear by the Lord of Kaʽba, I’ve achieved salvation,” for he had devoted himself to something imperishable: Allah’s love.
What Should We Do Tonight?
The Night of Qadr is an opportunity to examine our hearts once again. How faithful have we been to the “Am I not your Lord” covenant? How much have we freed our hearts from attachment to worldly possessions?
If we wish for the doors of Allah’s Mercy to open, if we wish for the angels to turn toward us, we must prepare our hearts—washing away rancor, the love of the world, and making them a dwelling place of light.
Perhaps tonight is the very night that can alter the course of our path for the coming year.
O Allah! Make our hearts sound, and grant us the true appreciation of the Night of Qadr, for the sake of Muhammad and his Family.