We are about to enter upon the final ten days of Ramadan and this last ashra is the most important part of not just this blessed month, but the entire year. As all the spiritual, material benefits and blessings have been packaged into the span of these last ten days, it is vital to think about how to spend our time from 21st to 30th (or 29th) Ramadan.
Here are powerful ways we can get the most out of the last ashra:
1) Show sincere willingness for protection from hellfire
First things first, nothing pleases Allah more than authenticity and sincerity. Allah isn't impressed by our capabilities because He Himself is the most perfect. So, we can start by telling Allah, deep in our heart, that we are sorry for not being as good as He wants us to be, and we truly want to make the most from the last ashra. Then we should feel thankfulness towards Allah for giving us these days.
- Start by feeling thankfulness with 100% sincerity for the last Ashra: What if your life ended before these last ten days? What if you fell so ill that you never had a chance to pray, fast or even move your tongue to do dikr? What if any problem occurred and kept you trapped so you wouldn't be able to benefit from the last ashra. So firstly, Allah deserves heartfelt thanks from us for keeping us alive and allowing us to spend these days.
- Repent and do istaghfar: Keep saying sorry with authenticity that you have not been able to act according to what Allah and Prophet Mohammad SAW taught about these days and the entire Ramadan. Heartfelt repentance is the key to getting you started and reconnecting you to God.
2) Keep practising dua
It is not enough to just recite the last ashra dua with empty mind and heart, practise it with sincerity. Unless we can feel it in our heart, we cannot gain maximum benefits from this supplication. What you should do is take the time out and sit in a quite place for about half an hour or so. Dwell on the meaning of the dua, recite it verbally and in your heart as well, imagine how dreadful the scenes of the judgement day are going to be and how crucial it is for you to save yourself from the torment of hell fire.
Listen to beautiful recitation
If you are travelling frequently during the third ashra or following a tough schedule due to any reason, you can still practise this dua. Listening to this beautiful recitation will enable you to create the right feelings for repentance.
For those of you who have trouble reading the Arabic text and pronounce properly, listening will greatly help.
3) Find Laylatul Qadr in last 10 nights
Laylatul Qadr is the night of decree, which is one of the last ten nights of Ramadan. Laylatul Qadr begins from the sunset of the 20th day of the blessed month. Without going into the details of when exactly The Night of Power occurs or whether it happens in one of the odd nights (21st, 25th, 27th and so on), one should focus on how they are going to spend it and gain the maximum benefit it offers.
What authentic hadiths tell us to do
When we research hadiths on what to do on Laylatul Qadr, we find that Prophet Mohammad SAW has taught a simple yet powerful dua, which can be recited, and pondered over.
There is a whole lot of advice on how to spend Laylatul Qadr and to be perfectly honest, most of the methods and rituals described by scholars are so difficult for the general public that many people fail find pleasure in doing ibadah. Some scholars seem to go out of their way to prescribe acts that might not have evidence from authentic scripture of Islam - Quran and hadith.
The primary purpose of catching Laylatul Qadr should only be to attract Allah's mercy, get the blessings of this world and akhirah, get our sins forgiven, and seek protection with Allah from hell fire.
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