Preparing the Heart for the Last Ten Nights 20 Ramadan, 1447AH Day 20: Asking Ar-Rahman Series By Ibraheem Habeebah Adedoyinsola
All praise belongs to Allāh, Ar-Raḥmān, whose mercy reaches His servants before their hands are even raised…
All praise belongs to Allāh, Ar-Raḥmān, whose mercy reaches His servants before their hands are even raised in duʿā’. May peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ, who guided us to the most blessed nights of the year.
As Ramadan continues to pass, a quiet awareness begins to settle in the heart.
The days feel shorter.
The nights move quickly.
And a realization slowly grows within us:
The most precious nights of Ramadan are approaching.
The last ten nights.
These nights carry immense mercy.
Nights in which sins are forgiven.
Nights in which hearts soften and return to their Lord.
Nights in which a single moment of sincere worship can outweigh a lifetime.
But before these nights arrive, the believer pauses.
Not only to plan acts of worship.
But to prepare the heart.
Because the heart that enters these nights with sincerity and humility will experience them differently.
The Example of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ approached the last ten nights with a devotion unlike any other part of Ramadan.
ʿĀ’ishah (raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhā) reported:
“When the last ten nights of Ramadan began, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ would tighten his waist-belt, spend the night in worship, and awaken his family.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
These nights were not ordinary nights for him.
He increased his effort.
He shortened his sleep.
And he encouraged his family to share in these blessed moments.
Because within these nights lies a gift that cannot be measured.
Laylatul Qadr.
A night whose reward surpasses a thousand months.
Turning the Heart Back to Allāh
Preparing for these nights begins with turning the heart back to Allāh.
Every servant carries shortcomings.
Moments of distraction.
Moments of weakness.
Moments when our worship was not what it could have been.
Yet the door of repentance remains open.
Allāh calls His servants back to Him:
وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“Turn to Allāh in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.”
(Qur’an 24:31)
Through repentance the heart becomes lighter.
Through istighfār the distance between the servant and their Lord begins to disappear.
Many scholars advised increasing in Astaghfirullāh before the last ten nights so that the heart enters them purified and ready to receive the mercy of Allāh.
The Night Better Than a Thousand Months
Among the greatest blessings hidden within these nights is Laylatul Qadr.
Allāh says:
لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
“The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.”
(Qur’an 97:3)
More than eighty years of worship.
Contained within a single night.
Because of this, the believer approaches each of these nights with hope.
Perhaps this will be the night.
Perhaps this will be the moment Allāh accepts a duʿā’.
Perhaps this will be the moment a lifetime of sins is forgiven.
A tear shed in sujūd.
A quiet duʿā’ whispered in the darkness.
Any one of these moments could change everything.
Preparing a Heart Full of Duʿā’
As these nights begin, it can be helpful to pause and write down the duʿā’ we wish to ask from Allāh.
A list of hopes.
A list of needs.
A list of prayers for ourselves and for others.
Ask Allāh for everything.
Nothing is too small for His mercy and nothing is too great for His power.
Ask Him for guidance, forgiveness, and steadfastness.
Ask Him to grant goodness in this life and the next.
Remember your parents.
Your family.
Your friends.
Pray for those who have supported you and those who may have hurt you.
Pray for the oppressed.
Pray for those living in lands of hardship and occupation.
Pray for those suffering from injustice, poverty, and war.
Ask Allāh to bring peace to hearts and peace to the world.
These nights are moments when duʿā’ rises to the heavens.
And the believer asks with certainty that Ar-Raḥmān hears every word.
Filling the Nights With Worship
The last ten nights are an opportunity to fill our time with acts beloved to Allāh.
Standing in prayer during the night.
Quiet moments of Qiyām al-Layl when the world is asleep and the servant stands before their Lord.
Reciting the Qur’an.
Giving ṣadaqah, even if it is small, hoping that it falls on the night better than a thousand months.
Increasing in remembrance.
And repeating the duʿā’ taught by the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ for these nights.
Each moment spent in worship during these nights carries immense value.
Moments that may shape our hereafter in ways we cannot yet see.
A Duʿā’ as the Last Ten Nights Begin
Yā Allāh,
Allow us to reach the last ten nights of Ramadan.
Prepare our hearts to worship You with sincerity.
Forgive the shortcomings of the days that have passed.
Allow us to witness Laylatul Qadr.
Accept our prayers, our repentance, and our duʿā’.
Grant goodness to our families, our friends, and our loved ones.
Bring relief to the oppressed.
Bring justice where there is injustice.
Bring peace to lands that know only hardship.
And fill this world with mercy and guidance.
Do not allow us to leave Ramadan except that You have forgiven us completely.
Āmīn.
The most blessed nights of the year are approaching.
And the hearts of the believers are preparing to meet them.
#AskingArRahman
