Friday, April 29, 2022
This night is blessed Lailat al-Qadr. May endless praise and thanks be to the Almighty Allah (swt) who enlightens us with Lailat al-Qadr in these days when the sorrow of bidding farewell to the month of Ramadan, which is the climate of mercy and forgiveness and adds numerous beauties to our lives with its arrival, surrounds our hearts and once again joins us with this blessed time.
Lailat al-Qadr which was made “better than a thousand months” by the Almighty Allah (swt) gains its value from the Holy Qur’an which is undoubtedly the greatest blessing and mercy of the Almighty Allah (swt) to people.
Qur’an is a guide that teaches us our purpose of existence, the ways of living peacefully in the world and reaching paradise in the hereafter. It is a book of life that was sent down in order to bring humanity from darkness to light. It is our duty to make it our greatest goal to read, understand and bring it together with our entire life.
Lailat al-Qadr is an exceptional time when angels and Gabriel honours the earth for every single work with the permission of the Almighty Allah (swt), and the world is filled with peace. It is a night of opportunity to redeem the sins and mistakes. Our Beloved Prophet stated the importance of this night with his Hadith, “And whoever spends the night of Lailat Al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven," and he suggested us to make du’a as “O Allah, You are the Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so forgive me”.
On the occasion of this night, all the believers should review their life with contemplation, repent and make dua for forgiveness of their mistakes and sins with a sincere regret. They must be determined to stay away from all situations and attitudes that do not suit the believer. They must make dua and turn to endeavour for the end of hatred and malignity, pain and suffering, violence and war in the world. They must make much more effort in order to re-join universal principles and values of the Holy Qur’an such as justice, morality and compassion with the world by being aware that that an honourable and safe life, a just and peaceful world, will only be possible with the truths of Islam. By obeying the Almighty Allah (swt) who always invites us to benevolence, goodness, fraternity from the heart, we must follow his life lines to the utmost.
With this emotions and thoughts, I congratulate the Lailat al-Qadr of all the Islamic world, especially our nation, and May the Almighty Allah (swt) deem accepted our fasting and all worships, and May this very night contribute to the unity, health and solidarity of the Islamic World, and the peace tranquillity, and happiness of the humanity.
Prof. Dr. Ali ERBAŞ
President of Religious Affairs