Sacred nights are esteemed by Islam. Having great mercy upon His slaves, Allahu ta'ala has made some nights valuable and has declared that He will accept the prayers and istighfars done on these nights. He has made these nights opportunities for His slaves to worship much, to pray and ask for forgiveness. A sacred night is named after the day following it. It is the duration of time from the early afternoon prayer of the preceding daytime till the dawn following the night. Only, the night of Arafa and the three nights of Qurban are not so. These four nights follow the daytime after which they are named. We must benefit from these nights, perform our omitted prayers of namaz, read the Qur'an, say prayers and istighfar, give alms, please Muslims and send the thawab to the souls of the dead, too. We must respect these nights. To respect them means not to commit sins during them.

It is written on the hundred and seventy-second page of the book Riyad-un-nasihin, "Imam-i Nawawi says in his book Azkar, 'To utilize one-twelfth of the night [about one hour] means to utilize the whole night. This is the case for summer and winter nights alike.' [Ibni Abidin gives detailed information on this subject, on the four hundred and sixty-first page of the first volume and on the two hundred and eighty-ninth page of the third volume.] It is written in Haqayiq-i manzuma, 'In books of fiqh, an hour means an amount of time.' Imam-i Nawawi is a mujtahid in the Shafi'i Madhhab. It is good also for those who are Hanafi to benefit from the nights in this manner."

1 - QADR NIGHT is a night in the blessed month of Ramadan. Imam-i Shafi'i noted that it was most probably the seventeenth night, while Imam-i azam Abu Hanifa said that the most probable night was the twenty-seventh. We have been told to look for it between the twentieth and the thirtieth nights. It is the most valuable night praised in the Qur'an. The Qur'an began to be revealed to Rasulullah on this night.

2 - ARAFA NIGHT is the night between the Arafa day and the first day of the 'Iyd of Qurban. It is the night between the ninth and the tenth days of the month of Zil-hijja.

3 - NIGHT OF 'IYD OF FITR is the night between the last day of the blessed month of Ramadan and the first day of the 'Iyd.

4 - NIGHTS OF QURBAN are the nights following the first, second and third days of the 'Iyd of Qurban (adha). These three days are called Ayyam-i nahr.

5 - MAWLID NIGHT is the night between the eleventh and twelfth days of the month of Rabi'ulawwal. It is the birth night of Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa 'alaihissalam', who was sent as the Prophet for people all over the world and who is the last and the highest of all prophets. After Qadr Night, it is the most valuable night. That night, those who become happy because he was born will be forgiven. That night, it brings much thawab to read, listen to and learn about the wonders and miracles that were seen when Rasulullah was born. He himself would tell about them, too. That night, the Sahaba would meet together at some place and converse with one another. [See First Fascicle (Hilya-i Saadat) and Second Fascicle (Wahhabis and the Response of the Ahl as-Sunnat)]

6 - BARAT NIGHT is the fifteenth night of the month of Shaban. That is, it is the night between its fourteenth and fifteenth days. In the eternal past, before creating anything, Allahu ta'ala predestined, decreed all things. Of these, He informs His angels about everything that will happen during one year on this night. On this night the Qur'an descended on to the Lawhilmahfuz. Rasulullah 'sallallahu alaihi wa sallam' would worship and pray very much during this night.

7 - MIRAJ NIGHT is the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab. Miraj means ladder. It is the night on which Rasulullah was made to ascend to heavens and was taken to unknown places.

The inhabitants of Mecca would not have iman. They had been persecuting Muslims very much. They had gone too far and had already begun torturing Muslims. Rasulullah was very sorry. It was one year before the Hegira, and he was fifty-two years old. Taking Zayd bin Harisa with him, he went to Taif. He preached to the inhabitants of Taif for one month. None would have iman. They mocked him and tortured him, hooted and jeered at him. The children pelted him with stones. Hopeless, wearied, he was on his way back, his blessed legs wounded. Meanwhile, Zayd's head had blood all over. During a very hot hour, they sat by the roadside, exhausted. The owners of a vineyard that happened to be there, two rich brothers named Utba and Shayba, who were sons of Rabi'a sent their servant Addas with a bunch of grapes for each.

Before eating the grapes Rasulullah 'sallallahu alaihi wa sallam' said the Basmala. Addas, a Christian, was surprised to hear this. "I have been here for many years. I have never heard anybody say such a word. What kind of a word is that?" he said.

Rasulullah asked, "Where are you from?"

Addas: "I am from Ninawa."

Rasulullah: "I see you are from the same place as Hadrat Yunus 'alaihissalam'."

Addas: "How do you know Yunus? No one hereabouts knows him."

Rasulullah: "He is my brother. He was a prophet like me."

Addas: "The owner of this beautiful face and these sweet words cannot be a liar. I now believe that you are Allah's Messenger." So he became a Muslim and added, "O Rasulallah. I have been serving these cruel people for many years. They have been depriving people of their rights. They have been cheating others. They have no goodness. They will commit any baseness to get what is worldly and to fulfill their sensuous desires. I hate them. I want to go with you, get honored with your service, to be the target of the irreverence which the ignorant and the idiots will commit against you and to sacrifice myself to protect your blessed body." Rasulullah smiled: "Stay with your masters for the time being! After a short while, you will hear of my name far and wide. Come to me then," he stated. Resting for a while, they wiped off the remaining blood that was still on them and walked towards Mecca. It was already dark when they arrived in the city. The few months he spent in Mecca were troublesome. The enemy was everywhere. There was not a place to go. At last he went to the district of Abu Talib, where the house of Umm-i Hani, his uncle's daughter, was. Umm- i Hani had not become Muslim yet. "Who is there?" she said.

Rasulullah said, "It is me, Muhammad, your uncle's son. I have come here as a guest, if you will accept me."

Umm-i Hani: "I will gladly sacrifice my life for such a true, trustworthy, honorable and noble guest as you are. But if you had said in advance that you would honor us, I would have prepared something. I have no food to give you now."

Rasulullah: "I want nothing to eat and drink. I care for none. A place will suffice where I can worship, entreat my Allah."

Umm-i Hani received Rasulullah, gave him a mat, a bowl and an ewer. It was considered as the most honorable duty among the Arabs to do kindness to a visitor and to protect him against an enemy. Any harm given to a guest in a home would be a grave shame for the host. Umm-i Hani thought, "He has a lot of enemies in Mecca. There are even those who want to kill him. I will be on the watch for him till morning in order to protect my honor." Taking her father's sword, she began to walk around the house. Rasulullah was hurt very much during the day. Performing an ablution, he began to entreat his Allah, ask for forgiveness and pray so that people would have iman and attain to happiness. Being very tired, hungry and aggrieved, he lay down on the mat and soon fell asleep.

At that moment, Allahu ta'ala commanded to Hadrat Jabrail 'alaihissalam':

"I have afflicted My Beloved Prophet so much. I have hurt his blessed body, his tender heart so much. But he still entreats Me. He does not think of anything besides Me. Go! Bring Me My Beloved! Show him My Paradise and Hell. Let him see the blessings I have prepared for him and for those who love him. Let him see the torment I have prepared for those who disbelieve him, who hurt him with their words, writings and actions. I will console him. I will cure the wounds of his tender heart." Within a moment Jabrail 'alaihissalam' was near Rasulullah. He found him sound asleep. He did not have the heart to wake him up. He was in a man's figure. He kissed under his blessed foot. Because he does not have a heart or blood, his cold lips woke Rasulullah. At once he recognized Jabrail 'alaihissalam' and, fearing that Allah might have gotten offended with him, he said, "O my Brother, Jabrail! Why are you here at such an unusual time? Have I done something wrong, have I offended my Allah? Have you brought bad news for me?"

Jabrail 'alaihissalam' said, "O You, the Highest of all creatures! O You, the Beloved of the Creator! O You, the Master of Prophets! O You, the Honorable Prophet, the source of goodness and superiorities! Your Allah sends His salam to you. He bestows upon you the blessing which He has given to no other prophet, to no creature. He invites you to Himself. Please get up. Let us go." They went to the Kaba, where someone came to them, cleaved open his chest, took out his heart and washed it with the water of Zamzam. Then he put it back in its place. Then, riding on a white animal named Buraq brought from Paradise, they went to the Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem in a moment. Making a hole in the rock with his finger, Jabrail 'alaihissalam' tied Buraq there. The souls of some past prophets, in their own figures, were present there. He offered Hadrat Adam, Hadrat Nuh (Noah) and Hadrat Ibrahim, respectively, to become the imam so that they would perform the namaz in jamaat. Asking for an excuse and saying that they were defective, they all refused it. Hadrat Jabrail suggested Rasulullah. "When you are present, no one can be the imam," he said. After the namaz, they went out of the masjid and by some unknown ascent passed the seven layers of heavens in one moment. At each heaven he saw a great Prophet. Jabrail 'alaihissalam' remained in Sidra, saying, "If I go as farther as a hair's breadth I will burn and perish."

Sidrat-ul-muntaha is a tree in the sixth heaven. After seeing Paradise, Hell and innumerable things, Rasulullah, on a carpet of Paradise named Rafraf, passed the Kursi, the 'Arsh, the world of souls, and reached the heights decreed by Allahu ta'ala in an unknown, incomprehensible and unexampled manner. Without place, time, direction and manner, he saw Allahu ta'ala. Without eyes, ears, means and place, he spoke with Allahu ta'ala. Attaining blessings that could be known or comprehended by no creature, he came back to Jerusalem and thence to Umm-i Hani's house in the blessed city of Mecca. The place where he had lain down had not become cold yet, nor had the motion of the water in the bowl come to a standstill. Umm-i Hani, who had been walking about outside, had dozed off, unaware of everything. On his way from Jerusalem to Mecca he met a caravan of Quraish. A camel in the caravan was frightened and fell down.

The next morning he went to Kaba and related his miraj. Hearing this, the disbelievers scoffed at him. "Muhammad's gone crazy for good," they said. And the ones who had been thinking of becoming Muslims grave up. Some of them, amused, went to Abu Bakr's house. They knew he was a clever, experienced and calculating merchant. As soon as he came to the door, they asked him:

"O Aba Bakr! You went to Jerusalem many times. You must know well. How long does it take to go from Mecca to Jerusalem?"

Hadrat Abu Bakr said, "I know well that it takes more than a month."

The disbelievers were pleased with this reply and said, "So will a wise and experienced man say." Laughing, mocking, being happy because Abu Bakr had the same opinion as they had, they said:

"Your master says that he went to and came back from Jerusalem in a night. He is completely mad now," and showed their sympathy, reverence and trust for Abu Bakr.

Upon hearing the blessed name of Rasulullah, Abu Bakr 'radiallahu anh' said, "If he says so I believe him. He for sure went and came back in a moment," and went back in. The disbelievers were all stupefied. Hanging their heads, they walked away, saying, "How amazing! What a strong sorcerer Muhammad is! He bewitched Abu Bakr." Clothing himself immediately, Abu Bakr went to Rasulullah. In the big crowd he said aloud, "O Rasulallah! I congratulate you, your blessed miraj! Infinite thanks to Allahu ta'ala because He has honored us with being the servants of such an exalted prophet as you are. He has blessed us with seeing your shining face, with hearing your sweet words that please hearts and attract souls. O Rasulallah! Every word you say is true. I believe in you. I am ready to sacrifice my life for you!" These words of Abu Bakr's bewildered the disbelievers. Being at a loss as to what to say, they dispersed. This strengthened the hearts of a few people with weak iman who had been doubting. That day Rasulullah called Abu Bakr "Siddiq." Being given this name, he was promoted to a higher grade.

All this exasperated the disbelievers. They could not bear the Believers' strong iman, their believing right away whatever he said, their gathering around him and protecting him. In order to rout and disgrace Rasulullah, they attempted to test him.

"O Muhammad 'alaihissalam'! You claim to have gone to Jerusalem. Tell us now! How many doors and how many windows does the masjid have?" were some of their questions. As the Prophet answered each, Hadrat Abu Bakr said, "Right, O Rasulallah! It is true, O Rasulallah!" But in actual fact, out of his embarrassment, Rasulullah would not even look at a person in the face. Afterwards, he stated, "I had not looked around in Masjid al-Aqsa. I had not seen what they asked about. At that moment Hadrat Jabrail brought Masjid al-Aqsa in front of my eyes. [Like watching television], I saw, counted, and answered their questions at once." He said that he had seen travelers riding camels on his way and that he hoped, inshallah, that they would arrive on Wednesday. On Wednesday, just before sunset, the caravan arrived in Mecca. They said that something had happened like the blowing of the wind and that a camel had fallen down. This situation strengthened the Believers' iman but increased the disbelievers' enmity. The book Ruh-ul-bayan, quoting from the book Tafsir-i Husaini, and the book Bahr, in the section dealing with imamat, say, "One who does not believe that Rasulullah was taken from the city of Mecca to Jerusalem [to Bayt-ul muqaddes] will be a disbeliever. One who does not believe that he was taken to the heavens and to unknown places will be dal and mubtadi'. " That is, he will be a heretic.

8 - RAJAB MONTH AND NIGHT OF RAGHAIB: First Friday night of the month of Rajab is called Night of Raghaib. Every night of Rajab is already valuable. Every Friday night is valuable, too. When these two valuable nights come together, they become all the more valuable. The value of the night of Raghaib is communicated by various hadiths.

Rajab had been valuable since the time of Hadrat Adam. It had been a sin to war in this month. The month had been respected by all ummats. Rajab means majestic, great, honored, valuable. It is written in the Persian book Anisulwaizin, "During the time of Hadrat Isa, a youngster fell in love with a lovely girl. He was mad with desire to have her. A long time later he managed to get a date. One night they came together in her room and undressed themselves. The youngster was so happy. Right then he saw the new moon through the window. "What month is this?" he asked. When the girl said, "Rajab," he suddenly pulled himself together and dressed himself. The girl, astonished, asked what was the matter with him. The youngster answered, "I have heard from my parents that we must not sin in the month of Rajab but must respect this month." Asking for an excuse, he went home. Allahu ta'ala sent wahy to Isa 'alaihissalam' and informed him with what had happened, commanding him, "Visit this youngster and give my salam to him." Being pleased with the fact that a great prophet had been sent to him owing to the reverence he had paid to Rajab, the youngster accepted iman and became a good Believer. On account of Rajab, he attained the honor of iman."

9 - MUHARRAM NIGHT: The first night of the month of Muharram is the Muslim's new year's night. Muharram is the first month of the Islamic year. The first day of Muharram is the first day of the Muslims' new year, that is, of the Hijri year (A.H.). Disbelievers celebrate Christmas on the first night of January, which is their new year's day. They commit the actions of disbelief commanded by the Christian religion. They worship on that night. And Muslims, too, on their new year's night and day, congratulate one another by or exchanging letters. They visit one another, give presents to one another. They celebrate the New Year with magazines and newspapers. They send their prayers so that the New Year will be beneficial and prosperous for them and to all Muslims. They visit their parents and the savants at their homes and get their benedictions. On that day, they put on new dresses as if it were a day of 'Iyd. They give alms to the poor.

10 - ASHURA NIGHT: The tenth night of Muharram. Muharram is one of the four months esteemed in the Qur'an. Ashura is the most valuable night of the month. Allahu ta'ala has accepted many prayers on Ashura Day. Acceptance of Hadrat Adam's repentance; Hadrat Nuh's (Noah's) ship's being rescued from the Flood, Hadrat Yunus' getting out of the fish's stomach; Hadrat Ibrahim's not burning in Nimrod's fire; Hadrat Idris' being made to ascend to heavens; Hadrat Yaqub's finding his son Yusuf and healing of the cataract on his eyes; Hadrat Yusuf's getting out of the well; Hadrat Ayyub's recovering health; Hadrat Musa's (Moses) passing over the Nile and Pharaoh's being drowned; Hadrat Isa's birth and his escaping from being killed by Jews and his ascent to heaven alive all these happened on the Ashura Day. It is not an act of worship for Muslims to cook (the sweet desert called) ashura on the tenth of Muharram because Hadrat Nuh (Noah) cooked a sweet called ashura on board the ship. Hadrat Muhammad and the Sahaba did not do so. It is a bidat, a sin to think that it is an act of worship to cook ashura on that day. It is worship to do what Hadrat Muhammad did and commanded. It will not bring thawab to do things that are not written in books of the din or taught by savants of the din. It is sinful. It is sunnat, and worship, to prepare any sweet or to give feasts to acquaintances and alms to the poor on that day. Ibni Abidin writes on the two hundred and seventy-sixth page of the fifth volume, "It is a sunnat to put kohl on the eyelashes. But it is haram to do this only on Ashura Day."

It is bidat to mourn and lament because Hadrat Husain 'radiAllahu anh' was martyred on that day. It is sinful. Mourning on Ashura Day is a custom of the Shiis. They mourn for Hadrat Husain. Because he was Hadrat Ali's son, they praise him adoringly. But we the Ahl as-sunnat love him very much because he was Rasulullah's grandson. There is no mourning in Islam. Muslims do not mourn only on Ashura Day. But they always become sad whenever they remember the tragedy of Karbala. They grieve deeply. They weep bitterly. If there were mourning in Islam, we would have done it not on Ashura Day but on the day when Rasulullah's blessed feet bled all over in Taif, or when his blessed tooth was broken and his blessed face bled at Uhud or when he passed away.

Of the ten nights mentioned above, the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth nights are called Qandil nights.

Besides the ten nights mentioned above, the other nights of 'Iyd of fitr, first ten nights of the month of Zil-hijja, first ten nights of Muharram, every Friday night and every Monday night are sacred. Hadrat Sharnblali writes the virtues of the nights in detail in his book Imdad-ul-fattah.

The following hadiths are written in various books:

1 - The gates of [Allah's] Compassion are opened on four nights. Prayers or istighfars done on these nights will not be refused. The first nights of the 'Iyd of Fitr and Qurban (adha), the fifteenth night of Shaban [Barat] and Arafa Night. [Qadr Night having been mentioned in many hadiths, it must have been deemed unnecessary to mention it here.]

2 - Among worships, Allahu ta'ala likes better the ones done within the first ten days of Zil-hijja. A day's fast during these days will be given the thawab of a year's [supererogatory] fast. The namaz performed during their nights is like the namaz performed on Qadr Night. Perform very much tasbih, tahlil and takbir on these days!

3 - If a Muslim fasts on Tarwiya Day and does not say anything sinful, Allahu ta'ala will put him into Paradise certainly. [Tarwiya is the eighth of Zil-hijja, previous to Arafa Day].

4 - Respect Arafa Day! For, Arafa is a day esteemed by Allahu ta'ala.

5 - Those who worship on Arafa Night will be set free from Hell.

6 - Two years' sins of those who fast on Arafa Day will be forgiven. The past one year's sins and the next one year's sins. [Arafa is the ninth day of Zil-hijja, other days are not called Arafa.]

7 - He who says the Ikhlas a thousand times on Arafa Day will be forgiven all his sins and his every prayer will be accepted. He must say all of them with the Basmala.

8 - Rajab is the month of Allahu ta'ala. He who shows honor to the month of Rajab and who respects it will be blessed by Allahu ta'ala in this world and the next.

As it is written in the Arabic book Futuhulghayb by Hadrat Abdulqadir-i Geilani and on the two hundred and seventy-fourth page of its Persian explanation by Abdulhaq Dahlawi, Hadrat Ali quotes the following hadith: Rasulullah stated, "If a person has not performed his fard namaz, his performing nafila namaz is like [the case of] a pregnant woman who has completed pregnancy. On the day when she is about to deliver the child, she has a miscarriage. Since her child has perished, the woman cannot be said to be pregnant. Nor can she be called a mother. So is this person. Unless he makes his prayers of fard namaz, Allahu ta'ala will not accept his supererogatory prayers." Abdulhaq Dahlawi, a great savant, an expert of hadiths, says "This hadith informs that those who perform the sunnat and nafila prayers instead of performing their omitted prayers of fard namaz are wasting time. For, any prayer which is not fard or wajib is called nafila. Those nafila prayers performed together with the ones that are fard are called muakkad sunnat namaz. Those that are not prescribed to be performed together with the fard ones are called zawaid sunnat.

9 - He who embellishes [respects] the first Friday night of Rajab will not be tormented by Allahu ta'ala in his grave. Allahu ta'ala will accept his prayers. Only, there are seven people whom He will not forgive and whose prayers He will not accept: he who takes and gives interest; he who abhors Muslims; the child who torments and disobeys his parents; the woman who disobeys her husband though he is a Muslim and obeys the Shariat; he who sings and plays music as a profession; he who commits homosexuality or fornication; he who does not perform namaz five times a day. Unless they give up and repent for these sins and ask for Allah's forgiveness, their prayers will not be accepted. Any command incompatible with the Shariat must not be obeyed or done whether it is given by one's parents, by a woman's husband or by anybody else. But it is still necessary to speak mildly to one's parents and not to hurt them. If one's parents are disbelievers one must bring them back from a church or tavern, even by carrying them on one's back if necessary. But one does not have to take them to such places. Ibni Abidin writes on the two hundred and sixty- ninth page of the fifth volume, "It is tahrimi makruh to call one's parents, and also for a wife to call her husband, by their names, and is a grave sin. One must call them by going near them and by using words of reverence and respect. One must not call them loudly from a distance."

10 - Jabrail 'alaihissalam' came to me and said, "Get up, perform namaz and pray! Tonight is the fifteenth night of Shaban." Allahu ta'ala forgives those who respect this night. Only, He does not forgive polytheists, sorcerers, witches, misers, those who have alcoholic drinks, those who take interest and those who commit fornication.

11 - Know that Barat Night is an opportunity, a great fortune! For, it is a certain night. It is the fifteenth night of Shaban. Qadr Night is very great, but it is not known for certain which night it is. Worship very much on this night. Or else you will repent on the Judgement Day! Upon hearing that a lot of thawab will be given for doing a certain thing at a certain place and time, if a person does it with this thought in order to get thawab, Allahu ta'ala will give him the thawab even if the information were not true. But it has to be something not prohibited by the Shariat. To get the thawab of supererogatory worships, it is a condition not to have any defect in one's iman and in one's fard worships, to repent for one's sins and to entreat Allahu ta'ala for forgiveness, and to intend to do them as worship.