reflective reading of Suratul Qadr
Notes from my Khutbah at UofT on Friday, Nov. 5, 2004:

1. The Qur'an was revealed in the Night of Power. The revelation referred to here is the revelation of the entire Qur'an from the Preserved Tablet to the Lowest Heavens. The full understanding of the greatness of the night cannot be understood by the limited faculties of men; hence a measure in man’s world of the greatness of this night.
2. The revelation of the Qur'an was a momentous occasion - the beginning of more than two decades of revelation from heaven to earth, in which the archangel Jibreel was the carrier of the revelation. It was also the beginning of an incredible transformation that took place within human beings of 7th century Arabia, as well as a transformation of the world as it was then known. The story of Umm Ayman’s response when she heard of the Prophet’s death is very poignant: she lamented not the death of the noble messenger, but the loss of the Qur’anic revelation with his death, and therefore the severing of the link between heaven and earth.
3. The greatness and might of the Qur'an reflected in the verses of Suratul Hashr: "Had we sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, you would have seen it humble itself and cleave asunder for fear of Allah."
4. The heart of the Prophet, and consequently the heart of every believer has the capacity to receive the Qur'an - compare this with the Qur'an's impact on the mountain!
5. “The Night of Power is better than a thousand months” - an entire lifetime! Night of Power can be seen as a manifestation of God’s Power. But it is also a manifestation of God’s mercy – to give believers the opportunity to wipe away a lifetime of sin and to begin anew.
6. The Night of Power must be a spectacle to behold, if only human beings were able to perceive the Unseen – the angels descend, together with the Spirit (the archangel Jibreel). The bringing down of decrees by the Lord’s permission speak volumes of the relationship between Abd (Slave) and M’abud (Creator/Master)
7. Allah causes the archangel to descend on the Night of Power – the night when the Qur’an was originally brought down. Is this not enough evidence to demonstrate that the Qur’an is relevant for us today as it was in its original revelation? The splendour of the Archangel – recall the hadith in which the noble prophet saw him filling the space between the heaven and earth, and that he had 600 wings!
8. “Peace until the break of Dawn” – a gift from the Almighty. Inner peace is what we must strive for; a state free of all anxiety, worry and dependence on any except the Source of all Peace. Peace is also the desired state – not turmoil or anxiety. Peace (Salaam) cannot be achieved without Submission (Islam)
9. May Allah grant us the blessing of this night and grant us peace and security.
references:
- In the Shade of the Qur'an - Qutb, S.
- "When the night equals a thousand" - M. AlShareef