Islam: The Night of Power
The Quran, the holy book of Islam, explains it this way:
Better is the Night of Power than a thousand months.
In that Night the angels and the Spirit descend
by the permission of their Lord for every affair.
Peace it is, till the break of dawn.
The Night of Power during Islam's month of fasting and prayer commemorates the night that Mohammed received the first revelation of the Quran in a cave near Mecca in the year 610 AD. Muslims believe the angels descend to earth on this night to perform miracles. Some are said to perform special tasks, some worship, some grant special requests of believing Muslims and some angels bring proclamations with them.
"It is condensed power," writes Shaykh Nazim Adil al-Haqqani. "God, the Almighty, makes it a mighty night by placing in it such incredible power, making it a much mightier night than other nights. Allah Almighty says it is much more valuable than one thousand months of worshipping. That means Allah Almighty granted such huge power to that night."
It is said that those who seek the Night of Power and live it will have their sin erased.
Muslim author Ahmad Sakr: "I am sure every one of us would like to live a life free of sins and free of mistakes. Every one would like to meet Allah on the Day of Judgment without sins. Every one of us would like to feel that he/she is reborn today. All of us wish to rejuvenate ourselves, and to start a new year with a fresh outlook and a fresh life. Every one of us wants to live a pure life and every one wants to purify himself/herself without anguish or torment. The Night of Power is one of the best ways in which a person is to achieve all these ideals."
Many Muslims will pray through the night or recite the Quran through the night.
Christians should be praying as well on this night when Muslims expect a revelation of the Almighty. Pray that the one true God would make Himself known to many of those who are diligently seeking the truth. Pray for a supernatural move of the Holy Spirit. And pray that Muslims might come to understand that the power and forgiveness of the Risen Lord are available to Christians every day and night of the year and throughout eternity.
