08/05/2021

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Sarah Joseph.

Good morning.

Tonight, millions of Muslims the world over will be foregoing sleep to search for Laylat-al Qadr, the Night of Power, the Night of Destiny.

By “search” – I don’t mean going out with torches looking for it. Rather I mean that we don’t know when the Night of Power actually is, but it is said to be in the last ten days of the month of Ramadan, most probably an odd night, and the 27th night being the most likely. So millions of Muslims stay up in these last ten nights “searching” - in the hope that they will be found praying on the most sacred of nights, where it is believed all sins will be forgiven.

In the modern world such devotion and worship can seem out of place. Giving up the comfort of your bed to stand and bow and prostrate oneself for the entire night seems strange. Yet I find the pull of worship is profound.

In Arabic the word for worship is ibadah – and comes from the root word Abd – servant. Its etymological links denote the concept of surrender, and Muslims believe that worship – done freely - is the very purpose of human beings. Islam considers that awareness of the need to worship, and our willingness to worship is what gives us meaning. The Creator does not "need" our worship, as God is self-sufficient and infinite in Power, but the practice of worship is a means for the inner development of us – as worshippers, who, by consciously, and freely, self-surrendering to God hope to draw closer to God’s will, and the Creator Itself.

Our Merciful Lord – the Qur’an recalls: “Only You do we worship, and only You do we ask for help”. Strengthen our hearts and help us to be reliant only on You.

Ameen.