How to harness the powers of the Nights of Qadr

The highlight of the Islamic spiritual calendar is without doubt the holy month of Ramadhan, the month of fasting. We draw closer to Allah through self-denial and remembrance of the divine.

The inner awakening that is incubated throughout the month is realised during that night, or in some cases nights, of destiny. Scholarly opinion points towards the odd numbered nights of the last ten days of the month. Their identity is purposefully vague yet sufficiently precise to lend them an aura of the supernatural. It is firmly believed that on those nights sins are forgiven, destiny is decreed, new futures are forged.

What better time to reflect upon what’s been, the now and begin to craft what lies ahead?

There are numerous rituals recommended for these special nights. The dedicated, the desperate and the driven keep vigil all night, praying, drawing closer to the Creator. More often than not though very little time is left over to simply reflect and ponder. 

"The contemplation of an hour is better than a year’s worship" - Prophetic narration.

Just imagine how powerful this time could be when coupled with introspection. Make that introspection focused and the potential is magnified manifold.

A few years ago  a mentor of mine spelled out how to harness the power of these nights in a manner that totally transformed them for me. She recommended:

1. Use one of the nights of destiny to map out one's life and where one wants to be.
2. Use another night to fine-tune and consolidate these goals. 
3. Use a final night to earnestly pray for the actualisation of the plan 

I took the mapping directive rather literally and sat down at my dining table and mind-mapped til dawn. By the end of the three-night process I was replete with rocket fuel for the year ahead and would recommend it as a framework for maximising the power of these nights.

Essential to the success of the process is to focus on core areas that constitute the tapestry of our lives. These areas serve as perfect branches for the resulting mind map.

• Spirituality & connection with Allah
• Purpose & Personal Growth
• Physical Body & Health
• Relationships
• Career & Finances
• Contribution to society and others

Your Jeem Journal has a Jeem Life Mapper section that serves as a toolkit to flesh out your plans for the year ahead and capitalise on the enormous spiritual energy contained within these holy nights.

The beauty of the framework above is that it can be called upon at any time, not just the Nights of Qadr. Use it to create New Year's resolutions, to turbo-charge a poignant event or even when you're just feeling reflective.

Let's pray for each other to actualise our potential.