Night Moon- A Special Prayer!
Aminah lay quietly in her bed. She did not rustle the sheets. Late that night, she was looking for the moon. The living room was quiet. Abdullah and Yusuf were sleeping peacefully. They had been to the mosque for Taraweeh earlier.
It was now halfway through Ramadan and people were doing all sorts of good deeds; giving charity, sponsoring Iftar, caring for the fasting person.
Aminah loved Allah subhaanahu wa ta’ala and she had learnt in school that she could speak to Allah whenever she felt like it. Allah, the Creator of the Universe.
The more she spoke to Allah, the more Allah answered her prayers. She made prayer upon prayer in the special month of Ramadan; a month full of Mercy. She asked Allah for all her wishes and desires and made du’aa for others as well.
In the darkness, Aminah rummaged through her box of oil pastel crayons but could not find the colour she was searching for. Blue, to finish up her drawing of the stars, moon and sky. She thought her picture looked incomplete without blue.
She looked at the dark sky near the window.
“I wonder what would happen if the sky was in total blackness without the colour blue?” Aminah wondered quietly. “What would the earth be like without a moon?”
Allah created the universe. He is in full control; He designs everything perfectly. Allah is Al-Khaaliq, the Creator. He made the sky, the moon, the stars, heaven and every single thing on Earth. Allah is the Lord of the Worlds.
Gazing up at the sky, Aminah remembered that Allah is al-Musawwir, The Maker of the Universe. He made the clouds and oceans, trees and flowers with the best of colors.
The hallway light turned on and a tall, silent shadow stood in the doorway looking at Aminah.
“Aminah, what are you doing up so late and why are you drawing in the dark?” The shadow asked in a soft, familiar voice. . She looked through her window and saw the brightest moon of Ramadan.
She breathed slowly and silently.
“Tonight, I would like to speak to Allah,” she whispered.
She tiptoed downstairs and out the door. No one was there. Ummi must be in her room.
Aminah squinted in the dark and finally saw the face matching the voice. “Oh, Ummi! I’m thinking about Allah’s creation,” she answered excitedly whilst twirling her crayons. “I love the darkness of the night.”
“It’s really late for you to be awake, but come here ya ‘Qamar’. Let’s go to the balcony,” Ummi said.
“Qamar?” Aminah asked curiously.
“Yes, my night-time artist. ‘Qamar’ means moon in Arabic and you are the moon of my heart,” Ummi said smiling.
Aminah giggled.
“Shhh,” Ummi said in a hushed tone and took Aminah’s hand, helping her up. She glanced at her drawings lying on the floor and exclaimed in amazement. “Wow, subhaanAllah Aminah! you drew these?! They are stunning maashaAllah!” She picked up one of the pictures to have a better look.
“Alhamdulillah. It’s not me, Ummi. It’s Allah who made the stars, moon and sky!” Aminah said, remembering that she was only the artist who drew the pictures.
“You’re absolutely right, my Qamar!” Ummi replied lovingly and added, “In Surah Hashr, Allah has said: “He is The Creator, the Originator, the Fashioner” (59:24)”
Aminah raised her head and gazed up at the sky in the balcony. The stars were dazzling brightly, adding to the complete beauty of the sky. It was a starry night. The weather was calm and windy.
“Ummi, how big are stars? They look so tiny,” Aminah asked her mother.
“Those tiny looking stars are bigger than our sun and planets, subhaanAllah!” Ummi said. “They look small because they are far away. Stars are born and die just like us.”
“Wow, I never knew that!” Aminah exclaimed in wonder.
“Oh yes. There are billions of stars and galaxies in the universe,” Ummi continued, “See how some are bigger than others?” she asked, pointing at the sky.
“Yup,” Aminah replied.
“Well, stars come in all sizes. Little stars are called ‘dwarves’ and huge stars are called ‘supergiants’! Allah holds the stars up in the sky in perfect balance. He can do anything.”
“Wow! Allah is an artist like me, then!” Aminah exclaimed in delight.
“He is the greatest artist in all the heavens and earth. One of Allah’s names is al-Khaaliq (The Creator).” Ummi explained.
Allah says in the Quran:
Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He covers the night with the day, [another night] chasing it rapidly; and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, subjected by His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, Lord of the worlds. [Surat Al-‘A`rāf: 54]
“We should do as many good deeds as there are stars sparkling above us, in this blessed month of Ramadan,” Ummi said.
“InshaAllah, Ummi!” Aminah replied. She squirmed out of Ummi’s arms and ran back to the living room where her drawings were still scattered on the floor.
“Ummi, do you have an extra blue crayon? I can’t find mine.”
Ummi rummaged around in the box of art supplies and pulled out a few broken pieces of blue crayon. “Is this the one you were looking for?” she asked, placing them on Aminah’s paper.
“YAY, Alhamdulillah!” Aminah shouted without realising how loud she was. Ummi raised her eyebrows and was just about to hush her when a sleepy Yusuf walked through the doorway, rubbing his eyes.
“What happened, Aminah? Ummi, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?”
“Sorry Yusuf, I just found my blue crayon and got really excited. I really need it to finish my drawing,” Aminah explained with a sheepish smile.
“Yes, and once Aminah is finished with her picture, she’ll go quietly to bed. Won’t you Aminah?” Ummi asked.
Aminah looked up at Ummi with big, sad eyes and nodded, letting out a soft sigh.
“Ahh, it’s okay,” Yusuf replied sleepily, letting out a giant yawn. “Aminah, you can draw more pictures tomorrow, InshaAllah. Go to sleep after this one.”
“Yusuf, cover your mouth when you yawn,” Ummi said, “Remember what we said about shaytaan laughing at you when you yawn and make a noise?”
Yusuf covered his mouth quickly. “What were you talking about just now?” he asked.
“We were sharing thoughts about the creation of Allah, and how Allah is the greatest artist. Al-Khaaliq. The Creator of the entire universe.”
“Really? Ummi, I have a question I have been thinking about recently. Are the signs of the Universe of Allah reminding us to pray more and be more grateful to Him?”
“SubhaanAllah! Brilliant Yusuf, good question!” said Ummi. “Yes, indeed. The signs we see around us teach us beautiful examples of Allah’s majesty. Through them Allah is showing us His greatness. Glory be to Allah and to Him be praise! Glory be to Allah the All-Mighty. So we should increase in our gratefulness to Allah and thank Him for all that He has granted us.
Ummi then began to recite:
“Glory be to your Lord: the Lord of Glory is far above what they say are His virtues. Peace be upon the Messengers and praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds.”
(As-Saffat: 180-182)
Ummi and Yusuf then helped Aminah put away her drawings and crayons neatly. They all tiptoed upstairs and Ummi tucked Aminah into bed, giving her a quick hug and kiss.
“Now my little night-time artist, my moon and my supergiant star,” Ummi tickled Aminah as she giggled softly, “Sleep and remember to recite your du’aas so that Allah protects you in the night. May all your dreams and du’aas come true!”
Aminah yawned, and remembered to cover her mouth as she nodded to Ummi. Together, Aminah and Ummi whispered their du’aas.
Aminah cupped her hands and made a special prayer to Allah in the darkness of the night.
[arabic-font]اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ ، وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ وَحُبَّ الْعَمَلِ الَّذِي يُبَلِّغُنِي حُبَّكَ ، رَبِّ اجْعَلْ لِي حُبَّكَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَهْلِي وَمِنَ الْمَاءِ الْبَارِدِ[/arabic-font]
“O Allah, I ask You for Your love and the love of those who love You and
love of the action which will make me reach Your love. O Allah make
Your love more beloved to me than myself, my family and cold water.”
“Ya Allah, I love you, so please bring me close to you and those you love,” she whispered one last time before her eyes finally closed and she fell asleep peacefully.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Action Points:
- Allah has made the night for rest. If you can’t sleep at night, try not to make any noise and wake up others. Instead, make du’aa like Aminah did so that Allah’s angels will protect you.
- Even if you are really tired and sleepy, try to resist yawning. If you yawn, cover your mouth as soon as you remember. Don’t let shaytaan laugh at you!
- It’s still Ramadan, so try your best to give every action a good intention. Even if you are drawing a picture like Aminah did, use it to remind yourself of Allah’s signs. Sleep can be a good deed, too! Rest, so that your body can be strong and healthy to do good deeds.
- Always remember that Allah is the Creator; so when you see something beautiful, don’t forget to praise him and thank him for letting you see and feel His beauty around us!
Very inspiring.
When I reached the point that ALLAH is Al khaaliq, I immediately prayed to ALLAH that ALLAH make me perfect..
He created the days the nights the sun the moon in perfection so how is it possible that he leave me incomplete so I prayed to Almighty to perfect the imperfections with in me.
And I am certain now that he wil answer my supplication as all his names and attributes are perfect and True.
JzakALLAH khair sheikh