Our next story took place one year during the holy month of Ramadan. This is the time when all devout people fast between dawn and sunset, which helps them to learn self-discipline and empathy with those who do not have enough to eat. Consequently they come to live happier lives because their self restraint and the time spent in extra prayer bring them closer to Al’lah. They become certain of His Satisfaction with them because they undertake this divinely prescribed course of action.
When the time approaches for them to break their fast, tables are set, heavily laden with platters of delicious food, while those who are fasting, eagerly await the call to sunset prayer. Then, as soon as the call is heard, they immediately mention the Name of God and thank Him before starting to eat.
This fast depicts a most important aspect of life in the era before the present one, and one that also became a vital part of Mr. Mohammad Amin’s life when he turned sixteen years of age.
By this time, he had become an outstanding youth: extremely intelligent, deeply understanding, and full of vitality and enthusiasm for everything in life.
In all ways he was superior to his companions. He did not follow the majority blindly as most young people do, for he wanted to enjoy fully the innate ability with which God had endowed him at birth. He was determined to seek out all of the facts for himself, to be sure of the truth of what he heard and how it would affect his life, before putting these words or deeds into action.
The following description of the Night of Valuation, which usually occurs during the last ten nights of Ramadan, has been so widely circulated that everyone accepts that it is true.
The Almighty God mentioned this Night in the Holy Qur’an and urged people to seek it out because it is regarded as a reward for those worthy people who adhere to the fast: each one being rewarded according to their diligence and their obedience to their Provider.
However, many people gave way to exaggeration when describing the Night of Valuation, relating incredible stories, until people’s apparent understanding of it was made up of mere imagination and fantasy.
They came up with the idea that the Almighty God leaves His Throne in the seventh heaven to come down to the lower heavens, and at the moment that He (Glory to His Name) settles in the heaven that is nearest to the earth, the sky appears to be totally lit up by His intense Light, which resembles the beautiful rays cast by a splendid full moon.
On that momentous occasion, mankind can ask God for whatever he wants for himself: man has only to ask Him Who is so close and ready to respond (Glory to Him). He has indicated His Presence in the heaven closest to you so that He will hear your call and request. You only have to ask and He will certainly fulfill your wish!
To confirm the truth of what they had seen, they made up a story about the al-Azem family, who were widely known, throughout Damascus, to be extremely wealthy. The story goes like this: They claimed that once, in the past, a forefather of this family had witnessed God’s Manifestation on the Night of Valuation, and so asked God to grant him abundant wealth, many children, and endless honour and renown. This ancestor, having witnessed the Night of Valuation, soon came into such an enormous fortune, that, all the members of the family, throughout the generations are still wealthy to the present day.
Everybody spoke about this Night, mentioning what they knew, or thought they knew, or what they had heard, or who they thought they or someone else had met on one Night of Valuation or another, so that everyone thought themselves experts on the topic… and the story expanded and grew greater in the telling of it; often full of nonsense and ridiculous notions!
As for our free thinking youth, Mohammad Amin, he heard this description of that special Night before the beginning of Ramadan, and with a feeling of the utmost pleasure he began to formulate his own sweet dreams and great hopes based on the heaven of the forthcoming Night of Valuation. He thought to himself: ‘I’ll be so happy! Just think what great and wonderful benefits there will be for me as well as for all mankind! I will really be so pleased if my hopes and aspirations for this life become reality through what I am going to ask from my Lord during the Night of Valuation.
‘Ramadan will start within a few days, and that important Night will soon arrive too, so when I witness it, I will call on my Lord to fulfill my principal goal and the central wish of my life.’
Mohammad Amin then decided to pay particular attention during the last ten nights of Ramadan. He was constantly alert and allowed no hint of lethargy or drowsiness to overcome him, so that he could be sure to witness for himself all that they had said about the Night of Valuation; at this time he planned to ask his Provider to bring about his longed-for ambition.
In fact, despite his young age, he was the first one to apply a scientific approach to defining the Night of Evaluation; one that is still followed in recent times, and which is the actual standard and practical test for this important matter.
But what was it that he really wanted?
What goal and inspiration was he looking forward to?
It will be no surprise to know that this young man did not plan to ask for fame and glory for himself on this earth, nor did he want to acquire money, or many children, or even an important position, What he truly wished for was nothing but a great humane request that flowed from the abundance of love he held in his heart, and which ultimately was to overwhelm all of humanity.
With great interest and eagerness, Mohammad Amin went to his friend and said to him, ‘Oh, my friend, have you heard what I’ve heard?’
‘Bring me the good news, Amin! Tell me, what is it?’ his friend answered.
Mohammad Amin, being very motivated and looking forward to that special Night, began to explain to him what he had heard about the Night of Valuation and how a person, according to what people claimed, could have three of their wishes granted. To do so they must witness this Night of Valuation – the Night when God leaves His Place in the seventh heaven to settle in the lower heaven, whereupon the sky becomes beautifully illuminated; at that time they should call upon God to fulfill their wishes.
The friend said, ‘Are you sure about this, Amin?’
‘So many people talk about it and I’ve heard it myself, so during the last ten nights of Ramadan, I’m going to stay awake to watch for the signs of this wonderful Night so I can ask God to fulfill my wishes, if what I’ve heard is true.’
‘What do you wish for, my friend?’
The young Amin said, ‘My wish… my wish is to witness the Night of Valuation and to ask God to bring me all the kings in the land so that I can tell them about the religion of Islam. If they embrace it… this religion… which is a religion of justice, it will travel with them and be spread all over the world; consequently, peace and harmony will prevail. Then, all of mankind will be like one huge family, spiritual brothers and sisters, with love for one another, the result being that happiness and peace will last forever more. There will be no more misery or destruction, no killing, stealing or plundering. What a wonderful world it will be!
‘But, if they do not accept to follow the path of Islam, I will cut off their heads: all of them!
‘In that case I will look for another way that will help me to spread the teaching of Islam and peace among all people.’
Being affected by Amin’s ardour, his friend replied, ‘So will I. I’ll watch for the Night of Valuation like you, and perhaps my hopes and wishes will be fulfilled, too.’
Mohammad Amin asked, ‘And what will you ask for, my friend?’
In a calm drawn-out tone of voice, his friend answered as if he was dreaming that his wish had already become reality, ‘I’ll ask God to grant me money, children, and glory that never fades. I’ll be rich and famous! I’ll have so many beautiful things just like a millionaire. This is the perfect chance, and I won’t miss it.’
What a world of difference there was between the two youths and their respective requests!
How can this difference be described in words?
Indeed, how does one describe the relationship between the earth and the stars?
Mohammad Amin’s request was nothing but a sheer, humane demand, motivated by his high sense of morals, ensuring his happiness in this world and his place in the everlasting Gardens of the Hereafter.
On the other hand, his friend’s request was nothing but a selfish, mundane, transient and limited wish. It would have lasted for a relatively short time, ending at the time of his death and his departure from the fleeting passage of this earthly life. He had given no thought to his life in the Hereafter and failed to realise that all riches on this earth are as nothing at the time of death.
So, the two youths agreed to keep watch and wait for this particular Night so that both of them could ask for their wishes to be granted.
They discussed the matter and decided that they would both stay awake keep watch together, so that if either of them were to be distracted, or if one of them were to doze off, the other could wake him up, to make sure they did not miss this precious opportunity.
The month of Ramadan soon came and as the days of fasting successively followed the nights of eating and rest, Mohammad Amin and his friend counted them impatiently one by one until the first twenty nights had passed.
Then, when the last ten nights of Ramadan started, with the advent of the twenty-first night, the youth Amin hurried, full of enthusiasm, to remind his friend before breaking his fast. His eager anticipation for those nights was increasing with every passing day; he believed that the time when his great inspiration and hope would become reality was fast approaching.
He said to his friend: ‘Today… today, right after breaking our fast, we will both go up to the rooftop. We shall begin to watch for the Night of Valuation from tonight onwards. I’ve heard that it can happen at any time between the call to evening prayer and the call to dawn prayer. But just to be sure, let’s start to watch for it immediately after breaking our fast just after sunset, and continue until sunrise.’
In fact, as soon as it was time to break their fast and the muezzin[27]had called for the sunset prayer, they ate together and then they went up to the roof as the first star appeared, lighting the night sky.
The weather was pleasant, the sky clear, and all was still. A perfect evening!
The night began to cast its shadow over the earth little by little, so that it blended with the many wonderful shades of twilight cast across the earth by the setting sun, creating soft shadows to gently colour the ground.
There, on the rooftop, the two youths lay on their backs side by side, each one ready to wake the other should he fall asleep.
They looked towards the night sky and started to watch in patient silence and companionship.
They were enveloped in absolute silence and total stillness while they gazed wide-eyed at the clear sky, as the light gradually faded to the darkness of night. Mohammad Amin, with his desire to spread Islam all across the land the foremost thought in his mind, was waiting for the moment when Al’lah would descend to the lower heaven; whereas his friend was imagining himself surrounded by all the pleasures of abundant wealth and many children!
What a difference in their aspirations!
Some time passed and night had fallen but the two youths remained as they were on the roof.
Amin was alert, watchful, fully awake.
His steady gaze did not waiver one iota from the night sky.
He was absolutely determined to achieve his lofty purpose by following the rules.
He knew well that any omission could cause him a great loss, for it might mean that he would fail to witness the Night of Valuation, thus delaying the achievement of his aspirations for a whole year.
Sleep, or even drowsiness, was absolutely out of the question.
He remained on the roof, constantly watchful, until dawn was about to break and the light of day began to spread slowly across the entire sky, inviting the birds to take flight, to soar towards the clear sky, to burst into song and welcome the bright new day.
Then Mohammad Amin said, ‘That’s the end of the first of the ten nights and now it’s a new day. The Night of Valuation didn’t happen but perhaps we’ll see it tonight if God wills it.’
In the same way, for nine consecutive nights, they remained alert and watchful, but nothing appeared that matched the description they had heard of that special Night.
When the last of the ten nights approached, Mohammad Amin turned towards his friend with his face glowing with the conviction and confidence that this would surely be the night when he would achieve his wish, and addressed him with great enthusiasm, ‘Tonight, the Night of Valuation will definitely reveal itself and my wish will be granted.’
Then he lay down on his back as, too, did his friend.
Bright with hope, the youth continued his vigil with even greater attention and interest than on any of the previous nights.
But, alas! The first rays of daylight appeared in the sky, and nothing was new! The sun rose and voices were raised in praise of God, ‘Al’lah is Greater’, to welcome the beginning of the Lesser Bairam, the festival held to mark the end of Ramadan.
Mohammad Amin stood up.
He realised that all the descriptions he had heard about the Night of Valuation were baseless, and the claims made about it were completely false, concerning the way that it occurs and how one can gain advantage from it by praying to God as it takes place.
Amin turned towards his friend, looking at him with eyes that were full of hope and ambition, and said to him, ‘My friend, the Night of Valuation is definitely nothing like their descriptions. I believe that there’s another way to witness it which is completely different from what we have heard, and I will surely discover it with God’s Leave.’
At this point one should pause to consider the high moral level to which that youth had risen due to his open and unbiased opinions formed from a tender age, and strengthened as he became increasingly aware of the reality of this life!
Think, too, of the high position he achieved through his unique devotion to his constant quest to seek true knowledge by detaching himself from blindly imitating any unsubstantiated thought or creed. Through his own admirable and bright adventures he could brush aside all lies and fantasies.
Reflect on his inestimable character that inspired him to make full use of his capacity for thought, and the ability to delve to the greatest depths in order to establish the truth. Truly, he was a free thinker who did not yield to the passive dogmas which – when they are followed blindly – degrade the rank of the human (the rational) being, and reduce the level of our humanity. The Almighty gave people the precious gift of thought for it to be used logically, so as to help us distinguish between advantage and disadvantage, and between right and wrong, so that we may choose to follow the straight path.
It is right for us to make sure of the truth of all that we hear from people before adopting this path so that we may follow it and guide others towards it, once we have ascertained its accuracy by our own personal practical experience. However, if we find out that what we have heard is wrong and not genuine, it is right to dismiss it and cast it from our minds.
God says, “Mankind will be questioned about every act of hearing, or of seeing, or of feeling (in the heart)”[28]
The Arabian Envoy (cpth) said, “We are a nation driven by facts. We believe in what we see and witness.”
He (cpth) meant that we first discover the truth through what we see with our own eyes, and then we bear witness to it with our hearts and our minds.