The Virtue of the Last Ten Days of Ramadaan and Laylat al-Qadr

We often see the sign “Free Wi-Fi”. In fact, we often search for this sign, as people fear becoming ‘disconnected’. Whether in a hotel, airport, restaurant or anywhere else, this sign is a sure draw card, attracting people to the premises.

However, it is doubtful that any of us would have seen a sign saying “Wi-Fi Free”, even though this is the sign that we all need to hang in our homes at the very least for the last ten days of Ramadhaan.

The last ten days of Ramadhaan are unlike the first twenty days. It is most probably during one of the odd nights of these ten days that Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) occurs which is more virtuous than a thousand months. Showing his Ummah the importance of these ten days, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) exerted himself even further during this blessed period.
After understanding the significance of these ten days, we all desire to exert ourselves and reap the great rewards offered by Allah Ta‘ala. However, there are numerous distractions which lie in ambush, waiting to ‘pounce’ and trap us, preventing us from fulfilling our ambition. Among these, perhaps the greatest distraction is the internet.

During the final ten days of Ramadhaan, many people will sit in i’tikaaf, and similarly many will try to go out in the path of Allah Ta‘ala. One of the purposes of i’tikaaf and going out in the path of Allah Ta‘ala is for a person to cut off from his responsibilities and remain in an environment of righteousness so that he can connect with Allah Ta‘ala. However, if he is seated in the musjid but is connected to the internet, then he has brought the entire world into the musjid with him. Through his phone and the internet, he has access to social media platforms such as WhatsApp, and he is also able to follow the news, etc.

In essence, such a person only has physical solitude. Mentally, he will fail to connect with Allah Ta‘ala as he ought to. Furthermore, people who use their phones in the musjid often commit the grave and serious sin of watching videos and viewing pictures of animate objects while within the precincts of the house of Allah Ta‘ala. While this sin is grave regardless of location, it is definitely worse when committed in the house of Allah Ta‘ala.

Hence, to ‘nip the distraction in the bud’, we should aim to make the last ten days (rather make the entire month of Ramadhaan) Wi-Fi and internet free. If a person is unable to sit in i’tikaaf or go out in the path of Allah, but he disconnects from the internet, insha-Allah he will find it easy to connect with Allah Ta‘ala, and at the very least, he will be in a state of ‘mental i’tikaaf’. When connecting with Allah Ta‘ala is the very objective of the month of Ramadhaan, we should do whatever is necessary to assist us to achieve this goal.

May Allah Ta‘ala assist us all to make the most of this blessed period and truly connect with Him.
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