Laylat al-Qadr Protocol

The following is my protocol I implement in Ramadan in the last 10 days. It is good to have a protocol set up in advance so that you don’t waste time bumbling around reading or re-learning or re-planning and lose out on valuable time for ibada. This protocol assumes one is in itikaaf and has already brought all there food and wherewithal

Laylatul Qadr protocol from Maghrib Iftar to Fajr Suhur:

• only 1 bottle water at iftar and odd number of dates, which is sunna and said to be a secret to finding the odd night of Laylatul Qadr
• food should be salad and no oily foods (this is to prevent running to washroom and gas)
• share food with people at iftar to get ajr
• read Qur’an after food
• go to washroom 30 minutes before isha and taraweeh starts
• keep enough tissue in pocket for runny nose (air conditioning can do this)
• do wudhu with sunnah method and miswak
• fill up water bottle and keep by you
• sit in first row
• do dhikr of Lafs al-Jalala (“Allah“) silently all night especially in salah
• no talking to anyone at all (people are tired, groggy and prone to pick a fight or waswasa)
• smile at everyone because it is sadaqa
• sip water halfway through taraweeh (if do early then may have to run to bathroom and lose your spot)
• read the dua of istighfar Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fafu-anni
• make your personal duas in nafil salat sujud
• utilize adkhar that are very heavy in reward, such as
  • Subhaanallaahi wa bihamdihi: ‘Adada khalqihi wa ridhaa nafsihi, wa zinata ‘arshihi wa midaada kalimaatihi. Link
  • jazAllahu ‘anna Sayyiduna Muhammadan sal Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallama ma huwa ahlu  Link (see #4)
• complete your khatm Qur’an after taraweeh
• eat suhur quickly & lots of water then only make dua in last half an hour

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk.