Essential Gems to Carry Into the Last 10 Nights

Assalaamu'alaykum, 

Sometimes, reminders come from the most unexpected places, but Allah knows exactly what you need to hear and when you need it most and in His perfect wisdom, He sends them at just the right time. Alhamdulillah.

Yesterday, we held our last session for the Polish Your Heart Ramadan series, a series we decided to run last minute. Alhamdulillah, it turned out to be such a blessed and deeply reflective journey. The members who joined shared profound insights and reflections. 

I’m deeply grateful to Allah for being able to deliver the series as the reminders we covered were for myself first and foremost.

I wanted to share a few key gems from our final session on preparing for the last 10 nights, so that you can all benefit too, InshaAllah.

4 Essential Reminders for the Last 10 Nights

1. It’s Not Over – The Final Sprint Matters

• You might feel like you haven’t done enough, or even regret wasted time but don’t let that hold you back. The race isn’t finished yet.
• The Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, deeds are only judged by their endings.”
• Ibn al-Jawzī (r) gave the analogy of a racehorse: “When the racehorse knows that it is nearing the end of the track, it exerts all of its effort to win the race. Do not allow the racehorse to be cleverer than you.”
• The Prophet ﷺ would tighten his belt in these nights, a sign of preparing for intense dedication.
• What working hard looks like is different for everyone. Whatever stage you’re at, keep going with hope in Allah’s Mercy.
• Laylatul Qadr is still ahead – Allahumma balighna Laylatul Qadr!  

2. Less Mindlessness, More Heart Presence

• It’s easy to fall into a checklist mentality - reading more Qur’an, making duaa, praying extra rak’ahs…but without heart presence.
• Ramadan isn’t about scoring up deeds, it’s about attaining taqwa – and taqwa lives in the heart.
• It’s not the number of deeds but how deeply they transform you.
• Before every act of worship, take a moment to reset your intention and invite your heart into it.

3. The Best Way to Purify Your Heart – Istighfar

• Ibn Al-Qayyim (r) reminds us that we are deficient, so whatever we do is deficient. Even if we were the best, we would still need Allah’s forgiveness to enter Jannah.
• If you do nothing else, stay in constant Istighfar.
• Ibn Rajab (r) said: “Istighfar is the seal of all righteous acts: ṣalāh, ḥajj, and qiyām al-layl are concluded with it… Likewise, it is necessary that the fasting of Ramaḍān is concluded with Istighfar.”
• Make it your silent companion in these nights.

4. A Night Unlike Any Other – Picture the Scene

Imagine the night ahead...

• More angels descend than the stars in the sky and pebbles on earth.
• “…On that night, the angels on earth are more numerous than its pebbles.” [Ahmad]
• “…The angels who descend to earth on that night are greater in number than the stars.” [Ahmad]
• They fill every space between the heavens and the earth, carrying our names and prayers to Allah SWT.
• The angel Jibreel (AS) himself comes down to witness the worship of the believers. Imagine him visiting your home?
• Every verse you recite is heard by an army of angels who long to listen to the words of Allah being spoken.
• Visualise this as you step into these nights - how do you want the angels to see you?

May Allah grant us the strength and sincerity to worship with ihsan in these precious nights, allowing us to capture Laylatul Qadr at a time when He is most pleased with us. May He write us among those whose names are carried up to Him, enveloped in His mercy and acceptance. Ameen ya Rabb!

PS: Take the Spiritual Confidence Quiz – discover your unique strengths and growth areas when it comes to showing up with faith-led confidence. Take the quiz here .

Dua of the Week

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

O Allah, You are indeed Forgiving, and You love forgiveness, so forgive me.