On the occasion of the celebration of the Night of Destiny, L’Express du Faso spoke with Imam Lassané Sakandé of the Center for the Study of Research and Islamic Training (CERFI) and the Association of Students and Muslim students from Burkina (AEEMB)
What is the Night of Destiny?
The Night of Destiny is one of the nights of the last decade of the month of Ramadan. It is a highly blessed night, full of graces and mercy. Its spiritual value is better than a thousand months of worship and it was during this night that the Quran was revealed (sura 97). During this night Allah reveals to the angels what is intended for his creatures during the year to come, hence the name “Night of destiny”. Allah says: “We sent it down (quran) in a blessed night, We are indeed the One who warns, during which all wise orders are decided, this is a commandment from Us…. »S44 V3-5
How the Muslim community and particularly the CERFI will celebrate this night?
First of all, I would like to point out that this Night of Destiny is not known with precision; it appears in the last ten nights of Ramadan. However, interpretation efforts would indicate the 27th night as the night of fate. Therefore, although Muslims in the dynamics of his search, observe prayer vigils on other nights, during the 27th, in addition to prayer vigils, the Muslim community organizes other activities such as sermons through the various mosques. The CERFI and the AEEMB will celebrate this night through a conference, a prayer vigil, invocations… the celebration of this night is placed under the theme : “the Koran, remedy for ills” and will take place at the SIAO Rising Sun pavilion.
Why do we associate the Night of Destiny with sharing pancakes? Is this a recommendation from the Holy Scriptures?
To benefit from the merits of the Night of Destiny, Muslims indulge in various acts of worship. From prayer vigils to sermons through alms, all means are good to benefit from the immense graces of this night. As for alms, while some prefer to make cash donations, others focus on in-kind donations, most often food among which the cakes take pride of place. This preference for pancakes has no basis in scripture. It would be linked to the fact that the galette is a local dish whose raw material is available and accessible to all, especially in the time of our grandparents who were mainly farmers. Also, the cookies keep for a long time and people eat them for several days after the Night of Destiny. What is recommended by Islam in terms of alms is to give people what will be useful to them, what they want, what they will eat well (cakes, chicken, pizza, fries, etc.) That’s where the blessings are.
Your message to the Muslims of Burkina in these times of fasting and insecurity
These moments at the end of Ramadan are quite special spiritual moments during which Allah grants the invocations of his faithful servants. It is therefore an opportunity for every Muslim to pray for himself, for his family and especially for the country which has been a victim of terrorism for several years. This security crisis has caused many internally displaced persons and at the same time accentuated the humanitarian crisis. It is therefore imperative for every Muslim to be more than ever in solidarity with all these people who are suffering. Let us not forget that our faith is an active faith which imposes on us a duty of quality presence alongside our populations.
Awa Cécile BANGARE
