The last ten nights
Aisha (RA) said the Prophet ﷺ tightened his waist-belt in the last ten of Ramadan. What that means, and what to do with these nights.
First khutbah
- 1
He tightened his waist-belt
Aisha (RA) reported: 'When the last ten of Ramadan began, the Prophet ﷺ tightened his waist-belt, stayed up the night in prayer, and woke his family' (Bukhari 2024). The waist-belt is a phrase for setting aside other preoccupations to focus on worship.
- 2
Laylat al-Qadr
Better than a thousand months. It falls on an odd night in the last ten, the 27th has the strongest support in the narrations, but the Prophet ﷺ told us to seek it across all odd nights (Bukhari 2017).
- 3
The dua of the night
Aisha (RA) asked the Prophet ﷺ what to say if she found the night. He said: Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbu al-'afwa fa'fu 'anni, O Allah, You are the One who pardons, You love to pardon, so pardon me (Tirmidhi 3513, sahih).
Second khutbah
After the brief sitting, return to the centrepiece and gather the message into one clear request. Remind the congregation that the point of this khutbah is not simply to understand the last ten nights, but to carry one honest change into the coming week.
Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun karim, tuhibbu al-'afwa fa'fu 'anni.
Prepare it in your own voice
- Read each cited verse or hadith in full before using it.
- Add one example that your own congregation will recognise.
- End with one action people can realistically begin today.
Sources for this outline
The centrepiece is Sahih al-Bukhari 2024, Surah al-Qadr 97:3. Other references are given beside the points where they are used. Check the full passage, translation, grading, and local fiqh context before delivering the khutbah. An outline helps with preparation, but it does not replace study or qualified scholarship.
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Read this outlineAmmar ibn Yasir (RA) reported that the Prophet ﷺ called a man's long prayer and short khutbah a sign of his understanding (Sahih Muslim 869). Aim for fifteen to twenty minutes. Two sections separated by a brief sitting is the Sunnah pattern.