The monthly spiritual counseling [nasiha] is an overnight gathering of complete devotion to and concentration on God through prayer, reading and study of Qur’an, learning, and remembrance of and presence with God [dhikr].  It is a practical training of the mind, body, and soul, on journeying towards God; it is a purification of the heart and an enlightenment of the mind in their lifetime journey for knowing the Truth, God the Most High.

The benefits of the overnight nasiha are countless to list or count. What follows outlines a typical program of the overnight nasiha showing some of such benefits:

START with:

  • Recitation of the Qur’an

Narrated by Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad‎, may God bless him and grant him peace,‎ ‎said, “The example of him who recites the Qur’an is like that of a citron which tastes good and smells good. And he who does not recite the Qur’an is like a date which is good in taste but has no smell. And the example of a dissolute wicked person who recites the Qur’an is like the rayhāna (sweet basil) which smells good but tastes bitter. And the example of a dissolute wicked person who does not recite the Qur’an is like the colocynth[i] which tastes bitter and has no smell.” (Bukhari)

  • Study of the Qur’an

Narrated by ‘Uthman, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad‎, may God bless him and grant him peace‎, ‎said, “‎The best of you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it.” (Bukhari)

  • Session of Knowledge

“God will raise those of you who have faith and those who are given knowledge by degrees.” (Quran 58:11)

During the last third part of the night:

  • Night Prayer

Narrated by Abu Hurayra, may God be please with him, that Prophet Muhammad‎, may God bless him and grant him ‎peace‎, ‎said, “Our Lord, blessed and exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when ‎one-third of the night remains, and says: Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks ‎Me so that I may give to him? Who asks for My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?” (Abu-Dawud)

  • Asking God’s for Forgiveness

Narrated by Ibn Omar, may God be please with him, that verily we used to count for Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace‎, at each session hundred times the saying of rabbi ghfirli wa tub ‘alaya innaka anta tawwabu rahim ‎[‎‏my lord, forgive me and accept my repentance; verily, You are the Most-Relenting, the All-Merciful‎.]‎ (Sunan Abu-Dawud)

  • Supplication of the Spiritual Bond

God says, “And those who will come after them say, ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brethren who preceded us in faith, and do not place any rancor in our hearts toward those who believe. Surely, Our Lord, You are Kind, Merciful!’” (Quran 59:10)

Morning Prayer [subh]

Narrated by Ibn Mas’ud, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad‎, may God bless him and grant him peace,‎‎ said, “The most beloved deeds to God are to establish Salah [the daily 5 obligatory ritual prayers] on time, to treat ones’ parents kindly and respectfully, and then to make jihad in the path of God.” (Bukhari)

Right after the Morning Prayer [subh]:

  • Relating Glad Tidings

Narrated by Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, that when Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace‎,  finished his morning prayer he used to ask whether anyone had seen a glad tiding, and used to say: After me all that will be left of Prophethood is a glad tiding.” (Muwatta’ by Imam Malik)

  • Seeking Protection from Evil

Narrated by Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad‎, may God bless him and grant him peace‎, ‎said, “‎Whoever says la ilaha illallah wahdahu la ‎sharikalah, lahu-l-mulku wa lahu-l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in qadir [there is no god but God, the One, having no partner with Him, Sovereignty belongs to ‎Him and all the praise is due to Him, and He is Potent over everything] ‎one hundred times will get ‎the same reward as given for freeing ten slaves; and one hundred good deeds will be written in his ‎accounts, and one hundred sins will be deducted from his accounts, and it will be a shield for him from ‎Satan on that day till night, and nobody will be able to do a better deed except the one who does more ‎than he.” (Bukhari)

  • Uttering the Blessed Statement Abundantly

Narrated by Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad‎, may God bless him and grant him peace,‎ ‎said, “The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace,‎ said: renew your faith [iman]. It was said: O Messenger of God, how can we renew our faith? He said: say lāilāha illallah ‎[‎there is no god but God‎]‎ abundantly.” (Musnad Ahmad)

  • Asking God to Shed His Blessings upon Prophet Muhammad

Narrated by Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad‎, may God bless him and grant him peace,‎ ‎said, “Whoever wishes to have the delight of earning the Greatest Reward when he asks God to shed His blessings upon us, the People of the House, Āl al-Bayt, let him say: O Lord, shed Your blessings upon Muhammad the Prophet, his wives, i.e. Mothers of the Believers, his descendants and his family even as you have shed them upon the People of Abraham, for You are Worthy of all Praise, Worthy of all Glory.” (Abu-Dawud)

  • Glorifying God

Narrated by Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, that Prophet Muhammad‎, may God bless him and grant him peace,‎ ‎said, “Whoever says subhānallahi wa bihamdih [glory and praise be to God] one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.” (Bukhari)

FINISH with the Post Dawn Two-Unit Prayer:

At-Tirmidhī reported that God’s Messenger Muhammad (God bless him and give him peace) said: “If anyone performs the Dawn Prayer in congregation and then sits down to perform God’s ritual remembrance until sunrise, followed by a two-unit prayer, his reward shall be that of Hajj and ‘Umra. He (Anas bnu Mālik) said, God’s Messenger (God bless him and give him peace) said three times: (the reward shall be equal to) Hajj and ‘Umra.”

REMEMBER!

IT’S THE 1ST SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH,