From Australian Prayer Network:

ISLAMIC NIGHT OF POWER – TUESDAY 14th AUGUST – WILL YOU JOIN US IN PRAYER?

Muslim scholars believe that while the Qur'an was revealed over a period of 23 years the Night of Power is considered the night in which the first revelations of Islam and the prophet hood of Muhammad began. This night is in celebration of the arrival of the Qur'an. In Arabic, the Night of Poweris described in the Qur'an as, "better than a thousand months" and is to be highly esteemed. Muslims believe angels perform special deeds on this night The whole Night of Power, from sunset to dawn, is the holiest night of the year. It is believed that there are groups of special angels who are only seen on the Night of Power. These angels perform special purposes. Some come down for worship, others for granting the request of the believing Muslim.

Many Muslims think this is a special night when God gives heed to their requests. They are therefore open to dreams and visions as they seek for guidance and revelation. Many pray all night seeking a response to specific requests. One belief is that angels will shower down the peace and blessings of God on all who remain awake during this "night of power". According to the Qur'an, God listens to the requests of Muslims on this night concerning their fate. This night seems equally important among orthodox Muslims and in Folk Islam. It is on this night, and during the following weeks, that many Muslims have had supernatural encounters with God.

According to the Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad declared that "whoever prays during the Night of Power with faith and hoping for its reward will have all his previous sins forgiven." There are many things that a Muslim will endeavour to do on the Night of Power including recite and study the Quran, make special requests from Allah, evaluate their own lives and make plans for the next year. Some Muslims will take the day off work so they can stay up all night and will often spend this night in the mosque. Muslims come to this night with several attitudes. Some seek to prove their devotion to God through their prayers. Muslims in significant numbers will be praying in desperation and genuinely seeking help from God.

Researchers contend that 80% of new Christians in South Asia come to Christ as a direct result of supernatural encounters. More than half of new believers in Iran have had a dream or vision of Jesus and at least 35% of all recent Turkish conversions were in response to a dream and/or vision. In most cases, these supernatural encounters are in relation to a specific need or answer to prayer and are the result of years of prayer and labour by God's people, including martyrdom. Often, a Muslim has heard the message of Jesus or even read parts of the Bible. While not all Muslims experience dreams or visions of Jesus, the supernatural is very much an accepted part of life.

Ramadan is a strategic time for Christians to believe that God would sovereignly reveal Himself to those who do not yet know Him. We invite you to join with Christians across the world to include in your daily devotions on this day the following prayer points:

* Pray for a supernatural move of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus to the many Muslims who will be seeking God on the Night of Power.

* Pray for Muslim leaders and governments using the material in other articles in this newsletter as a focus for your prayers.

* Pray for Muslim families and children. Pray for increased numbers of missionaries and workers to go into the harvest fields of Islamic nations, and pray too for new believers some of whom will encounter persecution for following their new found relationship with Jesus.