In Islam, certain places are sacred in the sight of Allah, such as Masjid-al-Haram and Masjid-al-Aqsa. Similarly, specific times and dates of the year are also special. Laylatul Qadr, or the Night of Power, is one such night.
Laylatul Qadr is a special gift from Allah to the followers of Muhammad (ﷺ) and is better than a thousand months in terms of reward. Therefore, believers are highly encouraged to observe this night in worship and remembrance of Allah (سبحانه و تعالى).
What is Laylatul Qadr?
Qadr (قدر) means fate or destiny. It can also mean power, might, measurement or decree. In Islam, Laylatul Qadr is one of the odd nights in the last ten days of Ramadan. This night has great significance for the believers. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded his Ummah to spend this night in worship and remembrance of Allah.
When is Laylatul Qadr 2024?
The last ashra of Ramadan will start after Maghrib on 29th March 2024 in sha Allah. So, the odd nights when Laylatul Qadr can possibly be are the nights of 29th March, 31st March, 2nd April, 4th April and 6th April. However, the date may vary in regions, as Islamic months are based on moon sightings.
What Happened on Laylatul Qadr?
Allah revealed the Holy Quran on Lailatul Qadr. According to the narration of Ibn Abbas (R) and others, Allah descended the entire Quran from Lawh-Al-Mahfuz to Baitul Izzah in the first heaven at once. From there, angel Jibril (AS) brought the verses of the Quran in chunks throughout the 23 years of the Prophethood of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ. This great event occurred on the magnificent night of Qadr in Ramadan.
Significance of Laylatul Qadr
- The main importance of the night of Qadr is Al-Quran. Allah sent His Word on this night. Allah says:
إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةِ ٱلْقَدْرِ
Meaning: “Indeed, it is We Who sent this Quran down on the Night of Glory.” [Sura al-Qadr: 1]
- On this night, the decree of the creation is ordained by Allah. Allah says:
فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ
Meaning: “Therein every Wise Command is distinctly (decreed).” [Surah ad-Dukhan: 4]
- The rewards of worshipping Allah on this night are better than that of a thousand months. Allah says in the Quran:
لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌۭ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍۢ
Meaning: “The Night of Determination is better than a thousand months.” [Sura al-Qadr: 3]
- Angel Jibril (AS) and numerous other angels descend with peace, tranquillity and prosperity for the world. Allah says in the Quran:
تَنَزَّلُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍۢ ٤ سَلَـٰمٌ هِىَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ ٱلْفَجْرِ ٥
Meaning: “The angels and the Spirit [i.e., Jibril (Gabriel) عليه السلام ] descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.” [Surah al-Qadr: 4-5]
- Laylat Al-Qadr is a special honour for the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ. Since we received the last divine scripture from Allah, the glorious Quran, Allah سبحانه و تعالى has honoured us by blessing the very night He sent His Word to us.
Rewards and Benefits of Laylatul Qadr
As mentioned before, any good deeds on the night of power are better in reward than doing it for over a thousand months.
Also, Allah forgives the one who stands in prayer on the night of Qadr. Rasulullah ﷺ said:
وَمَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
Meaning: “And whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven.” [Sahih-al-Bukhari: 2014]
How is Laylatul Qadr a Special Gift from Allah?
Lailatul Qadr is a special gift from Allah to the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ. A hadith translates as:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was shown the lifespans of the people before him (i.e. previous nations), or what Allah willed of that. And it was as if the lives of the people of his community had become too short for them. So they are unable to do as many good actions as others before them due to their longer lives. So, Allah gave him Laylatul Qadr, which is better than a thousand months.” [Muwatta Malik, 19:706]
So, despite our shorter lifespans, if we can attain the rewards of Laylatul Qadr, then we will be able to outperform the previous nations of other Prophets in terms of good deeds.
Why is Lailatul Qadr Called the Night of Power?
Laylatul Qadr is called the night of power to emphasise its importance in the lives of mankind. Allah says in the Quran:
حمٓ ١ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِ ٱلْمُبِينِ ٢ إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةٍۢ مُّبَـٰرَكَةٍ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنذِرِينَ ٣
Meaning: “Ḥā, Meem. By the clear Book, Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind].” [Surah-ad-Dukhan: 1-3 ]
What are the Signs of Laylatul Qadr?
Although it is not possible to pinpoint which exact night is Laylatul Qadr, one can still guess which night it might be depending on some authentic signs. They are as follows:
- The night will be peaceful.
Allah says in the Quran:
سَلَـٰمٌ هِىَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ ٱلْفَجْرِ
Meaning: “Peace it is, till the rising of the dawn.” [Sura al-Qadr: 5]
- The moon looks like a piece of plate.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
تذاكرنا ليلةَ القدرِ عند رسولِ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ . فقال : ” أيكم يذكرُ ، حين طلع القمرُ وهو مثلُ شِقِّ جَفْنَةٍ ؟
Meaning: “We were talking about Laylatul-Qadr in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he said: He who amongst you remembers (the night) when the moon arose and it was like a piece of a plate?” [Sahih Muslim: 1170]
- There is rainfall.
Rasulullah ﷺ saw in a dream that he was prostrating in mud on the night of Qadr. That dream came to fruition as per the narration of Abu Salama (R). So, rainfall can be one of the ways to identify the night of Qadr.
- The sun rises bright on the following morning without visible rays.
Ubayy ibn Ka’b (R) said:
هِيَ اللَّيْلَةُ الَّتِي أَمَرَنَا بِهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِقِيَامِهَا هِيَ لَيْلَةُ صَبِيحَةِ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ وَأَمَارَتُهَا أَنْ تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ فِي صَبِيحَةِ يَوْمِهَا بَيْضَاءَ لاَ شُعَاعَ لَهَا
Meaning: “…It is the night on which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded us to pray. It is that which precedes the morning of twenty-seventh and it indicates that the sun rises bright on that day without rays.” [Sahih Muslim: 762]
How to Pray and What to Do on Laylatul Qadr?
From the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ, we find two basic ways how we should spend Laylatul Qadr. They are:
- Standing in Prayer before Allah
- Making Dua to Allah
1. Standing in Prayer before Allah
How to Pray on Laylatul Qadr? There is no specific number for how many Rakats one should pray on Laylatul Qadr. But a general guideline is as follows:
- Pray in two Rakat intervals as it is the Sunnah of night prayers. Keep repeating as long as you wish. Make the intention in your heart that you are praying two Rakats of Nafl Salah for Laylatul Qadr.
- Try to increase the duration of each Rakah by reciting long Surahs rather than just increasing the number of Rakats. The quality of your prayer is more valuable to Allah than the Quantity of Rakats.
- If you are staying in a Masjid for I’tikaf, then you can pray in Jam’ah(congregation) behind an Imam i.e. Qiyal-ul-Layl.
- Just before Fajr, make the whole prayer odd-numbered by praying Witr (if you haven’t already).
2. Making Dua to Allah
What is the Laylatul Qadr dua for forgiveness? Ai’shah (R) narrated the following Dua for Laylatul Qadr.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عُفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
Meaning: “ O Allah, You are pardoning. You love to forgive, so forgive me.” [Sunan-at-Tirmidhi: 3513]
Apart from these two acts of worship, you can also recite the Glorious Quran (check our Quran App for your device), send Salawat to Rasulullah ﷺ, give charity, make a lot of Duas for yourself, your family and the Ummah on the virtuous night of power.
FAQs
Q. Is Laylatul Qadr in Ramadan?
Ans. Yes. Laylatul Qadr is in Ramadan. Because Allah revealed the Quran on the night of Qadr [Surah al-Qadr: 1] and in the month of Ramadan [Surah al-Baqarah: 185]. Combining these two ayats, Laylatul Qadr lies in the month of Ramadan for sure. The hadiths of Rasulullah ﷺ also support that.
Q. Was the Quran revealed on Laylatul Qadr?
Ans. Yes. The Quran was revealed on Laylatul Qadr. See [Surah al-Qadr: 1].
Q. Can Laylatul Qadr change destiny?
Ans. Allah determines what is to occur in the following year on Laylatul Qadr. Then He sends angels to copy that from Lawh-al-Mahfuz. In short, yes. Destiny is determined on the night of power.
Q. How many Rakats in Laylatul Qadr?
Ans. There is no specific number for how many Rakats one should pray on Laylatul Qadr. You should pray Nafl Salah in the interval of two Rakats.
Q. Was the Quran revealed on the 27th of Ramadan?
Ans. There is an opinion of Uba’i ibn Ka’ab (R) that Laylatul Qadr is on the night of the 27th of Ramadan. However, scholars have opined that Laylatul Qadr can be on any odd night of the last 10 days of Ramadan, with the 27th night having a great possibility. So, there is a great chance that the Quran was revealed on the 27th night of Ramadan. Allah knows best.
Q. Why is the 27th night of Ramadan significant?
Ans. The 27th night of Ramadan is one of the odd nights of the last 10 days of Ramadan and has a great possibility to be Laylatul Qadr. Also, some Sahaba (R) and scholars of the past used to emphasize that Laylatul Qadr is on the 27th night of Ramadan.
Q. Should menstruating women observe Laylatul Qadr?
Ans. Yes. Menstruating women can’t pray on the night of Qadr. But They should make Dhikr and Duas. They can also give charity on that night and wake their family members up to pray, making necessary arrangements for them.
Q. Is Laylatul Qadr the same for everyone around the world?
Ans. Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that it is the same night for everyone. No, in the sense that, depending on geographical locations, odd nights and nighttimes can and will be different. Allah knows the best.
Conclusion
We are the Ummah of the final Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Our life spans are shorter than that of the previous nations. So, Laylatul Qadr is a special gift from Allah to us to multiply our good deeds and gain a higher status than them.
So, try your best in the search for Laylatul Qadr to multiply your rewards a thousandfold. Stand before Allah on the odd nights of Ramadan with sincerity and humbleness. Remember, the entire essence of Laylatul Qadr is Al-Quran. So, recite and contemplate the Word of Allah with the conviction of shaping your life through its lenses. Don’t procrastinate anymore. Start learning the Book of Allah from now on.
May Allah bless our efforts and grant us the rewards of Laylatul Qadr. Ameen.
