Laylat al-Qadr - the Night of Power, the odd nights of Ramadan, and the thousand-month reward

Laylat al-Qadr is the Night of Power in Islam, observed on one of the odd nights during the last ten days of Ramadan (most commonly the 27th). The night marks the revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad and is considered the holiest night of the Islamic calendar. Worship on this night is said to be better than a thousand months of worship, according to Surah 97 of the Qur'an.

The one-line summary

The holiest night of the Islamic calendar, observed on one of the odd nights during the last ten days of Ramadan (most commonly the 27th). The night marks the revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad and is the traditional focus of the most intense worship of the year. The night's exact date is concealed to encourage observance of the entire last ten days of Ramadan.

Origin

Laylat al-Qadr is described in the 97th surah of the Qur'an, which bears the same name (Al-Qadr). The surah states: "We revealed it on the Night of Decree. What will make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. In it, the angels and the Spirit descend by their Lord's permission for every matter. Peace it is until the break of dawn." The night is associated with the first revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad in 610 CE.

The hadith literature preserves accounts of the Prophet Muhammad emphasizing the importance of Laylat al-Qadr. In one frequently cited hadith, the Prophet said that the night was observed during the last ten days of Ramadan, and that worship on this night was equivalent to more than a thousand months of worship. The hadith also indicates that the night is one of the odd nights (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th) of the last ten days of Ramadan, although the exact date is not specified and is known only to God.

When it is observed

Laylat al-Qadr is observed on one of the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. The 27th night (the night before the 27th of Ramadan) is the most commonly observed date in Sunni practice, based on a hadith that the Prophet Muhammad reportedly indicated the night was one of the last ten and that the 27th was a particularly likely candidate. Shi'a practice generally observes the 23rd night as the date of the martyrdom of Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Because the exact date is concealed, Muslims are encouraged to observe all of the last ten nights of Ramadan, with particular intensity on the odd nights. The concealment has the practical effect of ensuring that worshippers do not miss the night if they guess incorrectly. The night is sometimes identified in retrospect by traditional signs: a calm and luminous night, a sense of peace, and the appearance of celestial lights or unusual atmospheric conditions, although these signs are not universally observed.

How it is observed

Laylat al-Qadr is observed with intense worship, with five main practices. The first is qiyam al-layl (standing the night in prayer), the practice of spending the night in voluntary prayer beyond the five daily prayers. The second is reciting the Qur'an, often in full or in significant portions. The third is making dua (supplications) for personal needs, the deceased, and the community.

The fourth practice is the tarawih prayer, the special long night prayer of Ramadan. The tarawih is performed in congregation in most mosques during Ramadan, and the recitation of the entire Qur'an over the course of the month is a traditional goal. The fifth practice is dhikr (remembrance of God), including the recitation of specific phrases like Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, and La ilaha illa Allah.

Many Muslims spend the entire night in the mosque, alternating between prayer, recitation, supplication, and dhikr. In many Muslim-majority countries, the night is also marked by private devotion at home, special meals shared with family, and gatherings of family and friends. The night is often followed by a day of rest, with the day after Laylat al-Qadr treated as a quasi-holiday in many communities.

Public status

Laylat al-Qadr is not a public holiday in any country, but the day following the night is sometimes observed as a holiday in Muslim-majority countries. In Egypt, the 27th of Ramadan is a paid public holiday under the Labour Law. In Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other Gulf states, the 27th of Ramadan is sometimes a public-sector holiday. In Indonesia and Malaysia, the date is sometimes marked by local government holidays in regions with strong Muslim populations.

Signs of Laylat al-Qadr

The hadith literature describes a number of signs that, according to tradition, may be associated with Laylat al-Qadr. The night is described as calm and luminous, neither hot nor cold. The moon appears like half a plate. The wind is still. The atmosphere is peaceful. Stars appear to fall or to be unusually close to the earth. A sense of tranquility and ease fills the worshipper.

Many of these signs are understood as poetic descriptions rather than literal physical phenomena, and scholars have cautioned against looking for physical signs as confirmation of the night. The most reliable sign, according to the hadith, is the peace and tranquility that fills the heart of the worshipper. The night is also sometimes identified retrospectively by the quality of the day that follows: the day of Laylat al-Qadr is described as having a bright sun and a serene atmosphere.

Sources

• en.wikipedia.org, Laylat al-Qadr.
• britannica.com, Laylat al-Qadr.
• quran.com, Surah Al-Qadr (Chapter 97).
• islamicity.org, The Night of Power.