The Power of Laylatul Qadr-
A Guide to the Night of Decree

Alhamdulillah, we have made it to the last 10 nights! Gearing up for the Night Prayers also called Qiyam Al Layl. Completing chores ahead of time, and preparing Suhoor in advance all to make extra time for the night prayer. But why? Why is it so important?

We know Ramadhan is important but What is so special about The Last 10 Nights? 

 

What is Laylatul Qadr – the Qadr means Power, so Laylatul Qadr means the Night of Power.  Let me tell you about the importance so that you can understand the true essence of this night –

 

With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet (ﷺ) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e., work hard) and used to pray all night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers. Sahih al-Bukhari 2024  

 

It’s mentioned in Surat Al Qadr (97:3) that the Quran was revealed during the Laylatul Qadr, and this night is better than 1,000 months.

 

لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌۭ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍۢ

 

So, do you understand, the worship of this night is far better than that of 1,000 months of worship?  

 

On regular nights Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) would wake Aisha (ra) to pray her Witr, but in the last 10 nights of Ramadan, he would wake all his wives to perform Salah (Prayer).  He would stay up all night praying and making Du’a. He simply didn’t want to miss a minute of this blessed night.

 

On this night Allah decrees the fate of all beings for the upcoming year as in who will live, who will die, who will be rescued, who will be condemned, who will be bestowed honor, who will be humiliated, where famine and drought will occur, and everything else that Allah wills in that year is all written down on that night. It is then shown to the Angels. The angels descend this night because it is so blessed. 

 

“Whoever fasts the month of Ramadaan out of faith and in the hope of earning reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven, and whoever stays up during Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and in the hope of earning reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.”  Sunan an-Nasa’i 5027

 

We must make the best of this night because no one knows if we will make it to the next Ramadan. We all have our plans, events, work, and commitments scheduled. It’s only death that we can neither schedule nor plan. So we must not be one of those who will look back and only regret saying, “wish we had done better, wish we never wasted our time.” Blessed are those who have done their best so far and are continuing to do better.  

 

Does anyone know when is the Night of Decree?

 

Allah did not tell us the specific night of Laylatul Qadr but he indicated through hadith that it will occur on the odd nights of the last 10 days. This means we look for Laylatul Qadr on the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 26th, 27th, and 29th nights. 

 

Prophet Muhammad (saw) knew the night of Qadr as mentioned in the Hadith:

 

The Prophet (ﷺ) came out to inform us about the Night of Qadr but two Muslims were quarreling with each other. So, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “I came out to inform you about the Night of Qadr but such-and-such persons were quarreling, so the news about it had been taken away, yet that might be for your good, so search for it on the 29th, 27th and 25th (of Ramadan) Sahih al-Bukhari 2023

 

Well, another lesson learned from this hadith is we should keep ourselves calm during Ramadan. Yes, we do get hungry, cranky, and upset at times, but we should remember that Allah has blessed us to enjoy the blessing of Ramadhan. This is something very serious. So, make sure to keep calm and be polite as much as you can. And remember always make Du’a and ask Allah to help you through all situations big or small. 

 

Now let me help you with ideas for this night…

 

1. Pray as much as you can. In my previous blog, I mentioned all the extra prayers you can pray during the day and night. Make your Qiyam, Rukoo and Sujood long. Make lots of Dua in your Sujood. Grab every opportunity of making dua and seek repentance. 

 

2. Seek Repentance: We must seek repentance for all our wrongdoings the ones we remember and the ones we have forgotten. For the ones you did intentionally and the ones, you did by mistake. Call Allah by his Beautiful name and seek forgiveness. As mentioned in the hadith:

 

“O Messenger of Allah, what do you think I should say in my supplication if I come upon Laylatul-Qadr?” He said: “Say: ‘

 

 اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

O Allah, You are Forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me. Sunan Ibn Majah 3850

3. Recite Qur’an: Read Quran in every spare minute you have. After every salah, before sleeping, and any minute you are free. As I have said earlier, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) used to complete the Quran once in Ramadan, but he read and reviewed it twice a year before he would pass away. Just so that you are clear, completing the Quran is not Obligatory but it is Mustahab which means an act that is liked.

4. Du’a: Allah has mercy on us when we are fasting, he knows the hardship we are going through to please Him alone. So this is the best time to make dua and have faith that Allah will accept it at the right time. These are some of the best times to have your dua accepted:

• Dua after adhan until Iqamah
• Dua in Sujood
• Dua before opening the fast
• Dua made in the hour from Asr to Maghrib on Fridays (the hour is not mentioned)
• Dua made on the night of Laylatul Qadr

 

5. Adhkar: There are many supplications you can find in Hisn Al-Muslim. Always keep your lips moist with the remembrance of Allah. Some of them are the –

• Morning and Evening Adhkar
• Adhkar after salah
• Adhkar before sleeping
• Sending peace and blessing upon Prophet Muhammad on Fridays

 

6. Time: Do not waste your precious time by indulging in any activity that would lower your spirit of Ramadan. Such as gaming, movies, music, drama, chatting, and so on. Use your time wisely as you know, you have been chosen by Allah to be blessed in this Blessed month.

 

How do I know that it’s the Night of Qadr?

 

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) has given us some signs of the night, which are:

 

• The sun would rise the following morning and would have no visible rays.
• The night of Qadr is a pleasant night. Not too hot or too cold. The next morning the sun would rise red and weak.

 

Now that you know all about this night, I bet you will go out of your way and maximize your benefit on this blessed Night and Month. Have faith in Allah and Hope in His Mercy and do your best.

 

Until I see you in the next blog remember a Muslim only keeps getting better. If you are struggling with reciting Quran or want to improve your reading you can go to our website Al Furqan Academy and book your free trial session. It’s never too late, join us today and start your journey of the Qur’an with us.