The system of the world is organized according to morning and evening, day and night, and months and years. This is a reflection of the great wisdom of Allah. As a result, humans become aware of time and space, past and future, and the sense of direction and organization helps them advance their life affairs. Allah has considered His power, His mercy, and His blessings in relation to this world through this order and control, and its determinations. The Noble Quran refers to the Day of Judgment, the Hereafter, the Day of Reckoning, ” ” (And remind them of the days of Allah) and ” ” (And We made the night and day two signs), indicating this reality. Therefore, we know that times and days for worship are fixed, occasions and places are designated for increasing proximity to Allah and for His grace, and moments and periods of demise and survival, fate and destiny, reward and punishment are determined.
Among these occasions, Allah has given extremely significant importance to those moments that are related to His blessings, and one of them is the Night of Decree (Laylah al-Qadr). The Noble Quran interprets it as the Blessed Night. Regarding the nature, blessings, and virtues of this night, the summary derived from the Quran and Hadith is as follows:
Revelation of the Holy Quran
The Holy Quran was revealed on Laylah al-Qadr. Allah Almighty says:
ہِ لّ َو َذ ِّک ۡر ُہ ۡم ِب َا ّٰیى ِم ال ٰ َو َج َع ۡل َنا ا َّل ۡی َل َو ال َّن َہا َر ٰا َی َت
Undoubtedly, We have revealed it in a blessed nightbecause We wanted to warn people. (Surah al- Dukhan 44:3)
Associating the revelation of the Quran to Laylah al-Qadr is not an insignificant issue. This means that the Lord of the Universe has chosen this night to bestow eternal guidance upon humanity. Allah’s decree ensures that His message reaches humans in the most preserved manner. Therefore, He has taken every measure to safeguard it. In this regard, He has sealed off all routes from the heavens to the earth that could have been exploited by the devils for interference.
Design and distribution of worldly matters
The Quran has interpreted this night as Laylah al-Qadr, meaning the Night of Decree. By this, it refers to a night of decisions, i.e., Allah Almighty determines His decrees regarding worldly matters on this occasion and entrusts responsibilities to the angels of destiny in light of His guidance. It is stated in Surah Ad-Dukhan:
In this night, all affairs of wisdom are allocated. (al-Dukhan 44:4)
Maulana Ameen Ahsan Islahi writes:
“The greatness and blessings of this night are due to the fact that significant decisions regarding the universe are made in it. When the small governments of this world consider certain days highly important, during which they plan their projects for the whole year, then who can estimate the importance of that night in which the divine program for the entire universe is decided and the fate of the whole world is determined.” (Tadabbur-e-Quran, 9/476)
The descent of the angels and Gabriel, the Trustworthy, also occurs from this perspective. Allah Almighty says:
It means that the angels descend from Allah Almighty to implement the decrees ordained by Him in the world. On this occasion, the closest angels to Allah, including the Archangel Gabriel, also descend to the earth.
The Night of Great Blessing and Peace
In Surah Al-Qadr, the greatness and blessings of this night have been described from two
We have revealed this Qur’ān in the night in which fates are decided.
(Surah al-Qadr 97:1)
There in descend the angels and the Spirit by the permission of their
Lord with a directive in every affair. (Surah al-Qadr 97:4) perspectives. From one perspective, it is stated that “this night is better than a thousand months.” It is apparent that this expression has been chosen to illustrate the abundance of its blessings and favors. The purpose is to make it clear to humans that this is no ordinary night to be passed by sleeping. Instead, when seen in the light of Allah’s attention and mercy, it surpasses thousands of months in importance.
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi writes in the commentary of this verse: “‘Thousand months’ is mentioned to illustrate abundance, and the purpose is to indicate that due to the special occurrence of significant events ordained by Allah, the blessings, favors, and opportunities for closeness to God that occur on this one night cannot be compared to thousands of nights.”
From another perspective, it is stated that “this night is all peace until the emergence of dawn.” This means that during this period, Allah prevents celestial calamities, restricts the activities of devils, and opens the doors of His proximity, mercy, and blessings for humans. In light of these blessings, the Noble Quran has also referred to it as the Blessed Night.
Specification of Laylah al-Qadr
It is evident from the Quran and Hadith that Laylah al-Qadr is indeed a night in the month of Ramadan. However, which specific night it is, is not explicitly mentioned in the Quran. Nevertheless, from the Hadith, it is known that it falls within the last ten nights of Ramadan.
According to a narration by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
Some narrations specify the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, or 29th nights, while others mention the 21st, 23rd, or 25th nights. However, considering all the narrations on this topic, it becomes apparent that it is one of the odd nights among the last ten nights of Ramadan. This understanding is also evident from a narration by Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), where he reported: “The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: ‘Search for Laylah al-Qadr in the last ten days of Ramadan, on the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, or 29th.'” The wisdom behind not specifying the exact date of Laylah al-Qadr in apparent is to encourage people to seek it earnestly. This search leads people to spend many nights in worship and earn rewards for themselves.
Worship on the Blessed Night
After understanding the greatness and blessings of Laylah al-Qadr, it can be inferred that there is no better opportunity for the forgiveness of sins than this night. Therefore, no person should be indifferent to seeking it. Every believer should be attentive to the boundless blessings of their Lord on this night and express gratitude from the depths of their heart. They should present their needs and desires before Him, place their worries before Him, and seek the ability to endure with patience, requesting His remedy for their ailments.
Search for the Night of Decree in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan. (Bukhari No: 2021)
The best action on this occasion is worship. From various hadith narratives, it is obvious that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) spent most of his time in worship during the last ten days of Ramadan. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates:
When the last ten days of Ramadan began, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would tighten his waist belt (i.e., dedicate himself to worship). He would stay up at night and wake his family up too.
(Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 2024)