Al-Qadr

Allah informs that He sent the Qur'an down during the Night of Al-Qadr, and it is a blessed night about which Allah says,

This is the Night of Al-Qadr and it occurs during the month of Ramadan. This is as Allah says,

Ibn 'Abbas and others have said, "Allah sent the Qur'an down all at one time from the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) to the House of Might (Baytul-'Izzah), which is in the heaven of this world. Then it came down in parts to the Messenger of Allah based upon the incidents that occurred over a period of twenty-three years." Then Allah magnified the status of the Night of Al-Qadr, which He chose for the revelation of the Mighty Qur'an, by His saying,

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah reported that when Ramadan would come, the Messenger of Allah would say:

An-Nasa'i recorded this same Hadith. Aside from the fact that worship during the Night of Al-Qadr is equivalent to worship performed for a period of one thousand months, it is also confirmed in the Two Sahihs from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said:

Allah poses a question to emphasize the grandeur and importance of this blessed night. The Prophet's companions did not fully know the significance of this night until Allah revealed it to them through His Messenger. The Night of Al-Qadr is a night so great that its virtues are beyond human comprehension, yet Allah has made it a means of forgiveness and elevation for those who seek it with sincerity and devotion during the month of Ramadan.

This verse emphasizes that the Night of Al-Qadr is superior to a thousand months of worship in any other time. This means that performing acts of worship during this night - such as prayer, recitation of the Qur'an, dhikr (remembrance), and supplication - is equivalent in reward to performing the same acts for a thousand months, which is approximately eighty-three years and four months of continuous worship. This indicates the immense blessing and virtue that Allah has placed in this night, making it the most important night of the entire year.

Allah says,

This means the angels descend in abundance during the Night of Al-Qadr due to its abundant blessings. The angels descend with the descending of blessings and mercy, just as they descend when the Qur'an is recited, they surround the circles of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and they lower their wings with true respect for the student of knowledge. In reference to Ar-Ruh, it is said that here it means the angel Jibril. Therefore, the wording of the Ayah is a method of adding the name of the distinct object (in this case Jibril) separate from the general group (in this case the angels).

Concerning Allah's statement,

Mujahid said, "Peace concerning every matter." Qatadah and others have said, "The matters are determined during it, and the times of death and provisions are measured out (i.e., decided) during it." Allah says,

Then Allah says,

The angels giving the greetings of peace during the Night of Al-Qadr to the people in the Masjids until the coming of Fajr (dawn). Qatadah and Ibn Zayd both said concerning Allah's statement "There is peace" - "This means all of it is good and there is no evil in it until the coming of Fajr (dawn)."

Imam Ahmad recorded from 'Ubadah bin As-Samit that the Messenger of Allah said:

The Messenger of Allah also said:

Abu Dawud mentioned that Abdullah bin 'Umar said, "The Messenger of Allah was asked about the Night of Al-Qadr while I was listening and he said, 'It occurs during every Ramadan.'"

The most popular view is that the Night of Decree moves around throughout the last ten nights of Ramadan, particularly among the odd nights (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th). This view has been recorded by many scholars including Malik, Ath-Thawri, Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ishaq bin Rahuyah, Abu Thawr, Al-Muzani, and Abu Bakr bin Khuzaymah, and it is likely the most correct view. And Allah knows best.

It is recommended to supplicate often during all times, especially during the month of Ramadan, in the last ten nights, and during the odd nights of it even more so. It is recommended that one say the following supplication a lot:

This is due to what Imam Ahmad recorded from 'A'ishah, that she said, "O Messenger of Allah! If I find the Night of Al-Qadr what should I say?" He replied with the supplication in Arabic:

(Say: "O Allah! Verily, You are the Of the Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me.")

At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah have all recorded this Hadith. At-Tirmidhi said, "This Hadith is Hasan Sahih." Al-Hakim recorded it in his Mustadrak and he said that it is authentic according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).