LAYLAT AL QADR.. explained do you know what it is.. its worth the read

Laylat al Qadr

We are now around the last 10 days, and more importantly the last 10 nights of this blessed month. On one of these nights we know that it will be laylatul qadr, and Allah swt has even revealed a whole surah talking about this amazing night in the Quraan.

Inna unzalna ho fi laylatul qadr. Allah swt called this special night laylatul qadr and he repeats this name 3 times in the surah, so what does laylatuql qadr mean? Ibn Abbas said it means the decree i.e whats going to happen. Because we know that everything that will happen is already written in the lahulmahfuz and Allah swt knows it, but on this night, the command is then given to the angels telling them what do. On that night it is told to the angels who will live, who will die, who will be destined for Paradise, who will be destined for Hell and everything else that Allaah wills for this year so they can do their jobs. This was also the opninion of Qataada and Ibn Al-Qayyim said that this is the correct opinion

Then Allah says in the next ayah, how will you know when the night is? Sufyan at thawri said when Allah says wa ma adraka, it means Allah will tell us the answer in the next ayah. So when he says wa maa adraka mal qari’ah in suratul Qariah, or wa ma adraka ma laylatul qadr here, Laylatul qadri khrairum min alfi shahr. This night is worth 1000 months of worship. And there is more good news for us. Because its not 1000 months of our worship, and if it was 1000 months of our worship we would get nowhere anyway. Its not even 1000 months of worship of the sahabah its better than that, and if we look at their worship for example Abdurhaman ibn abu Bakr said his father Abu bakr as sideeq (RU) would wake his family up in the early part of the night to pray and we would be praying, and we would think would we have enough time to eat suhoor in the morning? This is how they used to spend these nights, praying to Allah. But Allah swt is not event talking about them here.

1 night equivalent to 1000 months of worship, 30,000 days of worship, 83.33 years of worship, a ticket for us to get to jannah.

Ibn Jarir narrates on the authority of Mujahid that the reason this surah was revealed to the prophet (saws) was because he was told about a man from Bani Israel who spent every single night for 83 years worshipping Allah, every night for 83 years and during the day he would fight the enemy in the way of Allah. He did this for 83 years. When the prophet (saws) heard this he was shocked. So Allah swt said i will give you this persons worship in just one night and revealed this ayah. In a narration by Imam malik the prophet (saws) was shown the ages of people in all of the previous nations and he realised that the average age people would live in this ummah is less in comparison to previous nations. So the prophet (saws) was worried that our nation, our ummah would not have enough time to do enough good to enter paradise, so Allah gave us the blessing of laylatul qadr. 1000 months of the highest quality of worship.

The prophet (saws) also said that on “this night the number of Angels who will descend to earth will be greater than the number of pebbles on the whole planet”(Ahmad). The number of angels on this night will be greater than the number of all the stones in the whole world. Imagine this. And why ? because 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.

With regards to the exact night of laylatul qadr, the scholars differed into more than forty different opinions as it says in Fath al-Baari. The most certain we can be is that it is in the odd nights among the last ten nights of Ramadaan. And there is a benefit in not knowing the exact date of laylatul qadr. We have not been told for example when we will die, if we knew we would die in 3 weeks the nature of the human is that we would prepare in 2 weeks time. Any deed we do, we don’t know if its been accepted, there is no guarantee from Allah. Why? so that we continue to do good deeds all the time. But when it comes to laylatul qadr why do we only concentrate on 27th night. We put all our eggs in this basket. Look at p saws who sought it on every day of the last 10 days, not just one day, and even then we know its on an odd night. The prophet (saws) even told us “Seek Laylat al-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadaan.” (Bukhaari,Muslim).He didn’t just say only pray on the 27th, every single odd night in the last ten. Imam Bukhari himself said “The scholars said: The reason why Laylat al-Qadar has been concealed is so that people will strive to seek it, because if its timing was known, they would limit their efforts to that night only”. Its like a race and we should be sprinting during these last 10 days, do as many good deeds as you can.

So what should we do on this blessed night. Firstly Put on your best clothes for this night. Allah swt says:

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُواْ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ O Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful clothes to every Masjid. [7:31]

Anas ibn Maalik (ra) used to have a garment that he would wear only once in the year and that was the night that he expected lailatul Qadr, and they also used to perfume themselves especially for the last ten nights.

What is the wisdom behind this? In order to best purify our souls and hearts, it helps to start from the outside by wearing that which is clean, pure and beautifies us, and Allah knows best. So what should we then say on this night?

`A'ishah RA asked the prophet (saws) "O Messenger of Allah! If I find the Night of Al-Qadr what should I say'' He replied,

«قُولِي: اللْهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي»

(Say: "O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me.'') At-Tirmidhi

But it seems a bit strange that on this powerful night this is only a few words that we have been told to recite, so let's look at it in more detail.

The linguistic meaning of 'afuww is to leave, neglect (pardon), to wipe away, and to increase. The Name of Allah, Al-'Afuww, occurs in the Quran only five times (4:43, 4:99, 4:149, 22:20, 58:2). Four of these times, it is linked with Al-Ghafoor, and once with Al-Qadeer (4:149).

This Name implies that He ignores our sins. He knows our sins but He does not call us to account for it. We all commit sins, and have committed sins that are deserving of punishment, and Allah has full ability to punish us, but Allah does 'afw for them. It is more than just pardoning or covering it up, it is wiping it away completely.

When the Name is paired with Al-Ghafoor, we see an extra level of forgiveness. Al-Ghafoor is the One who forgives no matter how large the sin.

So we should try and repeat this statement, and remember the hadith of the prophet (saws) who said “whoever prays laylatul qadr out of eeman and ihtisaab will have all of his previous sins forgiven ..”(Bukhari and muslim).


Make this a night that you repent of your sins, a night that you change your life forever. Remember that the sign that our fasting has been accepted is that we are better afterwards. Ibnul Qayyim states in his excellent book, Madaarij as-Salikeen: “among the signs of a repentance that has not been accepted are: A lack of tears and No new good deeds in your life.

And indeed Allah has commanded us to repent in many places, for example:

إن الله يحب التوابين ويحب المتطهرين

Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves. [2: 222]



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There are also certain signs for us to look for that enable us to see which night laylatul qadr. The prophet (saws) said “ On the morning of the night of Qadr the sun would rise without any beams (Muslim]. In another hadith “Laylat al-Qadr is a pleasant night, neither hot nor cold (Saheeh Ibn Khuzaymah). In another hadith “Laylat al-Qadr is a night in which no meteors are seen.” (Narrated by al-Tabaraani).

Amongst the odd nights in the last seven nights, it may be closest to the twenty-seventh night due to the hadeeth of Ubay Bin Ka'ab (raa) who said: "By Allaah, I know which night it is. It is on the night that Allaah's Messenger (saws) commanded us to perform the Night Prayer. It is on the twenty-seventh night." [Muslim]

The Night of Al-Qadr is not specified to one fixed night throughout all the years and this is the opinion of Shk. Uthaimeen. Rather, it constantly changes. So one year it could occur on the twenty-seventh night for example and on another year it could occur on the twenty-fifth night, according to Allaah's Will and Wisdom. What directs us to this is the Prophet's (saws) saying: "Look for it (i.e. the Night of Al-Qadr) when there remain nine nights, when there remains seven nights, or when there remains five nights (i.e. 21st, 23rd, and 25th respectively without mention of 27th)."

Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr said in Fath-ul-Baaree: "The most strongest opinion is that it is on an odd night in the last ten nights and that it constantly changes."

May Allah help us to reach the night of Qadr and bless us to reap its rewards in full, forgiving us our sins and releasing us from the Hellfire – ameen.

please be aware that this wasnt written by me.. was written and compiled by one of my best mates.. apologies for not putting in this diclaimer earlier.. so inshAllah do make dua for him for such a great effort because as you can tell it is a very well written article