Laylatul Qadr, otherwise known as the Night of Power, is considered the best of nights in the Islamic calendar.
This eventful night marks the blessed occasion on which the first verses of the Holy Qur’an were revealed to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) through Angel Jibril.
The Qur’an also describes this night as “better than a thousand months” in Surah Al-Qadr, verse 3.
Aside from being the night of revelation, Laylatul Qadr holds additional significance for Muslims as angels descend to the earth then with a myriad of tasks and lead to a night of blessings, peace, and divine guidance until dawn.
Verily, Allah (SWT) says in the final two verses of Surah Al-Qadr:
“The angels and the Spirit [i.e., Jibril] descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.”
While the exact Islamic date for Laylatul Qadr is unknown, many Hadiths reflect searching for the night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan.
Narrated’ Aisha RA: Allah’s Apostle said,
“Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan.” – [Bukhari: Vol. 3, Book 32]
Thus, this Holy occasion falls on one of the five nights among the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, and 29th nights of Ramadan.
Many observers commemorate this Islamic event by spending the last ten nights of the month of fasting in a mosque in retreat (iʿtikāf).
Others pray, make Dua, read the Qur’an, and do Dhikr until dawn to recall this Holy night while seeking Allah (SWT) ’s blessings.
The significance of Laylatul Qadr can be summarized with the realization that during this night, 1 night, which is 9.5 hours typically, counts as more than 1000 months of worship.
By this calculation:
1 hour counts as more than 8.7 years of worship.
1 minute counts as more than 52.3 days of worship.
1 second counts as more than 21 hours of worship.
So, let’s make the most of Laylatul Qadr and spend most of our time during the five potential nights of Qadr in worship and prayers.
