Fri, 29th Mar, 2024 / 19 Ramadan 1445
الجمعة ٢٩ , مارس , ٢٠٢٤ / 19 رَمَضَان 1445
Fri, 29th Mar, 2024 /
19 Ramadan, 1445
الجمعة ٢٩ , مارس , ٢٠٢٤ / 19 رَمَضَان , 1445

The scholars of Islam have four sayings as to why the Night of Qadr was named as such. The first is that Qadr means greatness. The second is that it is a night when the Earth is very crowded with angels who come down to Earth. The third is that it is a night in which a great Book (The Holy Qur’an) came down; in this particular night a great mercy and great angels come down. The fourth is that it is a night of great honour. We have not found a saying of a scholar that the Night of Qadr means the Night of Power, as claimed in many books.

Allah said in the Qur’an (al- Qadr, Verses 1-5):

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ {1} وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ {2} لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ {3} تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ {4} سَلامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ 5

The tafsir (meaning) of this honourable Surah is given below:

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ}1}

It means: ‘’Allah brought the Qur’an down on the Night of Qadr.” On that night, Allah ordered Angel Jibril to take the Qur’an from the Guarded Tablet (al-Lawh-ul-Mahfudh). Jibril took it in its totality down to a place in the lowest heaven called Bayt-ul-^Izzah. From Bayt-ul-^Izzah, Jibril came down with the Qur’an in parts upon the Prophet ﷺ, in accordance with the events and reasons. This took place for twenty-three (23) years. On the day following that night, the first five verses from Surat -ul-^Alaq were revealed to the Prophet ﷺ.

It is mentioned in a hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad and al-Bayhaqiyy that the Prophet ﷺ said what means:

The Tawrah was brought down on the sixth night of Ramadan, Injil on the thirteen night of Ramadan, Zabur on the eighteenth night of Ramadan, and the Qur’an on the twenty-fourth night of Ramadan.” This hadith informs us that the Qur’an was revealed on the twenty-fourth night of Ramadan. The Qur’an tells us it was the Night of Qadr. On that year, the twenty-fourth night of Ramadan was the Night of Qadr. It is not definite that the night of Qadr will occur on the 27th or the 29th night of Ramadan, although from other hadiths we know that this is most likely the case.

The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said:

“روى البخاريّ عنِ ابن عبَّاسٍ رضي الله عنه أنَّ رسولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلَّم قال: التَمِسُوها في العشر الأواخِر من رمضانَ”

It means: ‘’Seek the night of Qadr during the last ten nights of Ramadan.” This is because it is most likely to take place during the last ten nights. This does not exclude it being in other than those last ten nights. It might be on the first, second, or other nights. The wisdom of concealing it is that in order to obtain its promised reward, people need to be persistent in exerting a great amount of effort in doing acts of worship throughout all the nights of Ramadan. The Qur’an was not revealed according to the present order. After twenty-three years of Revelation, the Qur’an was revealed in total to the Prophet ﷺ. He taught his Companions to recite it in the order which has been known to Muslims since the time of the Prophet, ﷺ. Reciting the parts of the Qur’an in this order was not an ijtihad from the Companions, but mere execution and following of the Prophet’s orders.

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ}2}

It means: ‘’[O Muhammad,] How would you know what the Night of Qadr is!” It means that before Allah informed you, you didn’t know what the merit of that night was. This verse truly is a question which emphasizes the high status of this night and encourages the person to seek its goodness.

لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ}3}

This verse is the answer to the previous verse.

It means: ‘’The reward one receives for doing acts of worship during this night is greater than the reward received for doing them in one thousand months (which do not have the night of Qadr in them)”. One thousand months is approximately 83 years.

The Night of Qadr has many signs. Among the signs that show a person has witnessed the night of Qadr are:

1. Seeing a bright and clear light that Allah creates, other than the light of the sun, the moon, and electricity.

2. To see the trees making sujud (prostrating), or the sun rising in the morning with soft gentle light.

3. To see the angels in their original form with two, three, four or more wings, or to see them in the shape of a human being (i.e. the shape of a man without genitalia.) Note: Angels never appear in the shape of a female as explicitly stated in the Qur’an.

Seeing it in a dream indicates good things. However, it is not as precise and good as seeing it while awake. Whoever does not see it in the dream or while awake, but is diligent in praying and obedience on that night shall be granted, from its great blessing, the promised reward of worshipping Allah on that night. The Prophet peace be upon him said:

“مَنْ قامَ ليلةَ القَدْرِ إيمانًا وَاحْتِسابًا غُفِرَ له ما تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذنْبٍه.”

It means: ‘’Whoever prays on the Night of Qadr with faith and seeking reward from Allah, then his past, small sins will be forgiven.” To get this reward one prays, and the number of rak^ahs could be a few or many. It is better to recite for a long time while standing in Salah than to make long sujud with little reciting. Making du^a’ at the moment of seeing the night of Qadr is an indication of the du^a’ being fulfilled. Many Muslims have been blessed with obtaining what they asked on that night.

تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ}4}

It means: ‘’On that night, Jibril and the angels come down with what Allah ordered and willed to happen for the next year, such as the sustenance (rizq) of the people and how long they will live, births, marriages, calamities, enjoyments and the like.” A hadith is related about the Messenger of Allah saying what means:
‘’On the Night of Qadr, Jibril comes down with a group of angels. They make supplication for and say salam to every one who is standing in prayer or sitting mentioning Allah subhanahu wa-ta^ala. They keep on descending from sunset until dawn (Fajr) appears.

سَلامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ}5}

It means: ‘’This night is full of peace, goodness, and blessings upon the righteous and obedient Muslims until the appearance of dawn.” Moreover, Satan cannot do any evil or harm during this night.

Lady A’ishah asked the Prophet what du^a’ (supplication) she should say if she knew it was the Night of Qadr. He told her to say:

اللهمَّ إنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ العفْوَ فَاعْفُ عنِّي

[Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul-^afwa fa^fu ^annee.]

It means: ‘’O Allah You are the One Who pardons a great amount and loves to pardon. I ask You to pardon me.” (at-Tirmidhiyy). The Prophet’s most frequent du^a’ in Ramadan and other than Ramadan was:

“ربَّنا ءاتِنَا في الدُّنْيا حَسَنَةٌ وفي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَة وقِنَا عذابَ النَّار.”

It means: ‘’Our Lord, grant us good things in this world and good things in the Hereafter, and protect us from the torture of Hellfire.’‘ The good things in this life include good health and deeds, knowledge, and a righteous wife and children. The good things in the Hereafter include Paradise and being saved from the torture of the Day of Judgement.

And Allah knows best.

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