Imam Zijad’s Corner: The Night of Power is better than a thousand Months

The 3^rd verse of Surah Al Qadr ‘The Night of Qadr is better than a thousand months’ indicates that the acts of worship such as prayer, charity, recitation of the Qur’an done on the night of Qadr are better in reward than the same acts done on other nights. The rewards (thaw) are being multiplied several-folds.

As for the question as to which night it was, it is disputed and there are as many as forty different views on this subject. However, a great majority of scholars hold the opinion that one of the odd nights of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan is Laylatul Qadr, and among these also many scholars have the opinion that it is the twenty-seventh night of the month of Ramadan.

The most correct saying is that it occurs in the odd nights of the month of Ramadan and this is shown by the Hadith of ‘Aisha (r. anha) who said: “Allah’s Messenger (S) used to practice I’tikaf in the last ten nights (of Ramadan) and said: ‘Seek out Laylatul Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.’”   {Bukhari, Muslim}

Imam Ibn Hajar, in his book, Fathul Bari, in the commentary of the book of Bukhari, said: “I accept the ruling that the night occurs on the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan, namely the twenty first, twenty third, twenty fifth, twenty seventh and/or twenty ninth.”

It is known from the Sunnah, that the knowledge of the exact night upon which ‘Laylatul Qadr’ falls was taken up because the quarreling of the people.

It was reported that the Messenger of Allah came out to the Sahabah with intention to inform the Sahabah about the Night of Qadr, however two man were quarreling and he said: “I came out to inform you about the Night of Qadr but so and so, and, so and so were quarreling, so it was raised up, and perhaps that is better for you, so seek it on the twenty ninth, and the twenty seventh and the twenty fifth.”                        {Bukhari}

But the basic reason why a definite date is not assigned for Laylatul Qadr is plainly that Almighty Allah does not want His servants to limit themselves to one night. Instead He wishes that they devote themselves throughout the last ten days so as to attain the maximum amount of reward possible from Almighty Allah.

‘Aisha (r.a) reported: “The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (S) did not devote himself so much to the remembrance (dhikr) and worship of Allah as he did during the last ten days of Ramadan.” {Muslim}

Some of the Ahadith do indicate that the Night of Qadr is in the last ten nights of Ramadan, while other indicate that it is in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan, so the first are general and the second more particular, and the particular has to be given priority over the general.