Laylat al-Qadr: When Is the Night of Decree and How to Seek It

Laylat al-Qadr is the night on which the Qur'an was sent down, and Surah Al-Qadr, chapter 97, is devoted to it. Its five verses state that the Qur'an was revealed on this night, ask what could make the listener grasp its greatness, declare it better than a thousand months, describe the angels and the Spirit descending by their Lord's permission with every matter, and call it peace until the rising of dawn.

The Arabic qadr carries meanings of decree, measure and greatness, which is why English sources speak of the Night of Decree and the Night of Power; the translation on this site uses Night of Predestination and Night of Power. Ibn Kathir notes that the Spirit is said to be the angel Jibril and describes the night's peace as a security in which Shaytan can do no harm. A thousand months is more than eighty-three years, longer than many lifetimes, which conveys the scale of the opportunity.

Qur'an 2:185 places the revelation of the Qur'an in Ramadan, and reading it alongside Surah Al-Qadr is how the night is located in that month. Qur'an 44:3–4 speaks of a blessed night on which every wise matter is made distinct. Ibn Kathir identifies it with Laylat al-Qadr and explains that the decrees of the coming year are conveyed on it to the angels who record them.

Sources: [1] [3] [2] [4] [5]

It is in the last ten nights of Ramadan, most likely one of the odd nights, but no single date is given. Sahih al-Bukhari 2017 reports the instruction to search for it in the odd nights of the last ten, and Sahih al-Bukhari 2020 records the instruction to look for it in the last ten nights. Sahih al-Bukhari 2015 and Sahih Muslim 1165a narrow the focus to the last seven nights, where several Companions' dreams agreed.

An Islamic night begins at sunset, so the twenty-first night starts at Maghrib at the end of the twentieth day of fasting. Ubayy ibn Ka'b's description in Sahih Muslim 762a speaks of the night that precedes the morning of the twenty-seventh. If you plan with a Gregorian calendar, mark the evenings rather than the following dates.

Communities do not always begin Ramadan on the same day, because Sahih al-Bukhari 1909 ties the month to sighting the crescent. The odd nights in one country can therefore be even nights in another. The table lists nights named in the reports cited here; it shows why effort across all ten nights is the safer plan.

Sources: [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

No date is certain, and the 27th is one well-known view rather than a fixed rule. In Sahih Muslim 762a, Ubayy ibn Ka'b swears that it is the twenty-seventh night, the night on which the Prophet commanded them to pray, and describes a sign. Other authentic reports point elsewhere: Abu Sa'id's account in Sahih al-Bukhari 2027 describes rain on the twenty-first night in the year the Prophet was shown it, and in Sahih al-Bukhari 2022 Ibn Abbas suggests seeking it on the twenty-fourth.

Sahih al-Bukhari 2023 explains why the date is not fixed: the Prophet came out to tell people about the night, but two men were quarrelling and knowledge of it was taken away, and he said that this might be better for them. Ibn Kathir records the view, reported from Abu Qilabah and from several early scholars, that the night moves within the last ten from year to year. Concentrating only on the 27th risks missing the night itself.

Sources: [10] [12] [14] [15] [4]

Pray at night, recite and reflect on the Qur'an, remember Allah and supplicate, with sincere faith and hope of reward. Sahih al-Bukhari 2014 reports that whoever stands in prayer on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and hoping for reward will have their previous sins forgiven. Taraweeh, Tahajjud and Witr are all forms of night prayer through which people seek it.

The Prophet increased his effort in these nights. Sahih al-Bukhari 2024 reports that when the last ten began he tightened his waist-wrapper, prayed through the night and woke his family, and Sahih Muslim 1175 says he strove in worship then more than at any other time. Helping family members take part, in ways suited to their age and health, follows that example.

A sustainable plan helps more than one exhausting night. Protect the obligatory prayers, especially Isha and Fajr, rest during the day where you can, and choose a few specific acts for each night, such as a set portion of Qur'an, a written list of supplications for yourself and others, and charity during the ten nights if you are able.

• Pray at night, whether Taraweeh in congregation, Tahajjud or Witr.
• Read the Qur'an with attention, including Surah Al-Qadr and its meaning.
• Supplicate at length, especially for pardon.
• Remember Allah with simple phrases through the night.
• Give charity if you can, and keep your speech and dealings clean.

Sources: [16] [17] [18]

The Prophet taught Aisha to ask for Allah's pardon. In Jami at-Tirmidhi 3513, graded sahih on sunnah.com, she asked what she should say if she knew which night it was, and he told her to say, in meaning: O Allah, You are Pardoning and Generous, You love to pardon, so pardon me (Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun karimun tuhibbul-'afwa fa'fu 'anni).

Sunan Ibn Majah 3850, also graded sahih on sunnah.com, carries the same supplication without the word for Generous, and this shorter wording, Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul-'afwa fa'fu 'anni, is the one many people know. Learn the wording from a teacher or the linked pages. Beyond this supplication, ask for your own needs and for others in your own words; the night is not limited to a single formula.

Sources: [19] [20]

I'tikaf is a spiritual retreat in which a person stays in the mosque with the intention of worship. Sahih al-Bukhari 2026 reports that the Prophet observed it in the last ten days of Ramadan until he died and that his wives continued it after him. Sahih al-Bukhari 2033 describes him entering his place of retreat after the Fajr prayer, and Sahih al-Bukhari 2029 says he did not enter the house during it except for a need.

The SeekersGuidance Hanafi account classes i'tikaf in the last ten days as a communal emphasised Sunnah, fulfilled for a community when some of its members perform it, and says a shorter retreat still carries the reward of a recommended i'tikaf. Aisha's statement in Sunan Abi Dawud 2473, graded hasan sahih by al-Albani, describes leaving only for necessities and links i'tikaf with fasting and a congregational mosque; the schools apply those details differently.

Where a woman may observe i'tikaf is a clear school difference. According to Mathabah's comparative answer, the Hanafi school prefers a woman's retreat in the designated prayer space of her home, while the Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools regard i'tikaf at home as invalid. Sahih al-Bukhari 2033 mentions the Prophet's wives pitching tents in the mosque. Ask your teacher and your mosque before planning a retreat.

Sources: [21] [22] [23] [27] [24] [28]

Some signs are reported, but they are usually recognised afterwards and are not a condition for reward. The best known is in Sahih Muslim 762a, where Ubayy ibn Ka'b says that on the following morning the sun rises bright without rays. Sahih Muslim 1170 records a remark about the moon rising like a piece of a plate, and Sahih al-Bukhari 2027 describes rain and the mark of mud on the Prophet's forehead on the morning of the twenty-first, matching what he had seen in a dream that year.

Descriptions of a calm night that is neither hot nor cold, and other signs repeated online, come from reports outside the two Sahih collections whose authenticity specialists assess differently; Ibn Kathir mentions some of them. They are not relied on here as evidence. The promise in Sahih al-Bukhari 2014 is attached to standing in prayer on the night with faith and hope of reward, not to identifying a sign.

Sources: [10] [25] [12] [4] [16]

Most misconceptions turn an open, hopeful search into a single calculated event. The list below corrects frequent ones using the texts already cited. Where a question depends on your school, such as reciting the Qur'an during menstruation, ask a teacher rather than relying on a general rule.

• It is certainly the 27th night: this is one view, and authentic reports mention other nights.
• You must see a sign for the night to count: the signs are observations, and the promised forgiveness is tied to faithful worship.
• Only worship in a mosque counts: the promise in Sahih al-Bukhari 2014 concerns standing in prayer, while i'tikaf is the practice tied to a mosque.
• Menstruating women cannot benefit: supplication and remembrance remain open, as women in that state joined the takbir and supplication of Eid in Sahih al-Bukhari 971.
• A special prayer with a set number of rak'ahs is required: the cited sources describe night prayer, supplication and effort, not a fixed formula.
• The blessed night of Qur'an 44:3 is a different night: Ibn Kathir identifies it with Laylat al-Qadr, in line with Qur'an 97:1 and 2:185.

Sources: [10] [16] [26] [5] [17]

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