The Night of Decree (Laylatul-Qadr) was mentioned in the Quran in chapter 97.
So we know that this night is better than a thousand months. What does that really mean?
That means that any act of worship that you’re doing that night, it is as though you had been doing that act of worship for a thousand months. For example, if you make du’a during that night it’s as though you made that supplication for a thousand months!
This is why a lot of Muslims stay up very late at night during the last 10 nights of Ramadan and try to seek this night so that they can have that kind of reward.
Some of the things Muslims do during that night are:
– Recite the Quran because the Quran was sent down in the Night of the Decree.
– Also they’re making istighfar, asking for forgiveness from Allah. So imagine if you’re asking for forgiveness for 83 years straight continuously!
– Offering extra rakahs of prayers.
– Making plenty of du’a
The Signs of Laylatu-l-Qadr
1- A Peaceful Night
It’s a pleasant night and we know it’s going to be a pleasant night from that same Quran verse: Peace it is until the emergence of dawn. (97:5)
So we’re looking for a night that is very calm, very peaceful. Ibn Khuzaymah said that: “it is a night that is neither hot nor cold.”
2- The Moon Looks Like a Piece of a Plate
Some say it looks like half a plate. (Muslim)
3- In the Last Odd Nights
The night is in the last ten nights on the odd nights: 21st , 23rd , 25th , 27th , 29th of Ramadan.
There are lot of people who try to seek the night of the decree on the 27th of Ramadan simply because it did occur on the 27th before. There are narrations for it but there are also narrations for other nights.
The scholars said that this is something with wisdom otherwise if you know that is going to be on the 27th why would you do the acts of worship on any other night.
So basically, Laylatul-Qadr changes from year to year but still in the last ten nights on the odd nights so that the Muslims keep working hard for the rewards.
4- There is Possibility of Rain
So there are narrations where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did mention that he dreamed about Laylatul-Qadr and in that dream, he had prostrated and when he came up, his face was wet with rain water and mud. (Al-Bukhari, 813)
5- The Sunrise for the Next Morning
Narrations say that it is going to be a sun with no rays. So that means it’s a very weak sun, you can look straight at it. But the explanation for why, imam An-Nawawi gave us two explanations:
- Allah just wants it that way. He wanted the sun to come up in a very special way after a special night.
- Because of the amount of angels filling the sky, they’re actually blocking the sunbeams.
