Laylatul-Qadr, The Night of Power, is the holiest night in the Islamic
calendar. Muslims believe that on this night, the Quran was sent down
from the heaven to the Earth. The exact date of this night is unknown,
but occurs on one of the last ten odd nights of Ramadan (21st, 23rd,
25th, 27th, or 29th). According to Islamic tradition, Muslims who stay
up on this holy night worshipping God will have all their sins forgiven.
Furthermore, they will be granted as many good deeds as though they had
worshipped continuously for one thousand months (83.3 years).
- An entire chapter of the Quran, called "Al-Qadr" is devoted to explaining the merits of worshipping on Lailatul Qadr.
- According to Islamic tradition, the following are signs of The Night
of Power every year: A peaceful night with moderate temperatures, no
shooting stars, and a moon that shines without rays. The sun, when it
rises, will appear as a disk with no beams of light coming out of it.
- Some
Muslims believe that the entire Quran was revealed to Angel Gabriel on
this night, who conveyed it to Muhammad verse by verse over a period of
twenty-three years, when ordered to do so by God.
- Muslims
who can afford to take time off work spend every single one of the last
ten nights in prayer, hoping to find Laylatul Qadr, trying to emulate
the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad. They fast during the day and
study the Quran and pray during the night. The Prophet Muhammad used to
do the same. In fact, according to his wife, he would tighten his belt
and pray all night, and encouraged his family members to pray all night
as well. (Bukhari, Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 32, Number 241)
- There
are several Islamically recommended acts for Muslims to do on this
night: Study the Quran, give charity, strive for forgiveness, pray, make
du'a (a more personal prayer during which Muslims ask God for things
that they need), and remember the power of God.
- For Lailatul Qadr Muslims congregate in mosques to pray and worship
all night together. Imams often give sermons that teach listeners about
the best prayers they can make that night.
- On
this night, many Muslims give money away in charity, after more than 20
days of fasting. The rewards of charity are multiplied on
Laylatul-Qadr. This can be evidenced by the Prophet Muhammad's
teachings: Whoever draws near to Allaah during it
(Ramadan) with a single characteristic from the characteristics of
(voluntary) goodness, he is like whoever performs an obligatory act in
other times. And whoever performs an obligatory act during it, he is
like whoever performed seventy obligatory acts in other times. - Ibn Khuzaymah, Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, no. 1887.
