Night of Power

Template:Short description Template:For Template:Use dmy dates {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other{{#switch:Last 10 days of Ramadan, especially the odd nights (some add the 19th)|January 1|January 2|January 3|January 4|January 5|January 6|January 7|January 8|January 9|January 10|January 11|January 12|January 13|January 14|January 15|January 16|January 17|January 18|January 19|January 20|January 21|January 22|January 23|January 24|January 25|January 26|January 27|January 28|January 29|January 30|January 31|February 1|February 2|February 3|February 4|February 5|February 6|February 7|February 8|February 9|February 10|February 11|February 12|February 13|February 14|February 15|February 16|February 17|February 18|February 19|February 20|February 21|February 22|February 23|February 24|February 25|February 26|February 27|February 28|February 29|February 30|February 31|March 1|March 2|March 3|March 4|March 5|March 6|March 7|March 8|March 9|March 10|March 11|March 12|March 13|March 14|March 15|March 16|March 17|March 18|March 19|March 20|March 21|March 22|March 23|March 24|March 25|March 26|March 27|March 28|March 29|March 30|March 31|April 1|April 2|April 3|April 4|April 5|April 6|April 7|April 8|April 9|April 10|April 11|April 12|April 13|April 14|April 15|April 16|April 17|April 18|April 19|April 20|April 21|April 22|April 23|April 24|April 25|April 26|April 27|April 28|April 29|April 30|April 31|May 1|May 2|May 3|May 4|May 5|May 6|May 7|May 8|May 9|May 10|May 11|May 12|May 13|May 14|May 15|May 16|May 17|May 18|May 19|May 20|May 21|May 22|May 23|May 24|May 25|May 26|May 27|May 28|May 29|May 30|May 31|June 1|June 2|June 3|June 4|June 5|June 6|June 7|June 8|June 9|June 10|June 11|June 12|June 13|June 14|June 15|June 16|June 17|June 18|June 19|June 20|June 21|June 22|June 23|June 24|June 25|June 26|June 27|June 28|June 29|June 30|June 31|July 1|July 2|July 3|July 4|July 5|July 6|July 7|July 8|July 9|July 10|July 11|July 12|July 13|July 14|July 15|July 16|July 17|July 18|July 19|July 20|July 21|July 22|July 23|July 24|July 25|July 26|July 27|July 28|July 29|July 30|July 31|August 1|August 2|August 3|August 4|August 5|August 6|August 7|August 8|August 9|August 10|August 11|August 12|August 13|August 14|August 15|August 16|August 17|August 18|August 19|August 20|August 21|August 22|August 23|August 24|August 25|August 26|August 27|August 28|August 29|August 30|August 31|September 1|September 2|September 3|September 4|September 5|September 6|September 7|September 8|September 9|September 10|September 11|September 12|September 13|September 14|September 15|September 16|September 17|September 18|September 19|September 20|September 21|September 22|September 23|September 24|September 25|September 26|September 27|September 28|September 29|September 30|September 31|October 1|October 2|October 3|October 4|October 5|October 6|October 7|October 8|October 9|October 10|October 11|October 12|October 13|October 14|October 15|October 16|October 17|October 18|October 19|October 20|October 21|October 22|October 23|October 24|October 25|October 26|October 27|October 28|October 29|October 30|October 31|November 1|November 2|November 3|November 4|November 5|November 6|November 7|November 8|November 9|November 10|November 11|November 12|November 13|November 14|November 15|November 16|November 17|November 18|November 19|November 20|November 21|November 22|November 23|November 24|November 25|November 26|November 27|November 28|November 29|November 30|November 31|December 1|December 2|December 3|December 4|December 5|December 6|December 7|December 8|December 9|December 10|December 11|December 12|December 13|December 14|December 15|December 16|December 17|December 18|December 19|December 20|December 21|December 22|December 23|December 24|December 25|December 26|December 27|December 28|December 29|December 30|December 31=|{{#switch:Last 10 days of Ramadan, especially the odd nights (some add the 19th)|1 January|2 January|3 January|4 January|5 January|6 January|7 January|8 January|9 January|10 January|11 January|12 January|13 January|14 January|15 January|16 January|17 January|18 January|19 January|20 January|21 January|22 January|23 January|24 January|25 January|26 January|27 January|28 January|29 January|30 January|31 January|1 February|2 February|3 February|4 February|5 February|6 February|7 February|8 February|9 February|10 February|11 February|12 February|13 February|14 February|15 February|16 February|17 February|18 February|19 February|20 February|21 February|22 February|23 February|24 February|25 February|26 February|27 February|28 February|29 February|30 February|31 February|1 March|2 March|3 March|4 March|5 March|6 March|7 March|8 March|9 March|10 March|11 March|12 March|13 March|14 March|15 March|16 March|17 March|18 March|19 March|20 March|21 March|22 March|23 March|24 March|25 March|26 March|27 March|28 March|29 March|30 March|31 March|1 April|2 April|3 April|4 April|5 April|6 April|7 April|8 April|9 April|10 April|11 April|12 April|13 April|14 April|15 April|16 April|17 April|18 April|19 April|20 April|21 April|22 April|23 April|24 April|25 April|26 April|27 April|28 April|29 April|30 April|31 April|1 May|2 May|3 May|4 May|5 May|6 May|7 May|8 May|9 May|10 May|11 May|12 May|13 May|14 May|15 May|16 May|17 May|18 May|19 May|20 May|21 May|22 May|23 May|24 May|25 May|26 May|27 May|28 May|29 May|30 May|31 May|1 June|2 June|3 June|4 June|5 June|6 June|7 June|8 June|9 June|10 June|11 June|12 June|13 June|14 June|15 June|16 June|17 June|18 June|19 June|20 June|21 June|22 June|23 June|24 June|25 June|26 June|27 June|28 June|29 June|30 June|31 June|1 July|2 July|3 July|4 July|5 July|6 July|7 July|8 July|9 July|10 July|11 July|12 July|13 July|14 July|15 July|16 July|17 July|18 July|19 July|20 July|21 July|22 July|23 July|24 July|25 July|26 July|27 July|28 July|29 July|30 July|31 July|1 August|2 August|3 August|4 August|5 August|6 August|7 August|8 August|9 August|10 August|11 August|12 August|13 August|14 August|15 August|16 August|17 August|18 August|19 August|20 August|21 August|22 August|23 August|24 August|25 August|26 August|27 August|28 August|29 August|30 August|31 August|1 September|2 September|3 September|4 September|5 September|6 September|7 September|8 September|9 September|10 September|11 September|12 September|13 September|14 September|15 September|16 September|17 September|18 September|19 September|20 September|21 September|22 September|23 September|24 September|25 September|26 September|27 September|28 September|29 September|30 September|31 September|1 October|2 October|3 October|4 October|5 October|6 October|7 October|8 October|9 October|10 October|11 October|12 October|13 October|14 October|15 October|16 October|17 October|18 October|19 October|20 October|21 October|22 October|23 October|24 October|25 October|26 October|27 October|28 October|29 October|30 October|31 October|1 November|2 November|3 November|4 November|5 November|6 November|7 November|8 November|9 November|10 November|11 November|12 November|13 November|14 November|15 November|16 November|17 November|18 November|19 November|20 November|21 November|22 November|23 November|24 November|25 November|26 November|27 November|28 November|29 November|30 November|31 November|1 December|2 December|3 December|4 December|5 December|6 December|7 December|8 December|9 December|10 December|11 December|12 December|13 December|14 December|15 December|16 December|17 December|18 December|19 December|20 December|21 December|22 December|23 December|24 December|25 December|26 December|27 December|28 December|29 December|30 December|31 December=|}}}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox holiday with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| alt | begins | caption | celebrations | date | date2007 | date2008 | date2009 | date2010 | date2011 | date2012 | date2013 | date2014 | date2015 | date2016 | date2017 | date2018 | date2019 | date2020 | date2021 | date2022 | date2023 | date2024 | date2025 | date2025 | date2026 | date2027 | date2028 | date2029 | date2030 | duration | ends | firsttime | frequency | holiday_name | image | image_size | imagesize | lasttime | litcolor | longtype | mdy | month | nickname | observances | observedby | official_name | relatedto | scheduling | significance | startedby | type | week_ordinal | weekday }} Template:Islamic Culture

In Islamic belief, Laylat al-QadrTemplate:Efn (Template:Small) or Night of Power<ref name="Saleh">Template:Cite book</ref> is an Islamic festival<ref>https://www.britannica.com/topic/Laylat-al-Qadr</ref> in memory of the night when the Quran was first sent down from heaven to the world, the first revelation the Islamic prophet Muhammad received from the angel Gabriel.<ref> {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Night of Power belongs to one of the five Kandil Nights.

In the Quran, it is said this night is better than 1,000 months (approximately 83.3 years).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to various hadiths, its exact date was uncertain, but was one of the odd-numbered nights of the last ten days of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Since that time, Muslims have regarded the last ten nights of Ramadan as being especially blessed. Muslims believe the Night comes again every year, with blessings and mercy of God in abundance.<ref name="Nasr 2015 p.1539">Seyyed Hossein Nasr (2015), The Study Quran, HarperCollins, p.1539</ref> The surah al-Qadr is named after this Night, and the chapter’s purpose is to describe the greatness of the occasion.<ref>Template:Qref</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Naming

Qadr (قدر) in Arabic, means the measure and limit or value of something or destiny.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Some reasons have been offered for its naming:

• It is said that it was called “al-Qadr” because the annual destiny of every person is determined by God.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Some say if one stays awake on this night in prayer, reading the Quran, or repenting, one will reach a higher state.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Some have said that it was called “al-Qadr” because it is a grand and highly valued night.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Other names for this Night include Laylat al-'Azama (Arabic: ليلة العظمة, “Night of the Greatness”) and Laylat ash-Sharaf (Arabic: ليلة الشرف; Template:Lit).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Revelation to Prophet Muhammad

Some Islamic experts believe that the Quran was revealed to Muhammad twice:

• The “immediate revelation”, at the Cave of Hira on the first Laylat al-Qadr in 610 CE;
• The “gradual revelation” of Meccan and Medinan surat over the succeeding 23 years.

The Quran uses the word anzal ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) which justifies “immediate revelation”, according to Allamah Tabatabai.<ref name="Allamah">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some others believe that the revelation of Quran occurred in two different phases, with the first being its entire revelation on Laylat al-Qadr to the angel Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic) in the lowest heaven, and then the subsequent verse-by-verse revelation to Muhammad from Gabriel.<ref name="Religious Celebrations"/> The first surah revealed were the first seven āyat (verses) of Sūrat al-ʿAlaq ( {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Muhammad would usually practice spiritual retreat (Iʿtikāf) during the last ten days of Ramadan, awaiting the Night of Power, fasting and praying throughout the night, and abstaining from sexual relations. He urged his followers to do the same as one hadith notes: "Whoever stands [in prayer] during the Night of Power out of belief and seeking reward, his previous sins are forgiven." (Sahih al-Bukhari 1901)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Nasr 2015 p.1539"/>

Date

The specific date of Laylat al-Qadr is not mentioned in the Quran.<ref>Islam and state in Sumatra: a study of seventeenth-century Aceh. p. 128.</ref><ref>Marjo Buitelaar. Fasting and feasting in Morocco: women's participation in ramzan. p. 64.</ref> Muhammad said God told him the exact date in a dream, but as he went to tell his companions about it, he saw two people fighting and God made him forget the date.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

According to the Islamic calendar, an Islamic day begins at Maghrib prayer (sunset). The Night of Power thus spans Maghrib to Fajr prayer the following dawn.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Sunni Islam

Sunni Muslims believe Laylat al-Qadr is most likely one of the odd-numbered nights among the last ten of Ramadan (i.e., the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, or 29th). Some scholars opine the odd-numbered night falling on a Friday is the year’s Laylat al-Qadr.<ref name="Arefi">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Last five odd nights	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1441	15 May 2020, 17 May 2020, 19 May 2020, 21 May 2020 or 23 May 2020
1442	4 May 2021, 6 May 2021, 8 May 2021, 10 May 2021 or 12 May 2021
1443	22 April 2022, 24 April 2022, 26 April 2022, 28 April 2022 or 30 April 2022
1444	11 April 2023, 13 April 2023, 15 April 2023, 17 April 2023 or 19 April 2023
1445	31 March 2024, 2 April 2024, 4 April 2024, 6 April 2024 or 8 April 2024
1446	20 March 2025, 22 March 2025, 24 March 2025, 26 March 2025 or 28 March 2025

Shi’a Islam

File:Qadr night in Imam Reza Shrine.jpg

Iranians observing Qadr Night in Imam Reza shrine

File:Qadr night in Jamkaran 2.jpg

Iranians observing Qadr Night in Jamkaran Mosque

Shi’a Muslims similarly believe Laylat al-Qadr to be one of the last ten odd-numbered nights in Ramadan, with the 19th, 21st, and especially the 23rd being most important.<ref name="Oxford" /> The date of 19 Ramadan is the anniversary of Imam ʿAlī’s assassination while praying in the mihrab of the Great Mosque of Kufa, leading to his death on 21 Ramadan.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Shi’a’s say ʿAlī (who is also the fourth Rashidun Caliph to Sunnis) had special insight and intimacy with God on this night. Imam Sadiq is quoted as saying in Tafsir "al-Burhan" (vol. 4, p. 487):

Once Imam Ali was reciting Surat al-Qadr and his sons, Imam Hasan (a) and Imam Husayn (a) were near him. Imam Husayn (a) asked his father: "Father, how come we feel a different sensation when you recite this surah?" Imam Ali(a) replied, "O son of the Prophet and my son! I know things from this chapter that you are not aware of now. When this surah was sent down to the Prophet he asked me to go to him. When I went to him he recited this surah, then he put his hand on my right shoulder and said: O my brother and my successor! O the leader of my nation after me! O tireless fighter with my enemies! This surah is yours after me, and is for your two sons after you. Gabriel who is my brother among the angels informs me of the events of one year of my nation at the night of Qadr. And after me he will give this information to you. This surah will always have a shining light in your heart and in the heart of your successors until the rising of the dawn of the day of reappearance of Qa'im [the one who rises, a title for the Islamic Messiah, Mahdi]."<ref name=":02">Template:Cite news</ref>

Ibn Abbas was meanwhile aware of both the date and day of the week.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book In Islam night precedes day, so that, for example, "the night of the 23rd" is not the night between the 23rd and the 24th but the night between the 22nd and the 23rd.</ref> Hence, Shi’as have generally concluded it falls on the 23 Ramadan.<ref name="Religious Celebrations" />

According to other hadiths, destinies are written on the night of 19 Ramadan, finalized the night of 21 Ramadan, and ultimately confirmed the night of 23 Ramadan.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Two other possible dates for Laylat-al-Qadr are 27 Ramadan and 15 Sha'ban.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

23rd of Ramadan	Gregorian date
1440	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1441	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1442	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1443	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1444	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1445	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1446	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Religious importance

The Night of Power is believed by Muslims to be of uncomparable importance.<ref name="Oxford"/> Blessings received through acts of worship and sharity during this night are said to multiply and thus receive special importance. It is stated that the reward of acts of worship done in this one night is more than the reward of a thousand months of worship.<ref name="Halim">Template:Cite book</ref>

Surah Al-Qadr of the Quran is about Laylat al-Qadr:<ref name="Religious Celebrations" /><ref name="Oxford">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

Devout Muslims practice spiritual retreat (Iʿtikāf) during the last ten days of Ramadan by staying at a mosque throughout the ten days, awaiting the Night of Power, fasting and praying throughout the night, and abstaining from sexual relations. <ref>Habib Rauf (2016), Itikaf: An Introduction. Glasgow Central Mosque.</ref>

To celebrate the Night of Power, Muslim societies lit candles in mosques, offer public charity, and celebrate fast-breaking in communities.<ref>https://www.brandeis.edu/spiritual-life/resources/guide-to-observances/ramadan.html#:~:text=On%20the%20evening%20of%20the,the%20breaking%20of%20the%20fast.</ref> A special form of practise is that to pray 100 rakats. It is further said that whoever practises the Night of Power consciously, will be granted a wish by God.<ref>Aziz, M. A. (2011). Religion and Mysticism in Early Islam: Theology and Sufism in Yemen. Vereinigtes Königreich: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 45</ref>

Special prayers (Shi'a)

Shi'as practice the special prayers (Amaal) of the Night of Qadr every year in mosques, tekyehs, shrines of Imams or children of Imams, Husayniyyas or their own houses. They stay vigilant the whole night until dawn and worship God. The most important practices of the Night of Qadr include congregational prayers, recitation of the Iftitah Supplication, Abu Hamza al-Thumali Supplication, and al-Jawshan al-Kabir, and collective supplications while they keep volumes of the Quran on top of their heads. Other rituals of the night include donations of dawn food, payment of their nadhr for the dead, feeding the poor, and emancipation of financial prisoners.

Since the assassination of Ali occurred in the last ten days of the Ramadan month, Shi'as mourn in these nights.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

See also

• Dehwa d-Šišlam Rabba, The Night of Power takes place during this festival in Mandaeism
• Ehya night
• Glossary of Islam
• Islamic calendar
• Islamic holidays
• Predestination in Islam (Qadar)
• Yaqazah

External links

• Lailatul Qadr: Night of Power
• Laylatul Qadr: The Night of Power in Islam
• Surah Qadr