Laylat al-Qadr: Difference between revisions

Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power, Night of Value, Night of Measure, Night of Decree) is the best and most sacred night in the year based on Islamic teachings. The exact dateof Laylat al-Qadr is unknown. Shi’a believe that it is the night of 19th or 21st or 23rd of the month of Ramadan or 15th of Sha’ban. Majority of Sunni mark 27th of the month of Ramadan as Laylat al-Qadr. In the Qur’an, Laylat al-Qadr is mentioned in two Suras: Surat al-Qadr and Surat al-Dukhan. The anniversary of Imam Ali’s martyrdom at 21st of Ramadan has increased the importance of these days among Shi’a. According to hadiths, Laylat al-Qadr is not only for the Prophet’s time, rather there is Laylat al-Qadr in every year. Based on these hadiths, Shi’a demonstrated that there must be a living Imam so that the angels who descent on that night would send down on him, an Imam with similar characteristics as of the Prophet (s).

It is said that it was called al-Qadr because the annual fate of every person will be determined by God, as it is mentioned in Surat al-Dukhan verse 4: “Every definitive matter is resolved in it,” and also in many hadiths that indicate the fate of a year for everyone including the deeds, sustenance, births, deaths, etc. is determined in this night. On the other hand, some said that it was called al-Qadr because it is a grand and high-value night, as the noble holy Qur’an was revealed on this night to the Prophet’s heart by an archangel.

Occurrence of some events at this night has increased its importance. The whole Qur’an was sent down on the Prophet’s heart at this night as it is mentioned in Surat al-Qadr: “Indeed We sent it (the Qur’an) down on the Night of Qadr.” Imam Ali (a) was martyred in this night. Shi’a mark this event every year by mourning their Imam in this night besides practicing Mustahab (recommended) acts of the night.

Exegetes of Qur’an believe that the verses of Surat al-Qadr connote that Laylat al-Qadr is repeated every year and it is not the only night that the Qur’an was sent down to the Prophet (s), or the ones in the Prophet’s time. In addition, many hadiths, which are about to be [[Mutawatir]], support this idea.

According to some hadiths, Laylat al-Qadr is one of the blessings of God to the Islamic Nation (Umma). The Prophet said “Allah has bestowed the Night of Qadr to my Umma and non of the past nations have been blessed with this.”

==Laylat al-Qadr in the Qur’an==

Surat al-Qadr, the 97th sura of Qur’an is about Lalyat al-Qadr:

There are hadiths in Shi’a sources that presented the night of Qadr and Surat al-Qadr as evidence for existence of Imam a-Mahdi (a). According to these hadiths, angels were sent down to the Prophet (s) on that night and because the night of Qadr is not only for the Prophet’s (s) time, every year they will be sent down on his successors, Infallible Imams who are the nearest and most similar people to him (s). Here are two of these hadiths:

Imam al-Baqir said, “O, community of Shi’a! Argue with your opponents by Surat al-Qadr, so that you succeed. By God! It (Surat al-Qadr) is about the Proof of God (Hujjat Allah) on people after the Prophet (s) and it (Surat al-Qadr) is the master of your religion and the end of our knowledge.”

Ibn ‘Abbas narrated: Imam Ali said, “There is a night of Qadr in every year, in which the affairs of the year will sent down. There are guardians for those affairs after the Prophet (s).” Ibn ‘Abbas asked, “Who are they?” Imam said “I and eleven of my descendants, [who are] narrating Imams.”

1- In the Night of Qadr the fate of the year was sent down to the Prophet (s). 2- Laylat al-Qadr is not only for the Prophet’s (s) time. 3- There must a person with the same characteristics of the Prophet (s), to whom the angels would be sent down on the Night of Qadr. 4- According to hadiths, this person is an infallible Imam who succeeds the Prophet (s). 5- (Result =) There must be an existent infallible Imam in every time to whom the angels would descent, and presently - according to reliable hadiths - he is no one except for Imam al-Mahdi (a), the last infallible Imam.

===Shi’a Viewpoint===

According to Shi’a hadiths, the Night of Qadr is either 19th or 21st or 23rd of the month of Ramadan. The most probable of the three is the latter. Shaykh al-Saduq said, “ Our elite anonymously said that Laylat al-Qadr is the 23rd of the month of Ramadan.” It is been narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a) that there is Laylat al-Qadr to the Day of Judgment and it is in the month of Ramadan. In another hadith, it is reported that the night of 19th is the night of assessment (Taqdir), the night of 21st is the night of confirmation (Ibram) and the night of 23rd is the night of determination (Imda’).

On the other hand, some Sunni believe that the Night of Qadr was repeated in every year only in the time of the Prophet (s) and after his demise there is no Laylat al-Qadr. Some other believe that the Night of Qadr is an unspecified night in the year. In the year of [[Bi’tha]] it was in the month of Ramadan, but in other years it can be in other months.

There is a complete Sura in the Qur’an describing and eulogizing this night, titled after it - al-Qadr.

Here are some attributes of this night which were mentioned in the Qur’an and hadiths:

- It is better than one thousand month: the Qur’an explicitly denotes this in Surat al-Qadr “The night of Qadr is better than a thousand months.” Imam al-Sajjad (a) says in the 44th supplication of Sahifat al-Sajjadiyya, which is about coming of the month of Ramadan “… Then He made one of its nights surpass the nights of a thousand months, and named it the Night of Qadr.”

- The night of revelation of the Qur’an: according to the verses of Qur’an and hadiths, the Qur’an was sent down as a whole on the Night of Qadr from al-Lawh al-Mahfuz (preserved tablet) to the sky of this world or [[Bayt al-Ma’mur]] or the heart of the Prophet (s). It is extensively explained in [[Quranic Studies]] that there are two revelations for the Qur’an: as a whole and gradual over 23 years of the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad (s). The latter was a verbal revelation unlike the former.

- The night of forgiveness of sins: The Prophet (s) has been quoted, “Whoever stays up the Night of Qadr (performing Mustahab acts) and is faithful and believes in the Day of Judgment, all his sins will be forgiven.”

- The heart of the month of Ramadan: Imam al-Sadiq (a) said, “‘Indeed the number of the months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s Book, the day when He created the heavens and the earth’, the master of the months is the month of Allah, the month of Ramadan, and the heart of the month of Ramadan is the Night of Qadr ….”

- Master of the nights: It has been narrated from the Prophet (s) “The Night of Qadr is the master of all nights.”