The 365 · Sunnah · Day 350 · Special Days
Seeking Laylat al-Qadr in the Last Ten of Ramadan
The hadith
﴿إِنَّا أَنزَلْن٤هُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ﴾. وَقَالَ ﷺ: «تَحَرَّوْا لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ فِي الْوِترِ مِنْ الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ».
Allah says: 'We sent it down on the Night of Decree. What can make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.' (al-Qadr 97:1-3). The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Seek the Night of Decree in the odd nights of the last ten of Ramadan.' (Bukhari 2017)
Svenska: Allah säger: 'Vi sände ner det på Bestämmelsens Natt. Bestämmelsens Natt är bättre än tusen månader.' (al-Qadr 97:1-3). Profeten ﷺ sade: 'Sök Bestämmelsens Natt i de udda nätterna av Ramadans sista tio.' (Bukhari 2017)
al-Qadr 97; Bukhari 2017
The story
ʿĀ'ishah asked the Prophet ﷺ: 'If I find Laylat al-Qadr, what should I say?' He said: 'Say: Allāhumma innaka ʿafuwwun tuḥibbu al-ʿafwa fa-ʿf ʿannī.' (Tirmidhi 3513) Memorize it.
Why it's here
One night, better than 83 years of worship. Hidden in the last 10 of Ramadan, most likely on an odd night (21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th). The believer who catches it has won the lottery of lifetimes.
Try it today
Last 10 of Ramadan: iʿtikāf if possible; if not, intensify night prayer, Qur'an, dhikr, duʿāʾ. Use ʿĀ'ishah's duʿāʾ: 'Allāhumma innaka ʿafuwwun tuḥibbu al-ʿafwa fa-ʿf ʿannī.' Every odd night, treat as if it is THE night.
In your day
Schedule the last 10 of Ramadan as work-light. Sleep less; pray more. Even one hour of qiyām on Laylat al-Qadr exceeds a lifetime of regular nights.
A reflection to carry
Laylat al-Qadr is the year's spiritual summit. Plan the entire last 10 of Ramadan around it.
Read the longer reflection
The Special Days cluster reaches its peak here. Laylat al-Qadr's mathematics defy comprehension: one night, 83 years of worship. The Prophet ﷺ concentrated his efforts; the Sahaba followed; the saints of the Ummah have continued. May Allah let us catch this night, every year of our remaining life, and may He write for us its reward.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari, Tirmidhi. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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