Lailatul-Qadr Quick Guides

4 QUICK GUIDES (from Quran and Sunnah) ON LAILATUL-QADR

1. What is Lailatul-Qadr?

"Verily! We have sent it (this Qur'aan) down in the Night of Decree (Lailatul-Qadr). And what will make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allâh in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months). Therein descend the angels and the Rooh (ie. Jibreel [Gabriel]) by Allaah's Permission with all Decrees, Peace! until the appearance of dawn." [97:1-5]

2. When is Lailatul-Qadr?
"Seek it in Ramadan in the last ten nights. For verily, it is during the odd nights, the twenty-first, or the twenty-third, or the twenty-fifth, or the twenty-seventh, or the twenty-ninth, or during the last night." [(Sahih Hadith) Ahmad 5:318, also in sahih bukhari and muslim in a different way]

3. Why do we seek Lailatul-Qadr?
“Whoever stays up (in prayer and remembrance of Allah) on the Night of Qadr fully believing (in Allah’s promise of reward for that night) and hoping to seek reward (from Allah alone and not from people), he shall be forgiven for his past sins.” [Sahih Hadith Bukhari / Muslim]“The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.” [97:3, The Holy Quran]

Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Seek it (Lailat-ul-Qadr) in the last (ten nights). If one among you shows slackness and weakness (in the earlier part of Ramadan), it should not be allowed to prevail upon him in the last week. [Muslim :: Book 6 : Hadith 2621]

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said " The blessed month has come to you. Allah has made fasting during it obligatory upon you. During it the gates to Paradise are opened and the gates of Hellfire are locked, and the devils are chained. There is a night [during this month] which is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its good is really deprived [of something great]. [Ahmad, an-Nisa'i and al-Bayhaqi]

4. What can we do in search of Lailatul-Qadr?
Al-Bukhari and Muslim record from 'Aishah that during the last ten days of Ramadan, the Messenger of Allah would wake his wives up during the night and then remain apart from them (that is, being busy in acts of worship). A narration in Muslim states: "He would strive [to do acts of worship] during the last ten days of Ramadan more than he would at any other time."Aisha reported that With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet used to tighten his waist belt and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers. [Bukhari]

It is reported from Ãyesha (R.A.): “I said ; O Rasulullah (pbuh), when I find myself in Laylatul Qadr, what shall I say?” Rasulullah (pbuh) replied; Say:“O Allah, You are the One who grants pardon for sins, You love to forgive, thus forgive me.”