One of the excellences of the month of Ramadhan is the existence of a night on which the noble speech of Allah, the Qur’an, was sent down. Allah SWT recorded this event particularly in surah Al-Qadr. (1)

A hadith of Imam Baqir a.s.: “The excellence of a believer who understands what surah Al-Qadr contains over a believer who memorises it or merely recites it is like that of a man over an animal.”

From the hadith above, we see that the imam a.s stressed the importance of surah Al-Qadr very strongly, even giving a very severe comparison. This accords with the following verse:

QS 62 (Al-Jumu’ah):5 “The likeness of those charged with carrying the Taurat, and who then do not act upon it, is that of a donkey carrying heavy books. How evil is the likeness of the people who deny the verses of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.”

So the comparison stated by Imam Baqir a.s. above is not a human invention but comes directly from Allah SWT.(2) It says that those to whom the Taurat was sent and who only recite it without acting on it are like a donkey carrying books. The verse above is Allah SWT’s likeness for the book of the Taurat; what then of the Qur’an, the noble guidance for all the worlds?

Quoting the hadith of Imam Baqir a.s. mentioned earlier: like a man over an animal! Those to whom the holy book of the Qur’an has come but who do not know what the Qur’an contains are surely worse than the donkey, and this is a very severe likeness from Allah SWT.

For this reason, let us read and understand one by one the verses of surah Al-Qadr, in the hope that we are not counted among those Allah SWT likens to animals...!

إِنَّآ أَنزَلۡنَٰهُ فِي لَيۡلَةِ ٱلۡقَدۡرِ

Al-Qadr verse 1 (QS 97 (Al-Qadar):1)

“Indeed We sent it down (the Qur’an) on the night of qadr.”

Qadr in this verse means decree, so the night of qadr is the night on which all the affairs of mankind are decreed.

So when is that night of Qadr? Reports say that the night of Lailatul Qadr falls on the 19th, 21st and 23rd nights of Ramadhan. The strongest report among the ahlul Bayt mentions the 21st and the 23rd nights.

And what of those outside the ahlul Bayt? We recall that every year Nuzulul Qur’an is celebrated on the 17th night of Ramadhan. Allah SWT says in the first verse of surah Al-Qadr: “We sent it down (the Qur’an) on the night of qadr”. So if they say Nuzulul Qur’an falls on the 17th night of Ramadhan, does that mean they say the night of qadr is the 17th night of Ramadhan? It turns out not! If we ask, those outside the ahlul bayt all agree that lailatul Qadr comes in the last ten days of the month of Ramadhan, or the 21st night onwards. So which do they actually hold to be the night of al-Qadr?

Back to the discussion of the sending down of the noble book, the Qur’an, in the month of Ramadhan.

شَهۡرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدٗى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَٰتٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ ٱلشَّهۡرَ فَلۡيَصُمۡهُۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوۡ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٖ فَعِدَّةٞ مِّنۡ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلۡيُسۡرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلۡعُسۡرَ وَلِتُكۡمِلُواْ ٱلۡعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

QS 2 (Al-Baqarah):185 “The month of Ramadhan is the month in which the Qur’an was sent down, as guidance for mankind and as clear proofs of guidance and as the criterion (between truth and falsehood). So whoever among you is present in that month, let him fast. And whoever is ill or on a journey (and does not fast), then (he must make it up) for the number of days he missed, on other days. Allah wishes ease for you and does not wish hardship for you. And that you should complete the number and magnify Allah for the guidance He has given you, that you may be grateful.”

If we look at the closing part of the verse it says wali tukabirullah (magnify Allah) — this is the proof concerning the night of takbir, the night on which Muslims magnify Allah by calling out “Allahu Akbar” all night long. Returning to the opening of the verse, here it plainly says “The month of Ramadhan is the month in which the Qur’an was sent down”. Which Qur’an is meant in this verse?

QS 44 (Ad-Dukhan):2-5 “By the clear Book (the Qur’an). Indeed We sent it down on a blessed night. Indeed We are ever warning. On that night every matter of wisdom is made distinct. A command from Us. Indeed We are ever sending messengers.”

In the surah above it says that the Qur’an was sent down on a night full of blessing; referring to surah Al-Qadr it says “Indeed We sent it down on the night of Qadr.” So the night of Qadr is the night full of blessing.

فِيهَا يُفۡرَقُ كُلُّ أَمۡرٍ حَكِيمٍ

Quoting verse 4, “On that night every matter of wisdom is made distinct” For the word “made distinct” in this verse, Allah SWT uses the word yufroqu, which in Arabic grammar is a verb of the future (fi’lul mudhariq). So the character of that word is continuous, and shows that lailatul Qadr occurs in every month of Ramadhan. And it is in every month of Ramadhan that all the affairs of mankind are sorted out and made distinct.

Abu Dzar asked the Messenger of Allah SAAW, “O Messenger of Allah, Qadr is something that occurred in the time of the prophets, and affairs came down to them (the prophets). Once they have died and you have died, will it be taken away by Allah?” The Messenger of Allah SAAW answered, “No! It continues until the Day of Resurrection.”

Back to the question: which Qur’an was sent down on the night of al-Qadr (per surah Al-Qadr:1) or the night of blessing (Ad-Dukhan:1-2)?

QS 17 (Al-Isra’):106 “And a Qur’an which We have sent down in stages, that you (Muhammad) might recite it to people slowly, and We sent it down by degrees.”

The verse above differs from the two earlier verses, which say the Qur’an was sent down at one time. This verse says instead that the Qur’an was sent down in stages. So which is correct?

In essence the Qur’an can be divided into two groups: verses that have an asbabun nuzul and verses that do not. The verses of the Qur’an sent down without an asbabun nuzul were all sent down on the night of Qadr — for example surah Al-Fatihah and surah Yasiin; neither of these has an asbabun nuzul. All the surahs whose character is instruction or education for the Prophet SAAW have no asbabun nuzul and came down in their entirety on the night of al-Qadr. The surahs that carry an asbabun nuzul were sent down in stages over the twenty-three years of the Messenger of Allah SAAW’s preaching — for example the verses concerning the battles of Badr, Uhud, Mubahalah and so on. If all had been sent down on the night of al-Qadr, that would mean Allah SWT had already recorded all the events such as Badr, Uhud and Mubahalah when those events had not yet happened. That would mean Allah had determined those events from the outset, whereas Allah SWT does not fix those events but knows that they will occur.

وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا لَيۡلَةُ ٱلۡقَدۡرِ

Back to the discussion of surah Al-Qadr. In verse 2 it says “And what will make you know what the night of Qadr is?”

This question is an istifham question (a question that stresses the importance of a thing, event or occurrence). The phrase Allah SWT uses for “will make you know” in the verse above is wa maa adrooka. The occurrences of this phrase in the Qur’an can be counted; Allah SWT uses it only to point to an occurrence or event of the greatest magnitude, for example as in the following surah:

وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلۡقَارِعَةُ

QS 101 (Al-Qari’ah):3 “And what will make you know (wa maa adrooka) what the Day of Resurrection is?”

Is the Resurrection a small event or a great one? There is no small event in the Qur’an; all are great events.

So too in surah Al-Qadr: this shows that the occurrence of Lailatul Qadr is very great. Now Allah asks us, not only the Prophet. We who all this time have taken it lightly, when Allah commanded the Prophet to be serious. It is an extraordinary question from Allah: we are told to be attentive and to understand this surah Al-Qadr, so as to understand the importance of the night of Lailatul Qadr, and then to gain benefit from it.

لَيۡلَةُ ٱلۡقَدۡرِ خَيۡرٞ مِّنۡ أَلۡفِ شَهۡرٖ

Al-Qadr verse 3: “The night of Qadr is better than a thousand months”

If we go back to the general commentaries, they say that the night of al-Qadr is more noble than a thousand months, and this use of a thousand months is taken to mean an extraordinary nobility, so that Allah uses a large number that only Allah can reckon. So what in fact do those commentaries mean to say about the nobility of the night of al-Qadr?!

Imam Shadiq a.s. said, “The righteous deeds performed on that night (Al-Qadr) — prayer, charity, and every other kind of good deed — are better than our deeds over a thousand months of deeds in which there is no lailatul Qadr. If Allah did not multiply it for the believers, not one human being would reach paradise.”

A thousand months is the same as eighty-three years, so a person who prays on that night is better than the prayer of a person over eighty-three years. Here the Imam a.s. states firmly that the thousand does not stand for a large number, but that any good deed we do on that night is better than eighty-three years of our doing — then multiply by three. Were it not multiplied, our worship would never be enough to reach the level of paradise, and Allah the Most Compassionate created the night of al-Qadr to help His servants reach His paradise! Allahu Akbar!

And what of those who do not attain Lailatul Qadr?

QS 66 (At-Tahrim):8 “O you who believe! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance, that your Lord may remove your misdeeds from you and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow, on the day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed with him; their light running before them and on their right, while they say, ‘Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us; indeed You are over all things competent.’”

The verse above says that there are people whose light is not perfect even though they have done good in this world. Why should it not be perfect? This is one of those who did not perform deeds on the night of Qadr. Yet what we rely on at the gathering and in the barzah is that light, and how much or little of it there is depends on how much we have done in this world.

Amirul Mu’minin a.s. said, “Today there are deeds without reckoning; tomorrow there is only reckoning without deeds.” So gather that light as much as you can from now, and let us not become people whose light is not yet perfect.

Amirul Mu’minin a.s. said, “The most wretched person is the one who, when the month of Ramadhan ends, still has sin upon him.” Why? Because this month is the month of dissolving; sin ought to be spent entirely. Those who repent on the night of Lailatul Qadr are likened to a baby newly come from its mother’s womb. The wretched are those who do not make use of Lailatul Qadr. So from now let us strive to attain Lailatul Qadr, and not become one of those wretched people.

Returning to the hadith of Imam Shadiq a.s. above, the imam went on, “Not only does Allah multiply good for the believers, but Allah will replace the evils that are upon them with good.”

So for those who attain Lailatul Qadr, Allah SWT will replace their sins with reward. And what of one who has committed hundreds of sins? Not only are his sins erased, but they are replaced with hundreds of good deeds. Is this possible? This is the generosity of Allah, the Most Compassionate and Merciful. A report says: a man who had despaired of his sins came to the Messenger of Allah SAAW on the night of Qadr. “O Messenger of Allah, who will judge us on the Day of Resurrection?” The Messenger of Allah said, “Allah, the Almighty and the Most Noble.” “Allah who is Karim?” asked the man. “Yes,” said the Messenger of Allah SAAW. “Then I am saved!” said the man. “Why are you so certain?” asked the Messenger of Allah SAAW. “Because the Karim surely forgives,” the man answered. “You are right,” answered the Prophet. Why? Because he was in earnest on the night of Qadr, repenting with the most sincere repentance.

Imam Shadiq a.s. said to the son of Abu Hamzah, “O Ali, tell your father that on the night of Qadr, if he cannot worship sitting, then let him lie down.” The point is not to sleep on the night of Qadr, for fear that when Allah’s absolute forgiveness comes down we should be asleep. A hadith of Imam Shadiq a.s.: “When the month of Ramadhan comes to you, meet it in earnest, for on that night provision is apportioned, and the appointed term is written, and it is written who shall be a guest of Allah in the season of hajj.” A supplication of Imam Shadiq recited after every prayer: “O Allah, truly I ask of You the decree You have determined and determined wisely as something none can alter or exchange. That You write me among those given the chance to perform the hajj at the sacred house of Allah ...”

Why does the supplication above explicitly mention the request for hajj? Of the many deeds good in the sight of Allah SWT, why does the supplication of the month of Ramadhan always ask for hajj? This has to do with a place always longed for by those on hajj, namely Arafah. The Messenger of Allah SAAW said of the excellence of Arafah, “In that place, so long as one does not ask for disobedience, whatever one asks will be granted by Allah.” So the Muslim community is given by Allah the chance to ask forgiveness on the night of Lailatul Qadr and at Arafah. For this reason those who do not manage to attain Lailatul Qadr are still given a chance by Allah SWT at Arafah. So ask to be able to perform hajj and to visit Arafah. May the forgiveness of Allah be ours. Yaa Karim. As for the night of Lailatul Qadr itself, Imam Shadiq a.s. said, “The 19th night is lailatul taqdir, the 21st night lailatul ibrom (the apportioning), the 23rd night is lailatul imdho’ (the confirming).” So there are three important nights of Lailatul Qadr. What if we are not able to worship on all three? A man came to Imam Shadiq a.s.: “O son of the Messenger of Allah, when exactly is the night of Qadr?” The Imam answered, “What is it that makes it hard for you to worship on those nights?” The Imam says to us: with all the mercy and forgiveness of Allah made ready for us, what makes it hard for us to worship on those three nights? While it is never hard for us to disobey Allah SWT!

تَنَزَّلُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذۡنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمۡرٖ

Al-Qadr verse 4: “The angels and the Ruh descend therein by the permission of their Lord for every matter.”

In discussing the verse above we return to Arabic grammar: when a plural word takes alif lam, it indicates all of them. Here Allah says tanazzalul malaikatu, not tanazzalu malaikatu. This means all the angels come down to earth, so that, if we may put it so, the heaven is empty of angels on that night. Then who is meant by Allah SWT with “Ruh”? In the Qur’an translation of the Department of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia it is said that this Ruh is the angel Jibril. A man came to Imam Shadiq a.s.: “O son of the Messenger of Allah, is that Ruh Jibril?” The Imam a.s. answered, “Jibril is an angel.” So what is the Ruh? The Imam a.s. continued, “One of Allah’s creations, greater and more noble than Jibril and Mikail. And never sent down by Allah except after the Messenger SAAW was sent.” What is this Ruh sent down for? It is Allah’s honouring of the Master of the Prophets and Messengers. To know the standing of the Ruh, let us first discuss the position of the angel Jibril in the sight of Allah SWT. What is Jibril’s position in the sight of Allah? QS 81 (At-Takwir):19-21 “Indeed it (the Qur’an) is the word of Allah brought by a noble messenger. Possessed of power, secure with the Owner of the Throne, high in rank. Obeyed and trustworthy.” All the angels of Allah obey Jibril, which means Jibril is the leader of all the angels brought near and is entrusted with bringing revelation. Yet this Ruh is more noble than the angel Jibril. (3)

The question is why Allah SWT sends the angels and the Ruh down to earth. The most numerous of Allah’s creations are the angels. The Messenger of Allah SAAW said, “The number of grains of sand on the face of the earth is nothing beside the number of the angels.” So what do all the angels come down to earth for? According to surah al-Qadr, they come down to record the affairs of mankind. Whoever keeps the night of Qadr alive will have his decree (his affairs) changed by Allah SWT.

Then to whom do the angels and the Ruh descend? Imam Shadiq a.s. asked his student, “To whom do the Ruh and Jibril and all the angels come down to earth?” His student answered, “To us believers, O son of the Messenger of Allah.” The Imam a.s. answered, “How great would Allah be, to send down His chosen creatures to filthy people such as you.” It would indeed be a wonderful thing if it were true that the angels descend to the believers.

QS 2 (Al-Baqarah):30 “And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed I am placing a vicegerent on the earth.’ They said, ‘Will You place on the earth one who will cause corruption there and shed blood, while we glorify You with praise and sanctify You?’ The Lord said, ‘Indeed I know better what you do not know.’”

The verse above states that the absolute right to choose a vicegerent belongs to Allah SWT (see Arkanul Imam). Allah does not say Adam or man but says vicegerent. This shows how important the position of vicegerent is for mankind; that is why Allah does not name His creature but names the office first. It means Allah puts the vicegerent before the creature.

QS 2 (Al-Baqarah):31 “And He taught Adam the names, all of them... ” Did Allah use an intermediary in teaching those names? No! Why? Because Adam is the vicegerent of Allah.

قَالَ يَـٰٓـَٔادَمُ أَنۢبِئۡهُم بِأَسۡمَآئِهِمۡۖ فَلَمَّآ أَنۢبَأَهُم بِأَسۡمَآئِهِمۡ قَالَ أَلَمۡ أَقُل لَّكُمۡ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَمُ غَيۡبَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَأَعۡلَمُ مَا تُبۡدُونَ وَمَا كُنتُمۡ تَكۡتُمُونَ

QS 2 (Al-Baqarah): 33 “Allah said: ‘O Adam, inform them of those names!...’ ” Here Allah uses the word anbi’hum (inform) and not alimhum (teach), so the vicegerent informs the angels (of the names), which means the position of the vicegerent is above the position of the angels.

QS 2 (Al-Baqarah): 34 “And (remember) when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate to Adam.’...” Allah commanded the angels to prostrate — not a prostration of obedience but a prostration of honour. So the angels serve the vicegerent of Allah on the face of the earth.

Accordingly, if we ask to whom all the angels and the Ruh come on the night of Qadr, it is of course to the vicegerent of Allah on the face of the earth.

On this, Amirul Mu’minin a.s. said, “Indeed lailatul Qadr comes every year. And on that night the affairs of one year come down. Those affairs are given to a person after the Messenger of Allah.” Ibn Abbas asked, “Who are they, O Amirul Mu’minin?” Amirul Mu’minin a.s. answered, “I, and eleven from my loins.”

Imam Baqir a.s.: “O my followers, argue with those who are against the ahlil bayt by means of surah Al-Qadr.” Which argument? Namely, ask them: to whom do those angels come down to earth? Were they to answer, to the believers — O Allah, is it possible that the angels should serve ordinary people?!

QS 66 (At-Tahrim):6 “O you who believe, guard yourselves and your families against a fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are angels harsh and severe, who do not disobey Allah in what He commands them and who do what they are commanded.”

The verse above states that the angels always obey Allah. Then will the angels be sent down to people full of disobedience, when they themselves have never disobeyed in the least? Of course it is impossible!!!

Then where do the angels go? The records they have gathered concerning mankind they hand to the vicegerent of Allah, Imam Mahdi a.s., for correction. The Imam a.s. will lessen the afflictions of his followers and change what he wills, because this is his absolute right as the vicegerent of Allah, before those records are taken to Allah SWT. For this reason do not forget to recite the Du’a Al-Ahad on lailatul Qadr. Let us declare our everlasting loyalty to Imam Mahdi a.s and ask for his presence among us all.

So which deed is best on the night of Qadr?

QS 66 (At-Tahrim):8 “O you who believe, turn to Allah in the most sincere repentance...”

So whoever wishes his sins to be dissolved by Allah and replaced with good, let him repent with the most sincere repentance (taubatan nasuha) and not return to those sins again.

Imam Shadiq a.s. said, “When a servant repents to Allah, Allah loves him, and Allah will cover that servant’s faults.” The Imam’s student asked, “And what of the Day of Resurrection?” The Imam a.s. answered, “Allah makes the recording angel forget what he recorded.”

How do we know whether or not we have attained Lailatul Qadr?

The answer is the presence of a migration in our hearts — whether we feel an increase in worship, an increase in conviction, an increase in trust. These are the signs of one who has received a spark of Lailatul Qadr. Can we be certain of the presence of that change in ourselves?

QS 75 (Al-Qiyamah):14 “Rather, man is a clear witness against himself.”

Only we ourselves can know whether or not we have attained Lailatul Qadr.

= = = = =

(1) It is recommended that in the five daily prayers during this month of Ramadhan one recite no surah other than Al-Qadr and Al-Ikhlas.

(2) That likeness applies not only to surah Al-Qadr, but to all thirty juz of the Qur’an

(3) The sense of ruh can vary: it can mean something Allah breathes into us, it can also be another name for the Prophet Isa a.s, it can also be ruhul amin (Jibril), but the Ruh here is the name of a created being.