Laylat Al-Qadr (The Night of Decree)
Question:
Salaam, could you please tell me when exactly is "Laylat Al-Qadr" and what should we do on that night? Is it true that all prayers on that night are answered, salam.
Reply:
Indeed, We have brought it down in the Night of Decree. 97:1
Salaam, could you please tell me when exactly is "Laylat Al-Qadr" and what should we do on that night? Is it true that all prayers on that night are answered, salam.
Reply:
Indeed, We have brought it down in the Night of Decree. 97:1
The Night of Decree "Laylat Al-Qadr" was 14 centuries ago, so I am afraid you missed it!
There is no reason given in the Quran to say that this night repeats every year at a specific time of the month. The only reason given in the Quran for regarding this night as a blessed night is that it was the night when the Quran was brought down (97:1), and since the Quran was brought down only once (1400 years ago) then it follows that this night does not repeat every year.
More important, there are no commands in the Quran for us to do anything special on such a night. The claim that this night is the 27th night in Ramadan, or that it is sometime within the last 10 days of the month, is pure guesswork and is not based on any Quranic reference.
As for the claim that all prayers on that night are answered, this claim is also false for the following reasons:
1- This claim assumes that the Night of Decree is a night that repeats every year, but as mentioned above this claim has no Quranic support.
2- Even if we assume (for argument's sake) that this night repeats every year, this claim makes it necessary for us to know which night of the month we should offer the prayers, but this timing (27th of Ramadan) is once again pure guesswork and without Quranic support.
3- To claim that all prayers are answered simply if they fall on a specific night is a claim that clashes with what we know about God’s Justice and God’s Judgement. Various Quranic references indicate that God answers the prayers of believers when they call on Him alone, and also when God sees fit that these prayers should be answered. Nowhere in the Quran do we find any justification that the 'timing of a prayer' (hour, day, or month) can affect its chances of being answered.
Finally, we come to the issue of whether we should be doing anything special on such a night. If God did invite us to do special prayers on a specific night, would God not tell us exactly on which night, or would God leave the matter in the form of a puzzle that we have to solve?
1- This claim assumes that the Night of Decree is a night that repeats every year, but as mentioned above this claim has no Quranic support.
2- Even if we assume (for argument's sake) that this night repeats every year, this claim makes it necessary for us to know which night of the month we should offer the prayers, but this timing (27th of Ramadan) is once again pure guesswork and without Quranic support.
3- To claim that all prayers are answered simply if they fall on a specific night is a claim that clashes with what we know about God’s Justice and God’s Judgement. Various Quranic references indicate that God answers the prayers of believers when they call on Him alone, and also when God sees fit that these prayers should be answered. Nowhere in the Quran do we find any justification that the 'timing of a prayer' (hour, day, or month) can affect its chances of being answered.
Finally, we come to the issue of whether we should be doing anything special on such a night. If God did invite us to do special prayers on a specific night, would God not tell us exactly on which night, or would God leave the matter in the form of a puzzle that we have to solve?
Nowhere in the Quran do we see any invitation to treat any specific night in Ramadan any different from the rest of the month.
The practice of the religion is based on following the Quranic law which is given in clear and straightforward words, rather than it being obtained through guesswork and conjecture.
The practice of the religion is based on following the Quranic law which is given in clear and straightforward words, rather than it being obtained through guesswork and conjecture.