Laylat al-Qadr | |
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Reading Qur'an is one of the key observances of the Qadr night.
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Official name | ليلة القدر (Night of Decree) |
Also called | Night of Power, Night of Value, Night of Destiny, or Night of Measure |
Observed by | Muslims |
Significance | Night the Quran was revealed; Angels descend to the earth and the annual decree is revealed to them; Better than 1000 months of worship |
Observances | Night prayers, Reading Quran, Making Dua, Doing Dhikr, Observing Iʿtikāf |
Date | See text |
Laylat al-Qadr (Arabic: لیلة القدر) (also known as Shab-e-Qadr , loaned from Persian), variously rendered in English as the Night of Decree, Night of Power, Night of Value, Night of Destiny, or Night of Measures, is in Islamic belief the night when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It is one of the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. Muslims believe that on this night the blessings and mercy of Allah are abundant, sins are forgiven, supplications are accepted, and that the annual decree is revealed to the angels who also descend to earth.
Muslims believe that Laylat al-Qadr was the night when the Quran was revealed to Muhammad from Allah. Most Muslims believe that revelation of the Quran occurred in two phases, with the first phase being the revelation in its entirety on Laylat al-Qadr to the angel Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic) in the lowest heaven, and then the subsequent verse-by-verse revelation to Muhammad by Gabriel, across 23 years. The revelation started in 610 CE at the Hira cave on Mount Nur in Mecca. The first Sura that was revealed was Sūrat al-ʿAlaq (in Arabic العلق). During the first revelation the first five verses of this Sura, or chapter, were revealed.
Muslims often offer extra prayers, particularly the night prayer. They hold a vigil, pray, seek Allah's forgiveness and mercy, and hope that their supplications will be accepted on this night. Mostly, they perform tilawat (reading the Quran).