Laylat al-Qadr: The Night of Decree

Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Decree, is described in a dedicated chapter of the Quran, Surah Al-Qadr, as a night 'better than a thousand months' — a single night during which the Quran states that angels and the Spirit descend, by their Lord's permission, bringing peace until the break of dawn. Islamic tradition holds that this is the night the Quran's revelation first began, and it falls somewhere within the last ten nights of Ramadan, most commonly associated with the odd-numbered nights — the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, or 29th — though its exact date is not specified. Many scholars point to the 27th night as the most commonly favored, while affirming that certainty is deliberately withheld. This uncertainty is understood as intentional, encouraging believers to increase acts of worship — prayer, Quran recitation, dhikr, and supplication — across all of the last ten nights rather than treating only one specific night as significant. Many Muslims observe i'tikaf, a period of seclusion in the mosque, during this window specifically in pursuit of this night, given the Prophet's ﷺ own reported practice of intensifying his worship noticeably during this final stretch of Ramadan.