Night of Decree
The Night of Decree, known as Laylat al-Qadr, is one of the last ten nights of the blessed month of Ramadan. This is the night when the Quran was revealed, and Allah has chosen not to specify the exact date of this night to encourage believers to engage in worship during all ten nights. It is a night of great blessings, where supplications are accepted by the will of God, circumstances can change for the better, and its blessings extend to all who seek them. May we attain the Night of Decree and be blessed in our observance of it.
Most Beautiful Sayings About the Night of Decree
- If Laylat al-Qadr were but one night a year, I would strive throughout the year to attain it, so how much more so for ten nights?
- Some exert themselves in worship on a night they believe to be the Night of Decree, only to find it was not, which may lead to disappointment. It is vital to avoid letting that feeling negate the good deeds performed that night.
- Perhaps a supplication is accepted, a dhikr is elevated, or a prayer is accepted on a night that is not odd, so do not neglect worship on any night.
- Typically, those who solely seek out Laylat al-Qadr to focus their worship may miss its essence, or strife with sincerity during their worship.
- Pray, and if you’re exhausted, read the Quran, and if you’re tired, engage in tasbih (glorifying Allah). When you are done, invoke God, and as dawn approaches, seek His forgiveness, for He is Most Forgiving.
- At the moment of death, one wishes for just one more minute to glorify Allah — here you are, in Laylat al-Qadr, granted the equivalent of eighty-three years. What will you do with this time?
- Prepare for Laylat al-Qadr with sufficient sleep, performing ablution, applying fragrance, and wearing your finest clothes, for it could be the greatest holiday of your life, a day that could mark your entrance into Paradise.
- Allah has referred to Laylat al-Qadr as a night of significance because destinies, provisions, and divine decrees for the year are determined on this night.
- It is also said that it is called the Night of Decree due to the descent of angels, as well as the abundant blessings, mercy, and forgiveness that flow on this night. Those who worship it find their status elevated, and the earth becomes narrow with the presence of angels.
- Worship performed on this blessed night is equivalent to the reward of worshiping for a thousand months that do not contain Laylat al-Qadr, which is an indication of the immense virtue of this great night.
- Allah has tied the attainment of forgiveness on Laylat al-Qadr to two conditions: faith and seeking.
Poetry Inspired by the Night of Decree
Poem: The Night of Decree
This poem is by the poet Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, born in Basra, southern Iraq. He is considered one of the notable poets in the Arab world during the twentieth century and one of the founders of modern free verse in Arabic literature. In his poem about Laylat al-Qadr, he writes:
O night that dignifies years and epochs,
You have stirred the heart, igniting it to a flame.
And how could it not burn?
A heart that sees Islam’s honor reversed.
Witnesses the commandments of God fleeting,
Eroded by the storm, drifting wherever it goes.
Where is the reins that the wind twists?
For many seek death as a goal.
Amongst the mingled dirt and dust,
The clouded haze rises, covering the vale.
Every one of the steadfast in faith,
Holds steadfast, as the arm of tyranny attacks.
As if their swords in every tumult serve,
A bridge to the paradise that they’ve erected.
O Night of Decree, under your shade we take refuge,
If the burning heat has overwhelmed us.
Your memory each year surges through,
From the world of the unseen, calling forth youthful hearts.
Am I Ahmad, struck by their hands,
In abjectness from the enormity of that victory; oh, how surprising!
They scattered across every town,
A people lifting their chains, seeking freedom.
Were it not for remnants of resilient revolutionaries,
In the shade of Oran, they would quench their adversary’s thirst.
You would say, “The plight of Islam in a land,
Was once the beacon of truth, and then it dimmed.”
O Night of Decree, raise the stature of our nation,
O Mighty One, vanquish the devils, make them stand.~
Abdul Kareem, who generously granted his people,
Raised a fallen nation by what he bestowed.
Never did he desire the glory of his revolution,
Unless abominations turned to wretchedness.
They fell into the depths of despair,
Clinging to hope stained with blood.
A bond that tightens the grasp of the devil’s hand,
As it draws the traitorous convicts closer.
How many virgin beauties the rope has slaughtered,
How many arms of children crushed and abused.
O Night of Decree, a light has illuminated the skies,
The depths of the heavens reveal unfathomable wonders.
The spirit flutters gracefully on wings,
White against the universe as if ailments draw near.
The tenderness of maternal affection
Resides in the eyes of virtuous protectors.
And the angels weep and rejoice,
Their melodic cries nearly stunning the stars.
And from the blood of the victims all around,
Flames extend, licking the tongues of the oppressed.
They complain to Allah: the stings of the scorpions,
So He causes blossoms to erupt amidst poison.
And those who fall apart, breaking into pieces,
Bring forth tyranny to the fleeing executioner.
Memories surge like whispers of betrayal,
From the cave of yesterday that fled with its gains.
Yesterday, if we faltered, returned its calamities,
Sought to retain those who love God and His people.
There should be no peace between guidance and tyranny,
Neither tradition nor constancy blinding the eyes from those who besiege us.
Poem: The Night of Peace
This poem is by the poet Abdul-Maati Al-Dalati, who was born in the city of Homs, Syria. He earned his medical degree from the University of Damascus and holds a master’s degree in microbiology. He also pursued a specialization in hematology in Damascus and received a license in Arabic language and literature from the University of Aleppo, while studying Islamic law at the Sharia Faculty of Damascus. He is currently working as a medical laboratory doctor in Homs. He writes in his poem:
Shine, O elegant gift of fate, illuminate the Night of Decree,
Brilliance of days, like a celestial gem
Light up the sky of my life with radiance, amidst the moonlight.
Peace be upon you in the night and until dawn’s light,
A peace that envelops the world, saturating existence with purity.
Spreading the fragrance of the Quran, faith, and all good,
For you are the pinnacle of my desires, and today I am in confusion.
In a dream, or in awareness? Oh, a perplexity of thought!
For who is Qais, who is Layla, who is such a pure longing?
I have cherished you in secrecy—a treasure in my heart,
Preserving your radiance within, it blossomed with joy from my chest.
I disguise it and pour it from the glass heart of perfume,
I accompany it throughout my life, carrying it to my grave.
For you are my desire—love spread throughout my palace,
For your sake, I have composed the most exquisite verses,
Chanting and celebrating it, I drift into the realms of poetry,
From line to line, from verse to verse,
The universe listens eagerly to the rhyme upon my lips,
A colorful rhyme, shaded in pastoral tones of flowers.
For a letter colored in temptation, a letter adorned in beauty;
And I am neither blessed nor gifted, for I have naught but my poverty,
All praise and blessings belong to the Master of my fate;
Who knows—what burden has beset me?
O Lord, have mercy on me—this burden, ah, this burden!
For you are my heart’s wish, for you are the Night of Decree.
Best Supplications for the Night of Decree
- O Allah, I ask You for Paradise and for all actions and words that lead to it, and I seek refuge with You from the fire and from all actions and words that lead to it. O Allah, we ask You for an increase in faith, blessings in our lives, health in our bodies, and abundance in our provisions.
- O Allah, I ask You for the means of Your mercy, the firm resolutions of Your forgiveness, safety from all sins, the bounty of all goodness, and success in Paradise while being saved from the fire. O Allah, leave us with no sin except that You forgive it, no concern except that You relieve it, and no worldly need that brings You pleasure and to which we aspire but that You fulfill by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
- O Allah, make the Great Quran the spring of our hearts, the light of our chests, the solace for our worries, and the means to drive away our sorrows and concerns. O Allah, remind us of what we have forgotten from it, teach us what we are ignorant of, and enable us to recite it and act upon it during the nights and at the edges of each day.
- O Allah, guide us among those You have guided, grant us wellness among those You have granted wellness, take us under Your care of those You have taken under Your care, bless us in what You have given us, and save us from the evil of what You have decreed. For indeed, You decree and none can decree upon You; and he who is embraced by Your favor shall not be humiliated, nor can he be honored who is Your enemy. Blessed are You, our Lord, exalted are You; and to You belongs all praise for what You decreed and gratitude for what You have bestowed. We seek Your forgiveness for all our sins and turn to You in repentance.