Surah Qadr (The Surah about Laylat ul Qadr)

Context of Revelation (شان نزول)

According to a narration, a worshipper from among the Children of Israel used to worship Allah the whole night, and as soon as the dawn broke, he would arm himself and fight the whole day. This continued consecutively for a thousand months. This Surah was thus revealed. This shows the superiority of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, and that the Night of Qadr is a special characteristic of this ummah. [Mazhari]. 

It comes in a hadith in the Muwatta of Imam Malik R.A. that the Messenger ﷺ used to look at the longer lives of the earlier people and was saddened when pondering over the much shorter lives of his own Ummah. If his Ummah had wished to compete with the people before them in piety and Taqwa, because of their shorter lives it would be impossible for them to either emulate or surpass them. To compensate for the difference in their life span, Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala out of His great Muhabbat and Infinite Mercy and Bounty granted them this great night of honour, grandeur and blessings. None of the previous Ummahs were given the gift of Laylat ul Qadr. 

How is Surah Qadr connected to Surah Alaq?
1-Surah Alaq tells us how revelation began. Surah Qadr tells us when it began.

2- In Surah Alaq, Allah said He taught the human being what he could not have known, and here Allah says what will make you know what Laylat ul Qadr is? It implies that we don't have complete knowledge. Only Allah has the true knowledge of everything.

3-Allah said واسجد واقترب make sajdah and come close to Allah. In this Surah, Allah tells us about Laylat ul Qadr, which  is the best night to draw closer to Allah.

4- Surah Alaq began with اقرا recite! Surah Qadr tells us what to recite i.e. the Qur'an, and tells us that the Quran was revealed in the night of Qadr.

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ - 97:1
We have sent it (the Qur'an) down in the Night of Qadr. [1]

انّا = Indeed, We...

In this opening short verse, Allah praises Himself (the source of revelation), the revelation (Qur'an), and the night on which it was revealed (Laylat ul Qadr).

Why does Allah use the plural form "We"?
The pronouns used for Allah in the Quran are: (He)انا، (We) نحن، انت(I)، هو (You)

Of all of these, only نحن is plural, and all the other are singular. This obviously is not used in the literal sense and does not imply that there are multiple gods. The word نحن is usually followed by either the word Allah or Rabb, which are both singular. This makes it clear that Allah is only one, so there is no argument of singularity or plurality of God. 
It is used figuratively as a show of Allah's power and royalty. Think of the language of kings (We intend this, We have ordered this, We shall do this etc.) Whenever Allah talks about His power and majesty, He uses We e.g. creating all existence. Allah also uses We whenever He mentions sending something down from the sky e.g. sending and safeguarding revelation, providing sustenance and rizq to all creation,  sending water and rain to the Earth.  

Singular pronouns are used usually when Allah is expressing His extreme mercy. It is an informal, personalized and emotionally charged expression.  Allah uses "I" whenever He mentions ibadah, tawbah, dua etc. to show that He is close to the believers and in proximity to them. Allah does not want the believers to think that He is a distant entity, beyond their reach.

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ- 40:60

And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you."

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ - 2:186

And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَبَيَّنُوا فَأُولَٰئِكَ أَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ وَأَنَا التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ - 2:160

Except for those who repent and correct themselves and make evident [what they concealed]. Those - I will accept their repentance, and I am the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.

Indeed, We sent "it" down.
It is a pronoun. We commonly do not use a pronoun unless the noun has already been mentioned before e.g. if someone says to you: Make sure you dont forget it. You will naturally ask, "What do you mean by it?"
But Allah begins the Ayah with the pronoun "it". Why?This surah was revealed a long time after the first revelation, and the people were already well acquainted with the Qur'an. This The Qur'an was the focus of all the people.There was no neutral reaction towards the Qur'an. The believers loved the Qur'an and were willing to die for it, and the disbelievers hated the Qur'an and were willing to kill for it. So, the subject matter was so universal that it was apparent to everyone that "it" referred to the Qur'an. 

LITERARY GEM: انزلنا vs نزّلنا. 
Commonly, both verbs are translated as "we sent it down" but they are different.
انزلنا is from Baab Ifaal and it points to something that is done at one time. It gives the implies that the whole Qur'an was revealed together at one time in Laylah tul Qadr.
نزّلنا is Baab tafeel. It refers to something that is done gradually and takes time.
e.g. علّم is from Baab Tafeel and it means: to teach (something that happens over time) and اعلم is from Baab Ifaal and it means: to inform (something that happens in one go entirely)

We know that the Quran was revealed over a span of 23 years. So, why was انزلنا used? 
Allah sent the Qur'an down all at one time انزلنا from the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) to the House of Might (Baytul-`Izzah), which is in the heaven of this world. Then it came down in parts to the Messenger of Allah نزّلنا based upon the incidents that occurred over a period of twenty-three years.
Also, the first revelation, consisting of the opening verses of Surah Alaq, was in the month of Ramadan on the Night of Qadr, when the Messenger of Allahﷺ was in the cave of Hira. The rest of the Qur'an was revealed little by little according to the need of different occasions. (MQ)

The disbelievers had the objection that why wasn't the Qur'an revealed all at once? Why was it gradually revealed to them? The reason is that the people would have become overwhelmed if the Qur'an had been revealed at once. It requires time and effort for Qur'an to be understood, internalised and put into action. The Qur'an cannot be studied casually like a book, but requires deep reflection.

ليلة القدر 

Meaning of the Night of Qadr

Qadr is commonly translated as the Night of Power. But, it has multiple interpretations, all of them being correct.

1- It means 'power, greatness, status, honour and dignity'. 


مَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ - 22:74

They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.

Its a night of great honour and nobility. Allah SWT, who has the highest status, chose to  reveal the greatest of revelation (Qur'an),  to the greatest of Prophets, through the greatest of angels Jibril AS, in the night that has the highest status.

Allah sent the Qur'an down all at one time from the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz) to the House of Might (Baytul-`Izzah), which is in the (first) heaven of this world. Then it came down in parts to the Messenger of Allah based upon the incidents that occurred over a period of twenty-three years.

Another interpretation is that the first revelation, consisting of the opening verses of Surah Alaq, was revealed in the month of Ramadan on the Night of Qadr, when the Messenger of Allahﷺ was in the cave of Hira. The rest of the Qur'an was revealed little by little according to the need of different occasions. 

A person becomes a man of honour and dignity on account of his repentance and righteous acts during this night, while prior to this he might have lacked honour and dignity because of leading a life of disobedience. 


2- Qadr also means 'predestination, decree, estimation and determination'. The night is so called because the destiny of individuals and nations that was in the knowledge of Allah, is assigned to the relevant angels who are appointed to carry out these tasks. Every man's age, death, sustenance, rain and other things are measured out to the angels to be implemented for a complete year from one month of Ramadan to another. All angels are delegated different divine commandments by Allah. It is amazing that Allah chose this night for our decree, because this is the night when people will be engaged in worship and dua to Allah. Allah could have chosen any night, but He chose a night in which we would feel closest to Allah.

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنذِرِينَ - 44:3

Indeed, We sent it (Qur'an) down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind].

فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ - 44:4

On that night is made distinct every precise matter -

أَمْرًا مِّنْ عِندِنَا ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ - 44:5

[Every] matter [proceeding] from Us. Indeed, We were to send [a messenger]

3- It also means 'the night of appreciation and value'. In this night, whoever worships Allah, Allah does qadr(appreciates it) so much that He counts this worship as better than a thousand months. The actions of this night are magnified and multiplied and have great value in the sight of Allah. Also, those who truly seek to recognise Allah will find a great appreciation of Allah in this night.

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that :

The Messenger of Allah [SAW] said: "Whoever stands (in he voluntary night prayer of) the Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven." (Sunan Nasai)

4- It also means 'constriction, restriction or congestion'. e.g. Qadr is used in the Qur'an when Rizq becomes tight and restricted for someone. 

أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ - 39:52

Do they not know that Allah extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]? Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.

So many angels descend on the Earth on this night that the heavens and the earth become constricted. The quantity of angels on the Laylat ul Qadr is more than the pebbles on Earth.

The Messenger of Allah sws said narrating about the journey of ‘Isra wal Miraaj, “Then I was shown Al-Bait-al-Ma'mur (i.e. Allah’s House). I asked Jibril AS about it and he said, This is Al Bait-ul-Ma'mur where 70,000 angels perform prayers daily and when they leave they never return to it (but always a fresh batch comes into it daily).”- Sahih Bukhari & Muslim

One of the signs of Laylat ul qadr is that in the following morning, the sun appears bright but has no rays, and the reason could be the descent of angels.

When does the Night of Qadr occur?

It is explicitly stated in the Qur'an that the Night occurs in the blessed or auspicious month of Ramadan, but its exact date has not been disclosed. As a result, it is disputed and debated among scholars. There are about forty opinions recorded.  The most authentic opinion is that the Night of Qadr occurs in the last ten nights of Ramadan. It could be any of the last ten odd nights: 21, 23, 25, 27 and 29. All the Traditions pertaining to the date of the Night are authentic, and there is no need for any convoluted interpretation. The safest method is to find the Night of Qadr in all the last 10 nights of Ramadan. (MQ)

Narrated `Aisha: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan." (Bukhari)

Narrated `Aisha:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to practice I`tikaf in the last ten nights of Ramadan and used to say, "Look for the Night of Qadr in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan (Bukhari)

Narrated Aisha: With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet (ﷺ) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work hard) and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers. (Bukhari)

Narrated 'Ubada bin As-Samit: The Prophet (ﷺ) came out to inform us about the Night of Qadr but two Muslims were quarreling with each other. So, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I came out to inform you about the Night of Qadr but such-and-such persons were quarreling, so the news about it had been taken away; yet that might be for your own good, so search for it on the 29th, 27th and 25th (of Ramadan). (Bukhari)

 Ubaadah bin Saamit (ra) reports that he asked the Prophet ﷺ about “Laylatul Qadr”. He replied: “It is in Ramadhan, during the last ten days, on the unevenly numbered nights, either the 21st 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th or the last night of Ramadhan. Whosoever stands in “Ibaadah” on this night, with sincere faith and with genuine hopes of gaining reward, his previous sins will be forgiven. Among the signs of this night is that it is a serene, quiet, shining night, neither hot, nor cold but temperate as if a moon is shining clear, and no meteors are shot at the “Shayateen” on that night; it lasts until the break of the dawn. Another sign is that at morn, the Sun rises without any radiant beams of light, appearing rather like the moon in its fullness. On that day, Allah prohibits the “Shayateen” from rising up with the Sun.”Reported by Ahmad (23145) and Al-Haithami said that the transmitters are trustworthy.

Why was the knowledge of the precise date of Laylat ul Qadr kept hidden?

Not having the exact knowledge of Laylat ul Qadr is a gift from Allah. There are many benefits of not knowing the exact night:

1. Anything that is valuable in the sight of Allah, Allah does not disclose its exact time and place. He makes us search and strive for it because the juice is worth the squeeze. For example, Allah told us to guard prayers, especially the middle prayer, but didn't specify what the middle prayer is. Allah told us to prepare for death but did not reveal to us the time and place of our deaths. Allah told us there is a special time in Jumuah when duas are accepted, but He kept the knowledge hidden. So, the major benefit is to make us search for Laylat ul Qadr in all the nights so that we earn extra reward by turning to Allah.  Imagine if someone offers a million dollars to us for praying for ten nights, who would refuse that offer? Allah is offering us a reward of more than a thousand months! The sad reality is that if Allah had specified the date, the masjid would have been empty in all the remaining nights. 

2. Imagine you spend 10 days with a friend, and after that you have to part with them. You will have developed such a strong bond with them in those days that you will miss them sorely. Allah wants us to spend the complete ten nights with Him so that we develop such a strong relationship with Him that we miss him after these nights are over. Regular Ibadah in these nights will make it easy for us to turn to Allah after Ramadan is over


3. Also, if someone ignored Laylat ul Qadr and kicked it to a side even after knowing the exact date, imagine what loss he would have been in? It is a mercy that Allah kept the knowledge hidden, so we wouldn't be of the unfortunate ones. 

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ - 97:2
And what may let you know what the Night of Qadr is? [2]

وما ادراك
ما is used for تعجب: to give you a sense of awe. It is a rhetorical device to gain attention and place emphasis. It gives the meaning: What in the world could possibly make you realise what Laylat ul Qadr really is? 
Allah does not emphasise here on when the night occurs but rather on what the night is i.e. its significance!
Allah sometimes uses past sense and sometimes the future tense with ما. Here, Allah uses past tense ادراك. Whenever Allah uses the past tense, Allah usually gives the answer in the following verses. Whenever Allah uses the future tense يدريك , He usually does not give an explanation after that. The rest of the Surah explains what Laylat ul Qadr is!

Also, in Arabic, using a noun is more powerful than alluding to it by using a pronoun. Allah  uses the phrase ما ادراك at multiple places in the Qur'an. It is usually followed by a direct answer without attaching a noun or pronoun e.g. نار حاميه instead of saying that "It is نار حاميه"
This is the only place in the Qur'an where Allah repeats the noun by saying ليلة القدر خير من الف شهر. Allah repeated 'Laylat ul Qadr' to add emphasis to it.

لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ - 97:3
The Night of Qadr is much better than one thousand months. [3]


The Value and Importance of the Night 

What is meant by better than a thousand months? The rewards and barakah of deeds we do on this night is better  than a thousand months. If we take it literally, a thousand months is approximately 83 years. The average lifespan for men in developed countries is less than that! So the reward of this night is even more than our lifespan. 
According to some, 'a thousand months' is used metaphorically and it does not signify a precise number, but actually denotes eternity. Allah alone knows how much more the reward is multiplied. SubhanAllah! So, we should use this night to do as many good deeds and ibadah as we can. 

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever fasted the month of Ramadan out of sincere Faith (i.e. belief) and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his past sins will be forgiven, and whoever stood for the prayers in the night of Qadr out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven ." (Bukhari)

Anas Bin Maalik (ra) said: “Ramadhaan began so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Verily this month has arrived upon you and in it is a night that is better than 1000 months. The one who is deprived of it has been deprived of all Goodness and only the deprived person is deprived of it.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah (1644). Also narrated by Ahmad and An-Nasaa’i from Abu Hurairah (ra)

It is recommended to supplicate often during all times, especially during the month of Ramadan, in the last ten nights, and during the odd nights of it even more so. 

Sayyidah 'A'ishah once asked the Messenger of Allah what supplication she should make if she finds the Night. The Messenger of Allah advised her to make the following supplication:

 اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ كَرِيمٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
"O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so do pardon me. (Tirmidhi)

تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ - 97:4
The angels and the Spirit descend in it, with the leave of your Lord, along with every command. [4]

Descent of the Angels and the Spirit with Divine Decrees
Ruh refers to the angel Jibril AS, and he is mentioned separately to distinguish his elevated status from other angels. Jibril AS is mentioned multiple times in the Qur'an. 

Say, "Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel - it is [none but] he who has brought the Qur'an down upon your heart, [O Muhammad], by permission of Allah , confirming that which was before it and as guidance and good tidings for the believers. Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael - then indeed, Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers. (2:97-98)

And indeed, the Qur'an is the revelation of the Lord of the worlds. The Trustworthy Spirit (Jibreel) has brought it down (26:192-193)

[That] indeed, the Qur'an is a word [conveyed by] a noble messenger (Jibreel AS). [Who is] possessed of power and with the Owner of the Throne, secure [in position]. Obeyed there [in the heavens] and trustworthy. (81:19-21)

He witnessed the beginning of creation, communicated with and brought revelation to the prophets, and he only descends on Earth for tasks of immense importance. Jibril AS descends every year on Laylat ul Qadr, and this reflects the eminent status of this blessed night. 
1. All the angels bring down, during the Night of Qadr, the decree for everything destined to occur in the coming year. 
2. The angels descend with Allah's blessings and mercy, just like when they descend when the Qur'an is recited (they surround the circles of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and they lower their wings with true respect for the student of knowledge.) The descent of angels is itself a sign and reflection of Allah's mercy. The number of angels are infinite and imagine that all of them descend on this night!

Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah 's Apostle said, "Allah has some angels who look for those who celebrate the Praises of Allah on the roads and paths. And when they find some people celebrating the Praises of Allah, they call each other, saying, "Come to the object of your pursuit.' " He added, "Then the angels encircle them with their wings up to the sky of the world." He added. "(after those people celebrated the Praises of Allah, and the angels go back), their Lord, asks them (those angels)----though He knows better than them----'What do My slaves say?' The angels reply, 'They say: Subhan Allah, Allahu Akbar, and Alham-du-li l-lah, Allah then says 'Did they see Me?' The angels reply, 'No! By Allah, they didn't see You.' Allah says, How it would have been if they saw Me?' The angels reply, 'If they saw You, they would worship You more devoutly and celebrate Your Glory more deeply, and declare Your freedom from any resemblance to anything more often.' Allah says (to the angels), 'What do they ask Me for?' The angels reply, 'They ask You for Paradise.' Allah says (to the angels), 'Did they see it?' The angels say, 'No! By Allah, O Lord! They did not see it.' Allah says, How it would have been if they saw it?' The angels say, 'If they saw it, they would have greater covetousness for it and would seek It with greater zeal and would have greater desire for it.' Allah says, 'From what do they seek refuge?' The angels reply, 'They seek refuge from the (Hell) Fire.' Allah says, 'Did they see it?' The angels say, 'No By Allah, O Lord! They did not see it.' Allah says, How it would have been if they saw it?' The angels say, 'If they saw it they would flee from it with the extreme fleeing and would have extreme fear from it.' Then Allah says, 'I make you witnesses that I have forgiven them."' Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) added, "One of the angels would say, 'There was so-and-so amongst them, and he was not one of them, but he had just come for some need.' Allah would say, 'These are those people whose companions will not be reduced to misery.' (Bukhari)

Sayyidna Anas narrates that the Messenger of Allah said: "When the Night of Qadr occurs, Jibril AS descends on the earth with a huge throng of angels and all of them pray for every servant of Allah, man or woman, busy in salah or dhikr, to be blessed by Allah." [Mazhari]. (MQ)

LITERARY GEMS: 
1. تنزل vs. تتنزل
Note that the Quran is precise, down to the way a word is spelled. It is humanly incapable for us to be as precise. Let's take an example, we use the abbreviation "demo" for demonstration, and "Maths" for Mathematics. In Arabic, we also have abbreviations known as  ادغام فى الصرف e.g. تنزّل is the short version of تتنزل, and using the short term does not affect the meaning. But, using the longer version adds more context and meaning to it e.g. In Surah حم سجدة, Allah says تتنزل because it refers to the angels descending at the time of death, which happens almost every minute. But here, Allah used تنزل because Laylat ul Qadr does not occur every day, but occurs once in a year. The single ت also implies that the act of descending occurs very rapidly and swiftly. It also implies that they come down with a subtle and soft nature and bring peace to everyone.
This precision is one of the marvels of the Qur'an. Recall that the Qur'an was the spoken word, and not the written word, and it is humanly impossible for a human to be so precise and subtle in language.

2. ملاىكة and روح
In the Quran, Allah mentions ملاىكة(angels) and روح(Jibril AS) at multiple places. Where the movement of angels is mentioned in an Ayah, angels are mentioned before Ruh. Jibril AS is described as عند ذى العرش المكين (He is stationed below the Arsh). So, in Surah Naba where angels are described as standing still before Allah, Ruh is mentioned first. In Surah Qadr, Allah mentions Ruh first so this night is so honourable that even Jibril AS descends. Jibril AS only descends for things of great importance e.g. bringing revelation to Nabi Kareem ﷺ

باذن ربهم: by the permission of their Master. The believers are held in such a high regard and status that the angels are waiting desperately to say salaam to the believers. So, they seek the permission of Allah to say salaam to the worshiping believers and permission is granted to them. 

من كل امر 
من means because/from
They descend to initiate the process because of every single command that Allah has issued them for the following year. Whenever Allah mentions the descent of angels to execute the commands of Allah, He always mentions the source of the command i.e. Himself. Allah emphasises on it because in a lot of religions, angels are considered partners or daughters of god. 
امر means everything/every single matter i.e. all commands for the following year.

سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ - 97:5
Peace it is till the rising of dawn. [5]

"Salaam" means that there is absolute peace on this night. It is one of the Asma ul Husna, and Dar us Salam is also one of the names of Jannah, the place of eternal peace. 

The angels are the messengers of peace on this night. Every decision of Allah brings peace to everyone. The night is a security from every harm and calamity. It is security in which Shaytan cannot do any evil or any harm.  

Also, Allah did not say this night is peaceful, rather He said that this night IS peace. So, whoever seeks Allah on this night, will find peace in his heart, and it will be a peace that he has never experienced before.

It is also called the night of peace because angels constantly say Salaam to the worshipers on this night. The blessings of the Night of Qadr are not restricted to any particular part of the night. They start descending at the fall of night and continue till the break of dawn.

Salaam could also be a command from Allah to establish peace in respect of this night, and not do anything against the commandments of Allah.

Sayyidna 'Uthman narrates that the Messenger of Allah said: "If a person performs his 'Isha' salah in congregation, he will attain the blessings of spending half the night in devotion; and if he performs Fajr salah in congregation, he will attain the blessings of spending the entire night in devotion." (Muslim)


Why is Surah Qadr a Makki Surah although the disbelievers were not interesting in reaping the benefits of Laylat ul Qadr?

In the previous Surah, the messenger was being attacked by Abu Jahl. The Messenger ﷺ was desperate to change the hearts of the disbelievers because of his immense love and concern. Dawah is like making a sale. The salesman wants to sell his product and is hoping someone will buy it. The customer thinks that he is in a position of power as he can reject the product. The Kuffaar begin to think that they are like customers and have the upper hand. But Allah SWT makes it clear that if they accept the message, its for their own benefit and if they don't accept it, it is their own loss. Allah is not in need of their acceptance. They are in need of this guidance. Qur'an was revealed in Laylat ul Qadr on this magnificent night and it is a self-evident miracle. The Qur'an is so honoured that the disbelievers should rush towards it, as it is a gift for them. But the disbelievers were rejecting both the Qu'ran and Nabi Kareem ﷺ.