سُورَةُ الْقَدْرِ

The text: Surah Al-Qadr (97), verses 1 to 5 بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ ﴿١﴾ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ ﴿٢﴾ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ ﴿٣﴾ تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍ ﴿٤﴾ سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ ﴿٥﴾

Listen to the recitation while following the text with your eyes, then read the meaning in the next block.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

The name and the context Al-Qadr means "decree", and also "worth, greatness". The scholars differ on the place of revelation: Makkah for the majority, Madinah for others [À VÉRIFIER]. The surah is short, but it speaks of the most important night of the year, which you met in the course "Ramadan and fasting".

The meaning, verse by verse • Verse 1: "We sent it down on the Night of Decree." Allah sent the Qur'an down on this night, which is in the month of Ramadan: "The month of Ramadan, in which the Qur'an was sent down" (meaning of verse 2:185). Ibn Kathir reports, from Ibn 'Abbaas, that on that night the Qur'an was sent down all at once to the lowest heaven, then in parts to the Prophet ﷺ over twenty-three years [À VÉRIFIER]. • Verse 2: "And what will make you know what the Night of Decree is?" The question underlines its greatness. • Verse 3: "The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months." Acts of worship done during this night are worth more than those of a thousand months without it, that is more than eighty-three years. • Verse 4: during this night the angels and the Spirit (Jibriil) descend, by the permission of their Lord, for every matter decreed. Al-Mukhtasar explains that during this night the affairs of the year are decreed; this is one of the meanings of its name. • Verse 5: "It is peace until the rising of dawn." A night of safety, goodness and peace, from sunset until dawn.

How to seek it • The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever stands in prayer on the Night of Decree, with faith and hoping for the reward, his past sins are forgiven" (Bukhari 1901, Muslim 760). • "Seek the Night of Decree in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan" (Bukhari 2017, Muslim 1169). • 'Aa'isha asked what supplication to say if she found it. He taught her: "Allaahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuḥibbu l-'afwa fa'fu 'annii" (O Allah, You are the One who pardons, You love to pardon, so pardon me); reported by At-Tirmidhi (3513) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]. Its exact date is not known with certainty: many seek it on the twenty-seventh night, but the surest way is to seek it on all the last ten nights.

Exercise: prepare now a small programme for the last ten nights of the next Ramadan: which surahs will you recite, which supplication will you say, which charity will you give?

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The surah links two greatnesses: that of the Qur'an and that of the night on which it came down. A night became better than a thousand months because the word of Allah came down in it. As-Sa'di draws a lesson from this: the worth of a time or a place comes from what Allah has placed in it; the Qur'an gives this night its worth, and it can also give worth to our life. The comparison with "a thousand months" shows Allah's generosity towards this community: a single night of sincere worship can surpass a whole lifetime. The hadith of Bukhari 1901 and Muslim 760 states the condition: faith and hope of reward, that is sincerity, not habit. Allah has hidden the exact date of this night. The scholars see wisdom in this: the believer makes the effort during all the last nights, and is not content with only one. The supplication taught to 'Aa'isha shows what to ask for above all: pardon ('afw), the erasing of faults. Finally, verse 5 describes peace: a night when the angels descend, when the believer lives at peace with Allah, with himself and with others.

Lessons to draw from it • Honour the Qur'an: it is what gave this night its greatness. • Seek the Night of Decree during all the last ten nights of Ramadan. • Worship with faith and sincerity, not out of habit. • Ask above all for Allah's pardon. • Make use of the blessed times Allah offers, without putting them off.

Key points to remember • Al-Qadr (97), 5 verses: the Qur'an sent down on the Night of Decree. • Verse 3: better than a thousand months. • Bukhari 1901, Muslim 760: standing with faith and hope, sins forgiven. • Bukhari 2017, Muslim 1169: the odd nights of the last ten. • Supplication: "Allaahumma innaka 'afuwwun…".

The main message A single night, honoured by the descent of the Qur'an, is better than a thousand months: seek it with faith, and ask Allah for His pardon.