Virtues of Ramadhaan
Laylatul Qadr

HADITH NO. 4

Aa’ishah radhial-laahu an-haa reports that Rasulullah S.W. (S.A.W.) said, “Seek Laylatul Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten days of the month of Ramadhaan”.

                                                                                                               Reported in Miskaat.

COMMENTARY

We come to question: “When is Laylatul Qadr? The above Hadith commands us to seek it among the last ten nights of Ramadhaan. According to the vast majority of authorities, the last ten nights commence on 21st night. Such is the case that whether the month of Ramadhaan consists of 29 days or 30 days, one should seek Laylatul Qadr on the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th night. If the month is 29 days then too, these will be termed as the last ten (Akheer Asharah)

Ibn Hazm has a different opinion, saying that the word Asharah as used in the Hadith means ten. As such the above calculation will only be correct where the month of Ramadhaan consists of thirty days. However, when there are only twenty night days in the month (as often happens), the last ten days in the month will commence with the 29th day and the night being the 29th night. According to this calculation it will mean that the unevenly numbered nights will be the 20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th and 28th night.

(With due respect to a greatly learned Aalim lik,e Ibn Hazm, the majority of ‘ulama do not agree with him, the reason being that I’itikaaf is sunnah during the last ten days of Ramadhaan). All the ‘ulama are unimous that when Rasulullah S.W. went into I’itikaaf in search of haq, he entered the Musjid to commence seclusion on the 21st night of Ramadhaan.

ADVICE
                Though there is great possibility of Laylatul Qadr being on the odd nights from the 21st onwards, there does also exist the likelihood that it should fall during the last ten nights. The best advice one can give here is that one should spend each night from the twentieth onwards in ibaadah, so that one may be sure of having acquired the blessings of Laylatul Qadr. Ten or eleven nights is definitely not so difficult if one looks at the great reward that is granted.

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