Lessons

Ramadan & Fasting

The nights of Ramadan and Laylat al-Qadr

Discover the blessings of Ramadan night prayers and how to seek the special Night of Decree.

3 short lessons · about 4 min · every point has its source

1. Night prayers in Ramadan

The nights of Ramadan offer a special time to turn toward your Creator in peace. This night worship is known as qiyam, an Arabic word that refers to standing in prayer. In the Quran, Allah describes devoted servants as those who spend part of the night prostrating and standing in prayer before their Lord.¹

During the blessed month of Ramadan, these night prayers hold immense virtue. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ encouraged the believers to pray at night during this month without commanding it as an obligatory duty.² He ﷺ taught that whoever prays at night in Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah will have all past sins forgiven.³

This wonderful promise highlights the intention within your heart. A person who prays during the nights of Ramadan with sincere faith and hope for Allah's reward will have all their past sins forgiven. Praying during these nights with that faithful devotion brings the forgiveness of all your past sins.⁴ Take each step gently at your own pace, knowing that Allah cherishes every sincere effort to seek His mercy.

2. The greatness of Laylat al-Qadr

Laylat al-Qadr translates to the Night of Decree. It is a uniquely blessed night during which Allah sent down the Quran.⁵ Allah makes clear to us that this single night is better than a thousand months.⁶ Knowing this helps us appreciate why believers cherish its arrival each Ramadan.

During this sacred night, the angels and the Spirit descend by permission of their Lord for every matter.⁷ The entire night is peace until the emergence of dawn.⁸ This brings a gentle and tranquil atmosphere for your personal remembrance and heartfelt prayers.

Standing in prayer during this night also brings a profound promise of mercy. The Prophet ﷺ taught that whoever establishes prayers on the Night of Decree out of sincere faith and hoping for reward from Allah will have all previous sins forgiven.⁹ This immense reward comes when worship is done purely for Allah, rather than for showing off to others.¹⁰

As a new Muslim, you might worry that your knowledge is limited or your prayer is imperfect. Take comfort in knowing that the Prophet ﷺ emphasized sincere faith and seeking reward from Allah. If you pray during the night of Qadr with sincere faith and hope for a reward from Allah, all your previous sins will be forgiven.¹¹

3. Seeking the Night of Decree

The Quran was sent down during the Night of Decree.¹² The Prophet ﷺ told believers to search for this blessed night during the last ten nights of the month.¹³¹⁴

In particular, the Prophet ﷺ guided his followers to search among the odd-numbered nights of those ten days.¹⁵¹⁶ These odd nights include the twenty-first, twenty-third, and twenty-fifth nights of the month.¹⁷ In the Islamic calendar, each night begins at sunset, so an odd night starts on the evening before the odd calendar day.

During these final ten nights, the Prophet ﷺ practiced i'tikaf, which means staying in the mosque for devotion and prayer.¹⁸ Standing in worship on this night carries a profound gift. Whoever prays on the Night of Decree with sincere faith and hope for reward will have all previous sins forgiven.¹¹

This night is filled with peace until the emergence of dawn.⁸ You can seek it by praying extra night prayers, reciting the Quran, and making humble supplications. Dedicating time to worship across all the final nights helps ensure you meet this special gift with an open heart.

Sources

1. Quran 25:64 (Al-Furqan)
   And those who spend [part of] the night to their Lord prostrating and standing [in prayer]
2. Sahih Muslim 759b Read it in full
   Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to exhort (his Companions) to pray (at night) during Ramadan without commanding them to observe it as an obligatory act, and say: He who observed the night prayer in Ramadan because of faith and seeking his reward (from Allah), all his previous sins would be forgiven. When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) died, this was the practice, and it continued thus during Abu Bakr's caliphate and the early part of 'Umar's caliphate
3. Sahih al-Bukhari 2008 Read it in full
   Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying regarding Ramadan, "Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven
4. Sahih al-Bukhari 37 Read it in full
   Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "Whoever establishes prayers during the nights of Ramadan faithfully out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's rewards (not for showing off), all his past sins will be forgiven
5. Quran 44:3 (Ad-Dukhan)
   Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind]
6. Quran 97:3 (Al-Qadr)
   The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months
7. Quran 97:4 (Al-Qadr)
   The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter
8. Quran 97:5 (Al-Qadr)
   Peace it is until the emergence of dawn
9. Sahih al-Bukhari 2014 Read it in full
   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
10. Sahih al-Bukhari 35 Read it in full
    Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever establishes the prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's rewards (not to show off) then all his past sins will be forgiven
11. Sahih al-Bukhari 1901 Read it in full
    Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever established prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven; and whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven
12. Quran 97:1 (Al-Qadr)
    Indeed, We sent the Qur'an down during the Night of Decree
13. Sahih al-Bukhari 2020 Read it in full
    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
14. Sahih Muslim 1165f Read it in full
    Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who is anxious to seek it (Lailat-ul-Qadr) should seek it in the last ten (nights of Ramadan)
15. Sahih al-Bukhari 2017 Read it in full
    Narrated `Aisha: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan
16. Sahih Muslim 1165c Read it in full
    Salim reported on the authority of his father that a person saw Lailat-ul- Qadr on the 27th (of Ramadan). Thereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: I see that your dreams agree regarding the last ten (nights of Ramadan). So seek it on an odd number (of these ten nights)
17. Sahih al-Bukhari 2021 Read it in full
    Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Look for the Night of Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan ,' on the night when nine or seven or five nights remain out of the last ten nights of Ramadan (i.e. 21, 23, 25, respectively)
18. Sahih Muslim 1167c Read it in full
    Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observed i'tikaf (confined himself for devotion and prayer) in the first ten (days) of Ramadan; he then observed i'tikaf in the middle ten (days) in a Turkish tent with a mat hanging at its door. He (the Holy Prophet) took hold of that mat and placed it in the nook of the tent. He then put his head out and talked with people and they came near him, and he (the Holy Prophet) said: I observed i'tikaf in the first ten (nights and days) in order to seek that night (Lailat-ul-Qadr). I then observed i'tikaf in the middle ten days. Then (an angel) was sent to me and I was told that this (night) is among the last ten (nights). He who among you likes to observe i'tikaf should do so; and the people observed it along with him, and he (the Holy Prophet) said: That (Lailat-ul-Qadr) was shown to me on an odd (night) and I (saw in the dream) that I was prostrating in the morning in clay and water. So in the morning of the twenty-first night when he (the Holy Prophet) got up for dawn (prayer). there was a rainfall and the mosque dripped, and I saw clay and water. When he came out after completing the morning prayer (I saw) that his forehead and the tip of his nose had (traces) of clay and water, and that was the twenty-first night among the last ten (nights)

Every point in this lesson rests on a verse of the Quran or a hadith, listed above. Hadith come from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, or from other collections only where every listed scholar graded them sahih or hasan. Found a mistake? Tell us.

More on ramadan & fasting

• A day of fasting, from suhoor to iftarLearn how to begin, guard, and break your daily fast with confidence.
• A practice fast before RamadanLearn how and when to try voluntary fasts to prepare your heart and body for Ramadan.
• Fasting when your family is not MuslimLearn how to uphold your fasts while showing gentle kindness and love to non-Muslim relatives.
• If you cannot fast: illness, travel and other reasonsLearn Allah's allowances for missed fasts, feeding substitutes, and how to make up days.