Laylatul Qadr: Signs and How to Worship on the Night of Power

Laylat al-Qadr falls in the last ten nights of Ramadan, most likely on one of the odd nights — the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th — and its exact date is deliberately not known. The authentic signs are mostly recognised afterwards: a calm, mild night, and a sun that rises the next morning without strong rays. The way to worship it is to spend the last ten nights in prayer, Quran recitation and supplication, above all the prayer the Prophet ﷺ taught Aisha: "Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul-afwa fa'fu anni."

The night matters because of what the Quran says about it and what the Prophet ﷺ promised: "Whoever stands in prayer on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and seeking reward, his previous sins are forgiven" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1901; Sahih Muslim 760). This guide sets out what the sources say about its date, its signs and how to spend it, and separates what is authentic from what is only popular.

What the Quran Says

A whole surah is named after the night:

"We sent it down on the Night of Decree. And what will make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend in it by permission of their Lord with every matter. Peace it is until the rising of dawn." (Quran 97:1–5)

Surah ad-Dukhan describes the same night: "We sent it down on a blessed night… In it every wise matter is made distinct" (Quran 44:3–4). And Surah al-Baqarah places it in Ramadan: "The month of Ramadan, in which the Quran was sent down" (Quran 2:185). Read together, the three passages establish that the revelation of the Quran began on this night, that the night is in Ramadan, and that its worth exceeds a thousand months — roughly eighty-three years.

The word qadr carries two meanings that commentators draw on: decree, because the affairs of the coming year are set out in it (44:4), and honour or rank, because of the night's standing.

When to Seek It

The Prophet ﷺ narrowed the search in stages. He said: "Seek Laylat al-Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten of Ramadan" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2017). Aisha also reported his instruction to seek it in the last ten (Sahih Muslim 1169). When several companions saw it in dreams in the last seven nights, he said: "I see that your dreams agree on the last seven, so whoever seeks it, let him seek it in the last seven" (Sahih Muslim 1165).

He was also once about to tell the companions the exact night. Ubadah ibn as-Samit reported that he came out to inform them, but two men were quarrelling, and he said: "I came out to tell you of Laylat al-Qadr, but so-and-so and so-and-so quarrelled, and it was taken up. Perhaps that is better for you. So seek it on the ninth, the seventh and the fifth" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2023).

Different nights are attested in different years:

• The 21st. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet ﷺ was shown he would prostrate in water and mud on the morning of the night, and on the morning of the 21st it rained, the mosque roof leaked, and the mark of mud was on his forehead (Sahih Muslim 1167; also in Sahih al-Bukhari).
• The 23rd. Abdullah ibn Unays reported a similar account for the 23rd night (Sahih Muslim 1168).
• The 27th. Ubayy ibn Ka'b swore, without making an exception, that it is the 27th, and gave the sign of the sun rising without rays as his evidence (Sahih Muslim 762).

How the Schools Approach the Date

Because the reports point to different nights, scholars have weighed them differently, and the positions are best read as preferences rather than certainties:

• Hanbali: Imam Ahmad is reported as holding the 27th the likeliest night, relying on the oath of Ubayy ibn Ka'b.
• Shafi'i: al-Shafi'i is reported as inclining to the 21st or the 23rd, relying on the hadiths of Abu Sa'id and Abdullah ibn Unays.
• Maliki: Imam Malik is reported as holding that it moves among the odd nights of the last ten from year to year.
• Hanafi: Abu Hanifa is reported as holding that it falls within Ramadan without being fixed to one night; the 27th is widely observed in lands where the Hanafi school predominates.

Many later scholars, including Ibn Hajar in his commentary on al-Bukhari, preferred the view that it moves within the odd nights of the last ten, which reconciles the different reports. The practical conclusion is the same in every school: anyone who worships through all ten nights has met it with certainty.

The Signs

The sign with the strongest source comes after the night has passed. Ubayy ibn Ka'b, citing the Prophet ﷺ, said: "On the morning following it, the sun rises white, without rays" (Sahih Muslim 762).

A description of the night itself — a gentle night, neither hot nor cold, after which the sun rises weak and reddish — is reported from Ibn Abbas by Ibn Khuzaymah and at-Tayalisi, and was graded sahih by al-Albani. A hadith of Abu Hurayra in Sahih Muslim mentions the moon rising "like half a plate" on that night.

Other signs that circulate widely — dogs not barking, trees bowing to the ground, sea water turning sweet, a light filling the sky — are not established in the authentic collections. Some come from reports that hadith scholars graded weak, and some have no reliable source at all.

Two points follow. Signs are not a condition for the reward: the promise in the hadith is attached to standing in prayer on the night with faith, whether or not a person notices anything. And because the clearest sign is seen the next morning, looking for signs during the night is less useful than worshipping through it.

How to Worship on Laylat al-Qadr

Night prayer. Aisha said that when the last ten began, the Prophet ﷺ "tightened his waist-wrap, spent the night in worship, and woke his family" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2024; Sahih Muslim 1174). She also said he strove in the last ten more than at any other time (Sahih Muslim 1175). There is no prayer specific to the night with a fixed number of rak'ahs; any voluntary night prayer counts, including taraweeh. "Whoever prays with the imam until he finishes, the whole night's prayer is written for him" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 806, graded hasan sahih by al-Tirmidhi).

The supplication of pardon. Aisha asked: "O Messenger of Allah, if I know which night is Laylat al-Qadr, what should I say in it?" He said: "Say: Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul-afwa fa'fu anni — O Allah, You are Pardoning and love pardon, so pardon me" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3513, graded hasan sahih by al-Tirmidhi; Sunan Ibn Majah 3850, graded sahih by al-Albani). Some printed editions add the word karim after afuwwun; al-Albani noted that it does not appear in the reliable manuscripts.

Quran. The night is the anniversary of the Quran's descent. Reciting it with attention, and reading its meaning in your own language, fits the night more than any other act.

I'tikaf. The Prophet ﷺ secluded himself in the mosque for the last ten nights of Ramadan until he passed away, and his wives continued it after him (Sahih al-Bukhari 2026; Sahih Muslim 1172). It is the most complete way to be sure of meeting the night.

Dhikr, istighfar and charity. Remembrance, seeking forgiveness and giving are all general acts of worship that the night multiplies. There is no authentic text fixing a specific sum, form of charity or set litany for this night.

For Someone With Limited Time

Not everyone can stay up ten nights. Working people, parents of small children and the unwell are not asked for what they cannot give.

What is within almost anyone's reach: pray Isha and Fajr in congregation on each of the last ten nights. "Whoever prays Isha in congregation, it is as if he prayed half the night; and whoever prays Fajr in congregation, it is as if he prayed the whole night" (Sahih Muslim 656). Add two rak'ahs before sleeping, and repeat the supplication Aisha was taught. An hour held with attention on every one of the ten nights is more likely to meet Laylat al-Qadr than one exhausting vigil on a single guessed date.

The prayer times page gives Isha and Fajr for your city, and the duas collection has the supplication in Arabic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Laylat al-Qadr always on the 27th night?

No. The 27th has strong support, especially from the oath of Ubayy ibn Ka'b (Sahih Muslim 762), but other authentic reports point to the 21st and the 23rd, and many scholars hold that the night moves from year to year. Concentrating only on the 27th risks missing it.

Can a woman who is menstruating benefit from the night?

Yes. She does not pray, but she can make supplication, remembrance of Allah and istighfar, and give charity. The schools differ on whether she may recite the Quran from memory: the majority do not permit it, while the Maliki school does.

Is it on a different night in different countries?

When Ramadan begins on different days in different countries, the last ten nights fall on different dates. Each community seeks the night within its own count of Ramadan.

Do I have to see a sign for my worship to count?

No. The reward is attached to standing in prayer on the night with faith and hope of reward (Sahih al-Bukhari 1901). Many people who worship on Laylat al-Qadr notice nothing unusual.

What should I ask for on the night?

The Prophet ﷺ chose pardon as the request to teach Aisha. Beyond that, a person may ask for anything good in this world and the next, in any language.

References

• Quran 2:185; 44:3–4; 97:1–5
• Sahih al-Bukhari 1901, 2017, 2023, 2024, 2026
• Sahih Muslim 656, 760, 762, 1165, 1167, 1168, 1169, 1172, 1174, 1175
• Jami' at-Tirmidhi 806, 3513; Sunan Ibn Majah 3850
• Ibn Khuzaymah and at-Tayalisi, on the description of the night; Sahih Muslim, on the half-plate moon