and seeking Allah’s reward, his previous sins will be forgiven” (1). He did not encourage performing ʿumrah on that night; rather, he encouraged it during the month, saying: “An ʿumrah in Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj” (2). Thus, singling out ʿumrah for Laylat al-Qadr, or singling out Laylat al-Qadr for ʿumrah, is an innovation.

Because it has become an innovation, those performing ʿumrah then undergo immense hardship. Some of them, upon seeing the difficulty in circumambulating the Kaʿbah or in the walking between Safa and Marwah, return to their families. We are frequently asked about this: a person comes to perform ʿumrah on the twenty-seventh night, but when he sees the crowds, he exits the state of consecration. Consider how ignorance leads a person to this prohibited act: exiting from ʿumrah without a legitimate religious reason.

Therefore, seekers of knowledge should—in fact, they are obliged to—explain this matter to the people.

As for completing this ʿumrah, it is obligatory, because once he has begun it, it becomes binding upon him. This is like a vow: its initial undertaking is disliked, yet fulfilling it becomes obligatory once a person commits himself to it. It is not lawful for him to exit it. The innovation lies only in singling out ʿumrah for that night.

His statement, “The twenty-seventh night is more emphatic,” means that it is the strongest of the odd-numbered nights, and the night most hoped to be Laylat al-Qadr. Yet Laylat al-Qadr is not confined to the twenty-seventh night.

If someone were to ask: Does a person attain its reward even if he does not know which night it is?