even by a single minute—his prayer would count only as a voluntary prayer and would not discharge his obligation. Accordingly, we urge you to pay close attention to this matter; that is, to take care in determining when the time for the dawn prayer begins. Many muezzins give the call to prayer before dawn, and this is a mistake. Giving the call before the prescribed time is not sanctioned, for the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his family—said, “When the prayer time comes, let one of you give the call to prayer for you.” (1) The prayer becomes due only when its prescribed time begins. Thus, if someone gives the call before the prayer time begins, his call is invalid and he must repeat it. Taking care to ascertain the break of dawn is therefore extremely important in order to observe the prescribed prayer time.

Regarding His saying, Exalted is He, “And by the ten nights,” it has been said that “the ten nights” means the ten days of Dhū al-Hijjah. Here, nights are used to refer to days, for the Arabic language is broad: nights may be mentioned while days are intended, and days may be mentioned while nights are intended. It has also been said that “the ten nights” means the final ten nights of Ramadan.

Those who hold the first view—that the ten nights mean the ten days of Dhū al-Hijjah—argue that these are virtuous days, concerning which the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his family—said, “There are no days during which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” They asked, “Not even jihad in the path of Allah?” He replied, “Not even jihad in the path of Allah, except in the case of a man who sets out with his life and his wealth and returns with neither.” (2)

As for those who say that the ten nights mean the final ten nights of Ramadan, they argue that the primary meaning of nights is actual nights, not days. They also say that the final ten nights of Ramadan include Laylat al-Qadr, concerning which Allah says—