Chapter: Laylat al-Qadr
Hadith 1
‘Abd Allah ibn ʿUmar — may Allah be pleased with them both — narrated:
Some men from among the Prophet’s Companions were shown Laylat al-Qadr in their dreams during the last seven nights. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I see that your dreams have all agreed upon the last seven nights. So whoever among you is intent on seeking it, let him look for it in the last seven nights.”
Hadith 2
ʿĀʾishah — may Allah be pleased with her — reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Search for Laylat al-Qadr in the odd (1) nights of the last ten.”
Glossary of unusual terms
1 – ʾUrū is the passive perfect form of ruʾyah (vision).
2 – Laylat al-Qadr is a blessed night in Ramadan. It is called so because of its tremendous rank and honor; it is also said that deeds performed therein are given great weight (qadr). The two meanings are inseparable.
3 – “The last ten nights” refers to the final ten nights of Ramadan, which enjoy special merit and distinction.
5 – tawāṭaʾat originally means “for one man to place his foot where another has placed his.” Here it conveys the sense of one person’s dream coinciding with another’s. Thus tawāṭaʾat and tawāfaqat are identical in both wording and meaning.
Overall meaning
Laylat al-Qadr is a night of immense honor: good deeds performed in it are multiplied, sins are erased, and all affairs are decreed. When the Companions — may Allah be pleased with them — understood its virtue and lofty standing, they longed to know its exact time. Yet Allah, in His wisdom and mercy, concealed it from them so that they would seek it throughout the nights, thereby engaging in abundant worship that would only benefit them. The Companions would see indications of the night in their dreams, and their visions concurred that it falls within the last ten nights of Ramadan. The Prophet ﷺ therefore said: “I see that your dreams have agreed on the last ten nights. Whoever wishes to pursue it should do so in these nights — especially the odd ones among them, for they are the most hopeful.”