Surat-ul-Qadr

B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m
Teachings of the Qur'aan


Al-Qadr
Soorah 97:1-5
Name and Background
Teachings and Commentary
Ayub A. Hamid

The name is taken from the very first verse. The subject matter of the Soorah is the night of the revelation of the Qur-aan, which has been called Lailatul-Qadr – the Night of Qadr. The word "Qadr" has two meanings, both of which are applicable to this night:

Decree, determination, or decision about important matters
High status, magnificence, greatness and grandeur
Thus, we can translate Lailatul-Qadr as the Magnificent Night of Decree.

The purpose of the Soorah is to indicate the greatness of the Qur-aan and the greatness of the night of its revelation.

Reflecting upon the subject matter of these small Soorahs, the wisdom in the placement of the Soowar and their contextual relationship with each other becomes obvious. At-Teen mentioned the human potential for excellence as well as wickedness, and thus the need for Judgment in the Hereafter. It presented Adam and the five greatest messengers from his offspring as superb examples of people who were sent to invite others towards excellence and to get rid of the wicked who oppose such a mission. Al-`Alaq contained the first revelation indicating the appointment of Prophet Muhammad sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam for the purpose and the mission mentioned in At-Teen. And now this Soorah talks about how blessed the night was when that happened.

Teachings
In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

1Indeed We sent it (the first revelation of the Qur-aan) down on the Magnificent Night of Decree. 2And what will make you comprehend what the Magnificent Night of Decree is? 3The Magnificent Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. 4The angels and the Spirit (Jibreel[i]) descend in it by the permission of their Lord for all decreed matters. 5This is the night of peace and lasts until the emergence of dawn.

Teachings and Commentary
1Indeed We sent it (the first revelation of the Qur-aan) down on the Magnificent Night of Decree. 2And what will make you comprehend what the Magnificent Night of Decree is?

Starting the statement "We sent it down" with "Indeed" is to emphasize the fact that it had nothing to do with the desire or expectation of the recipient of the revelation, nor was this revelation sent down by anyone other than Allaah Himself.

The pronoun "it" has been used without being preceded by the mention of “the first revelation of the Qur-aan” to which it refers. For the listeners at the time of its revelation, the object of the pronoun was abundantly clear because sending down of the revelations by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala to the Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam was a hot topic. For subsequent readers, the object of "it" is clear from the words "We sent" but additionally from its placement right after the Soorah containing the first revelation. Thus, the context makes the word "it" point to the immediately preceded first revelation.

The question "And what will make you comprehend what that Night is?" has been posed to emphasize the grandeur and magnificence of that night.

3The Magnificent Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.

"A thousand months" does not necessarily mean 83 years and four months, but it is a figurative expression indicating an extremely long period of time. The revelation of the Qur-aan that happened that night was such a marvellous mercy of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala on the people of the world that it made that night better than thousands of years of human history. It made that night a special occasion to become closer to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. According to the Ahadeeth reported in Bukhari and Muslim from Aboo Hurairah and in Musnad of Aĥmad from `Ubaadah ibn Saamit, whoever spends that night standing up in Allaah’s worship, seeking His Pleasure and expecting His rewards is forgiven all previous sins.

In Soorah Ad-Dukhaan, it has been called "Lailatum-Mubaaraka h" – the Blessed Night.

4The angels and the Spirit (Jibreel[ii]) descend in it by the permission of their Lord for all decreed matters. 5This is the night of peace and lasts until the emergence of dawn.

On this night, Jibreel (Gabriel) and other angels are given the action plan by Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala for execution during the ensuing year. Soorah Ad-Dukhaan mentions this fact as:

"On that night, every wise matter is set forth as a command from Our Presence…"

The question is which night of the year is this blessed and magnificent night? There has been quite a variety of opinions in this matter. However, one thing is certain about it: it has to be in the month of Ramadhaan because Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala has said in the Qur-aan "Ramadhaan is the month wherein the Qur-aan was sent down." (Al-Baqarah 2:185). The majority of the opinions suggest that it is one of the last 10 nights of Ramadhaan. Among them, the strongest reports suggest it to be one of the odd nights; i.e., 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th or the last night of Ramadhaan. From among those, the popular opinion is that it is the 27th night of Ramadhaan. The Prophet sall Allaahu`alayhi wa sallam himself has not given a specific date for this night so that people do not start focusing only on that night’s worship of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala. He has rather encouraged people to dedicate the last ten days of Ramadhaan completely to the acts of worship of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala lest they miss the opportunity of this blessed night. He himself used to stay the last ten days of Ramadhaan in the Masjid in seclusion (performing I`tikaaf).


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[i] Gabriel

[ii] Gabriel


Copyright © 2008 Ayub A. Hamid
All rights reserved

This document may be used, only with this copyright notice included. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on internet forums, and include in not-for-profit publications subject to the following conditions: (1) Material used must be produced faithfully in full, without alteration or omission; (2) The author’s subject title must remain unchanged, in whole or in part; (3) Material must be attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all other rights, which are reserved.

Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur‘aan, not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details. Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur‘aan is in fact only an expression of the translator’s understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur‘aan itself. Only the original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur‘aan.



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Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid is a visionary and strategic Islamic thinker residing in Canada for the last 33 years. His recently published books are:

1. Islam - Does It Make Sense?

2. Unveiling the Commands—The Truth about Hijaab, Khimaar and Jilbaab.

3. Finding A Soulmate - A Guide for Parents and Youth.

4. A Book Unlike Any Other.

5. Islam - Adopting Its Paradigms.

6. Exploring the Islamic Beliefs.


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The following soowar ‘Teachings of the Qur‘aan’ series by Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid, are available on request:-

Al Faatihah

Al Baqarah

Aali ‘Imraan

A Nisaa‘

Al Maaidah

Al An’aam

Al A’raaf

Al Anfaal

At Teen

Al`Alaq



K a r i m a


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