Laylatul Qadr
One night in the year is worth more than a thousand months. This guide covers which nights to seek it, the signs the hadith reports, and exactly what to do when the night comes — timed, as everything here is, by the tahajjud calculator and its last third.
What it is
Allah revealed an entire surah about it: "Indeed, We sent it down in 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 their Lord's permission, with every matter. Peace it is, until the rising of dawn" (Quran 97:1–5, in meaning). The Quran was sent down in it; the year's decrees are carried down in it; and a single night of it outweighs eighty-three years of ordinary nights. It is hidden, deliberately, inside the last ten nights of Ramadan.
Which nights to seek it
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Seek Laylatul Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2017). The odd nights — 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th — carry the search; reports and scholarly weight gather most thickly around the 27th, and that view is widely held, but it remains a view, not a certainty, and the concealment is itself the mercy: it spreads worship across all ten nights instead of one. The strategy the Sunnah models is escalation, not gambling: honour all ten, weight the odd ones, and let the 27th carry your longest night if you need a peak. Our Ramadan guide sets out the pacing.
The signs, as reported
Companions who witnessed it described a night that is calm, serene and temperate — neither hot nor cold — and a morning in which the sun rises pale, without rays (Sahih Muslim 762). Hold these the way the scholars hold them: as reports that describe the night, sometimes recognised in hindsight — never as a gate to pass before worshipping, and never as a reason to sleep through a "signless" odd night. The night is found by those who are awake in it.
What to do on the night
- Pray. Fill what you can of the night with rak'ahs — Taraweeh with the congregation, then Tahajjud in the last third, which on these nights deserves its longest form. Use the wake-up planner with a longer prayer length.
- Repeat the taught dua. Aisha asked what to say if she found it, and the Prophet ﷺ taught her: "Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul-'afwa fa'fu 'anna" — "O Allah, You are Pardoning and You love pardon, so pardon us" (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 3513). Let it run between prayers like a refrain.
- Seek forgiveness and give. Pardon is the night's theme — ask it for yourself and extend it: forgive debts of the heart, and give charity in the dark, where the month's multiplication and the night's concealment meet.
- End at dawn. "Peace it is, until the rising of dawn" — the night closes at Fajr, like every night on this site, only heavier.
More supplications for the hour live on our Tahajjud dua page; the nights themselves are paced in Tahajjud in Ramadan.
Frequently asked questions
Which night is Laylatul Qadr?
It falls in the last ten nights of Ramadan, most sought on the odd nights — the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th. Many scholars and much of the community lean toward the 27th, but the reports keep the search open across the odd nights, and the wisdom of the concealment is that the whole ten are honoured.
What dua should I repeat on Laylatul Qadr?
Aisha asked the Prophet ﷺ what to say if she found the night, and he taught her: "Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul-'afwa fa'fu 'anna" — O Allah, You are Pardoning and You love pardon, so pardon us (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 3513). Repeat it through the night, between prayers and on its own.
What are the signs of Laylatul Qadr?
Reports describe a night that is calm, serene and temperate, and a morning whose sun rises pale without strong rays (Sahih Muslim 762). They are signs reported by those who witnessed it — helps for reflection afterwards, not a checklist to wait for before worshipping; the night is sought by praying, not by watching.
How should I spend Laylatul Qadr if I am exhausted or busy?
Pray what you can of the night — even two rak'ahs in the last third — keep the taught dua on your tongue, give something in charity, and seek forgiveness. The night's blessing is not reserved for those who stood all of it; a sincere portion of it, in the last third especially, is a real share.
The Night of Decree hides inside the last third of ten nights. Know each night's time.
Open the Tahajjud Calculator