Laylat al-Qadr

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seek Laylat al-Qadr in the last ten nights; and if you are overcome, then do not be overcome in the remaining seven nights."
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Abd al-Hamid bin al-Hasan al-Hilali, whom Yahya bin Ma'in and others declared thiqah (trustworthy), and he has also been criticised.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "On Laylat al-Qadr I saw the moon, and it was like half a bowl."
Abu Ya'la recorded it.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I went out when the moon rose, and it was like a piece of a bowl." He said: "Tonight is Laylat al-Qadr."
Abdullah bin Ahmad recorded it in his additions (Ziyadat), and Abu Ya'la recorded it, as has passed earlier. Its chain contains a narrator, Khudayj bin Mu'awiyah, whom Ahmad and others declared thiqah (trustworthy), and he has also been criticised.

Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seek it (that is, Laylat al-Qadr) in the odd nights of the last ten."
Abu Ya'la and al-Bazzar recorded it. Abu Ya'la's narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Abu Aqrab narrates: One morning in the month of Ramadan I went to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and found him sitting on the roof of a house. I heard his voice; he was saying: "Allah has spoken the truth, and His Messenger has conveyed (the message)." We said: "We heard you saying: 'Allah has spoken the truth, and His Messenger has conveyed (the message).'" He said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Laylat al-Qadr is in the middle of the last seven nights of Ramadan, and the next morning, when the sun rises, it is clear and has no rays." I looked at it (the sun) and found it just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had said.
Ahmad and Abu Ya'la recorded it. I have not found anyone who has written a biography of the narrator Abu Aqrab. The remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He asked: "Which of you remembers the night of al-Sahbawat?" Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) submitted: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, I do. At that time I had some dates in my hand with which I was taking my pre-dawn meal (suhur), and I was screening myself behind the back of my saddle because of the light of true dawn. That was when the moon rose."
Ahmad, Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir recorded it. He added these words: "That was the twenty-seventh night." The narrator Abu Ubaydah did not hear from his father (that is, Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seek Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree) in the last ten nights."
Ahmad recorded it, and his son narrated these words: "Seek it in the odd nights of the last ten of Ramadan, for I saw it and then I was made to forget it. It will be a night of rain and wind." (Here a different word for rain has been narrated.)
Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir recorded it, and added these words: "And it will be (a night) of thunder." The narrators of Ahmad are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about Laylat al-Qadr, and he said: "It is in the last ten nights. Stand in prayer on the third or the fifth night."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The commander of the expedition was Sayyiduna Ghalib al-Laythi (may Allah be pleased with him); and there was Sayyiduna Qutbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him), who entered the palm grove with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was in the state of ihram, and he went out through the door, having climbed in over the wall; and there was Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Unays (may Allah be pleased with him), who asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about Laylat al-Qadr when twenty-two nights had passed, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seek it in these last seven nights that remain of the month."
Ahmad recorded it; in the original it is as you see, and its chain is hasan (good).

Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about Laylat al-Qadr, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is in Ramadan, so seek it in the last ten nights, for it is an odd night: the twenty-first, or the twenty-third, or the twenty-fifth, or the twenty-seventh, or the twenty-ninth, or the last night. Whoever stands in voluntary prayer in it, seeking it out of faith and hoping for reward, and is then granted it, his past and future sins will be forgiven."
Ahmad and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir recorded it. Its chain contains Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqil; there is criticism of him, though he has been declared trustworthy.

Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Laylat al-Qadr is in the remaining ten nights. Whoever stands in voluntary prayer in those nights hoping for their reward, Allah Almighty will forgive his past and future sins. It is an odd night: the ninth, or the seventh, or the fifth, or the third, or the last night." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The distinctive sign of Laylat al-Qadr is that it is clear and bright, the moon will be shining in it, it is a still and moderate night, with neither cold nor heat in it, and no star will be shot in it until morning comes. And its distinctive sign is that on the following morning, when the sun rises, it is perfectly even, without rays, like the moon of the fourteenth night. On that day it is not permitted for Satan to come out with it."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said about Laylat al-Qadr: "It is the twenty-seventh or the twenty-ninth night, and on that night the angels on the earth are more numerous than the pebbles."
Ahmad, al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seek Laylat al-Qadr on the seventeenth, nineteenth, twenty-first, twenty-third, twenty-fifth, twenty-seventh or twenty-ninth night."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains Abu al-Muhazzim, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Laylat al-Qadr is the twenty-fourth night."
(Allamah Haythami says:) I say: From Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) a hadith is recorded in the Sahih that (Laylat al-Qadr) is in the last ten nights.
Ahmad recorded it, and its chain is hasan (good).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever wishes to seek it, let him seek it on the twenty-seventh night." And he said: "Seek it on the twenty-seventh night!" The narrator says: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) meant Laylat al-Qadr.
(Allamah Haythami says:) I say: From Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) a hadith other than this one is recorded in the Sahih.
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: I was asleep in the month of Ramadan when someone came to me in my dream, and it was said to me: "Tonight is Laylat al-Qadr." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: I got up while I was drowsy. I took hold of one of the ropes of a tent, which was the tent of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Then I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was praying. I looked into that night, and it was the twenty-third night.
Ahmad and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir recorded it, and the narrators of Ahmad are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and submitted: "O Prophet of Allah! I am a very old, sick man. Direct me to one particular night, so that Allah Almighty may grant me Laylat al-Qadr on that night." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hold fast to the seventh night."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Al-Juhani submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! You know our situation, and we cannot attend (for the whole of) this month. Tell us about Laylat al-Qadr." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Attend the last seven nights." He submitted: "I am not able to do that." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seek it on the night when seven nights remain, and that is tonight." The narrator says: I submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Tonight is the twenty-third night, and eight nights still remain." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It happens like this too; the month falls short, and then seven nights will remain."
Abu Ya'la recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: One night the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out, intending to tell us about Laylat al-Qadr; he had been informed of it. He heard the noise of people arguing (in the mosque), and the knowledge of it was taken away from him.
Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat recorded it. The Tabi'i has dropped out of it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about Laylat al-Qadr, and he said: "I had been given knowledge of it, then it slipped away from me. So seek it in the seven or the three nights that remain."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seek it in the last ten nights, on the ninth, the seventh and the fifth night."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Laylat al-Qadr is a moderate night, neither hot nor cold."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its chain contains Salamah bin Wahram. Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) and others declared him thiqah (trustworthy), and there is criticism of him.

Marthad narrates: I met Sayyiduna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) near the middle Jamrah and asked him about Laylat al-Qadr. He said: "No one asked about it more than I did." He said: I submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Was this night sent down upon the Prophets through revelation to them, and then taken up?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, rather it will remain until the Day of Resurrection." I submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Which night is it?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If I were given permission, I would tell you about it, but seek it on the ninth or the seventh night, and do not ask me after this." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) turned the other way and began talking. I submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Which of the seven nights is it?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) became so angry with me that he had never been as angry with me before it or after it. Then he said: "Did I not forbid you? If I were given permission about it, I would tell you about it; however" (after this the narrator mentioned a word that is not mentioned in the text) "it may be in the last seven nights."
Al-Bazzar recorded it. No one narrated from this narrator Marthad except his father Malik, and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood and addressed the people from the pulpit in the month of Ramadan. He said: "When I stood on this pulpit, I knew (which night is) Laylat al-Qadr. Seek it in the odd nights of the last ten."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Abd al-Aziz bin Yahya al-Madani, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood and, addressing the people from the pulpit in the month of Ramadan, said: "When I stood on the pulpit, I had knowledge of Laylat al-Qadr. So seek it in the odd nights of the last ten."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Abd al-Aziz bin Yahya al-Madani, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) climbed the pulpit and said: "When I climbed (the pulpit), I had knowledge, and I knew about Laylat al-Qadr. So seek it in the odd nights of the last ten."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir from Hamdah bint Ubayd, from her mother; I do not know her mother, and the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Seek Laylat al-Qadr on the twenty-seventh night."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat from Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah by way of wijadah (a found written record), from his father's handwriting, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Kharijah bin Zayd bin Thabit reports from his father that he used to spend the twenty-third and the twenty-seventh nights of the month of Ramadan in worship, but not in the way he spent the seventeenth night in worship. It was said to him: "Why do you devote yourself to worship on the seventeenth night?" He said: "It is the night in which the Qur'an was revealed, and on the following morning a distinction was made between truth and falsehood (that is, the Battle of Badr took place)." The narrator says: On that night his condition was such that his face would be radiant.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Abu Bilal al-Ash'ari, who is da'if (weak).

Hawt al-Abdi narrates: I asked Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) about Laylat al-Qadr, and he said: "I have no doubt and no uncertainty that it is the seventeenth night, the night in which the Qur'an was revealed, and when the two hosts faced each other."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. About the narrator Hawt, Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "This hadith narrated by him is munkar (denounced)."

Sayyiduna al-Faltan bin Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). We were sitting waiting for him when he came out to us with signs of anger on his face. He sat for a long time without speaking. Then this state left him, and he said: "I came out to you having had Laylat al-Qadr made clear to me, and the Messiah of misguidance (that is, the Dajjal) made clear to me. I came out to you to tell you about it and to give you news of it. In the mosque I met two men who were quarrelling with each other, with Satan between them. I tried to separate the two of them, and meanwhile that knowledge was taken away from me. It (Laylat al-Qadr) is in the last ten nights. As for the Dajjal, the hair of his forehead will have receded, his eye will be wiped out (that is, he will be one-eyed), his neck will be broad, and he will bear a resemblance to Ibn al-Uzza (the narrator is in doubt; perhaps the words are:) Abd al-Uzza bin so-and-so." In one narration the words are: "As for Laylat al-Qadr, seek it in the last ten nights."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came walking quickly while we were sitting. His haste alarmed us. When he reached us, he greeted us with salam, then he said: "I came to you to tell you about Laylat al-Qadr, but I forgot it by the time I reached you." After this the narrator mentioned the complete hadith.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Qabus bin Abi Zabyan; there is criticism of him, and he has also been declared trustworthy.

It is reported about Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Unays (may Allah be pleased with him) that he submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Tell me, on which night should Laylat al-Qadr be sought?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Were it not for the fear that people would abandon prayer altogether and pray only on that night, I would have told you."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and its chain is hasan (good).

Abdullah bin Jahsh reports his father's statement: I submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! I live in the open country and pray there. Direct me to a particular night so that I may come to the mosque on that night and pray there." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Come on the twenty-third night."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Ibn Ishaq, who is thiqah (trustworthy), but he is a mudallis (one who conceals defects in the chain).

Sayyiduna Awf bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in i'tikaf during the last ten days of Ramadan. When the twenty-third night came, he said: "Whoever wishes to pray voluntary prayer with us tonight, let him do so." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in voluntary prayer until a third of the night had passed. Then he finished the prayer. I walked with him until he reached his tent. We submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! It would have been good if you had continued leading us in voluntary prayer this night." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is sufficient for a man to pray with the imam until the imam finishes the prayer (and then the man also finishes); it will be recorded for him as the voluntary prayer of a whole night."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Uthman bin Ata al-Khurasani, whom Duhaym declared thiqah (trustworthy), while the Imams declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Wathilah bin al-Asqa' (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Laylat al-Qadr is a moderate night, neither hot nor cold; there are no clouds in it, no rain and no wind, and no star is shot in it. And the sign of the following day is that when the sun rises, it has no rays."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains Bishr bin Awn, who narrated it from Bakkar bin Tamim, and both of them are da'if (weak).