سُوْرَةُ الْقَدْرِ
Surah Al-Qadr (97) — Ayah 3
لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ ﴿3﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allâh in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
لَيْلَةُ
laylatu
(The) Night
ٱلْقَدْرِ
l-qadri
(of) Power
خَيْرٌۭ
khayrun
(is) better
مِّنْ
min
than
أَلْفِ
alfi
a thousand
شَهْرٍۢ
shahrin
month(s)
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
3. The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months [2].
[2]
The Different Meanings of Being Better Than a Thousand Months:
Here, "a thousand months" does not refer to a fixed period of a thousand months, which amounts to eighty-three years and four months. The custom among the Arabs was that when they wanted to express a very large quantity or duration, they would use the word "thousand" (alf), because they did not know precise calculations, and the largest number in their counting was "alf," meaning a thousand. Rather, what is meant is a long period of time. After this clarification, two meanings of this verse are stated: one is that the good and virtuous work done for mankind in this one night (i.e., the Quran was revealed) was not accomplished in any long era of humanity; and the second meaning is that the worship of this one night is better than the worship of a long period. This meaning is also supported by the following hadith: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever stands (in prayer) in Laylat al-Qadr with faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven." (Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Qiyam Laylat al-Qadr min al-Iman) In addition, some scholars take "a thousand months" to mean exactly a thousand months (i.e., 83 years and 4 months). According to them, the worship of this one night is better than the worship of eighty-three years in which Laylat al-Qadr is not included.
The Answer to a Question Related to Laylat al-Qadr:
Here, a question also arises: for example, when it is Laylat al-Qadr in Makkah Mukarramah, at that time half of the earth will be in daylight and the sun will be shining—so what about that? The answer is that with Allah, the real thing is the night. Whenever Allah Almighty has mentioned day and night together in the Quran, He has mentioned the night first. Also, in some places, Allah has mentioned only "layl" (night) and by it meant both the night and the day (i.e., the full twenty-four hours). For example, Allah Almighty made a promise of thirty nights to Musa ؑ (for giving the Torah). So by those thirty nights, thirty nights and their days were meant. In this regard, at every place, that specific night of Ramadan will be considered Laylat al-Qadr, and the determination of this night at that particular place will be related to the local sighting of the moon.
[2]
The Different Meanings of Being Better Than a Thousand Months:
Here, "a thousand months" does not refer to a fixed period of a thousand months, which amounts to eighty-three years and four months. The custom among the Arabs was that when they wanted to express a very large quantity or duration, they would use the word "thousand" (alf), because they did not know precise calculations, and the largest number in their counting was "alf," meaning a thousand. Rather, what is meant is a long period of time. After this clarification, two meanings of this verse are stated: one is that the good and virtuous work done for mankind in this one night (i.e., the Quran was revealed) was not accomplished in any long era of humanity; and the second meaning is that the worship of this one night is better than the worship of a long period. This meaning is also supported by the following hadith: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever stands (in prayer) in Laylat al-Qadr with faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven." (Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Qiyam Laylat al-Qadr min al-Iman) In addition, some scholars take "a thousand months" to mean exactly a thousand months (i.e., 83 years and 4 months). According to them, the worship of this one night is better than the worship of eighty-three years in which Laylat al-Qadr is not included.
The Answer to a Question Related to Laylat al-Qadr:
Here, a question also arises: for example, when it is Laylat al-Qadr in Makkah Mukarramah, at that time half of the earth will be in daylight and the sun will be shining—so what about that? The answer is that with Allah, the real thing is the night. Whenever Allah Almighty has mentioned day and night together in the Quran, He has mentioned the night first. Also, in some places, Allah has mentioned only "layl" (night) and by it meant both the night and the day (i.e., the full twenty-four hours). For example, Allah Almighty made a promise of thirty nights to Musa ؑ (for giving the Torah). So by those thirty nights, thirty nights and their days were meant. In this regard, at every place, that specific night of Ramadan will be considered Laylat al-Qadr, and the determination of this night at that particular place will be related to the local sighting of the moon.
