The Meaning of Lailatul-Qadar (The Night of Power)

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Question:
What is Lailatulqadr? Is it the Night of Power or the Night of Decree? How would you best define this, what's the best translation for it?
What is meant by the Qur'an being sent on this Night? Is this Night special because the Qur'an was sent down on these particular nights? Or, was it that the Qur'an was completed that night? Did verses come only during Lailatulqadr?

Ronnie
USA

Answer:

In the referred Surah of the Qur'an, the phrase "Lailatulqadr" is used to imply the "Night of decrees". This implication is clear from the following words (97: 4):

تنزل الملائكة والروح فيها بإذن ربهم من كل أمر

"The angels and Al-Rooh descend during this night, according to the directive of their Lord, with all the decrees." i.e., in this night, God assigns His decrees and plans to His angels in order to implement them at their appointed time."

When God says that He has revealed this Qur'an in Lailatulqadr, it is to convey to the direct addressees of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that they should not consider the Qur'an as mere poetry or as worthless sayings of soothsayer. The Qur'an is part of one of the most important schemes of God and it is God Himself, Who is revealing it on His prophet, and has especially decided to reveal it in the night, during which He assigns the most significant and important plans to His angles for execution and implementation ^[1] .

It is clear from the foregoing explanation that the importance of this night is not because of the fact that the Qur'an was revealed in it. On the contrary, the Surah emphasizes the importance of the Qur'an by relating its revelation with this significant night.

As for the question whether or not the whole Qur'an was revealed during the laylatuqadr is concerned, it is quite clear from the known history of the times of the Prophet (pbuh), that the Qur'an was not revealed during one night. On the contrary, we know that it was revealed in parts, over a period of twenty-three years.

However, this may raise another related question in your mind: If the Qur'an was revealed during a period of around twenty-three years, the what does the Qur'an mean by the words "We have revealed it in Lailatulqadr"?

In order to fully understand the exact implication of this sentence, we should keep in mind an important principle relating to the usage of verbs in the classical Arabic language. Verbs in the classical Arabic language were used in varying shades of their meanings.

1. Sometimes a verb may be used to imply only the planning, the beginning or the initiation of the action entailed in that verb;

2. Sometimes a verb may be used to imply the completion of the action entailed in that verb; and,

3. Sometimes a verb maybe used to imply the continuity or the perpetuation of the action entailed in that verb.

Hamiduddin Al-Farahi, in his book "Al-Takmeel fi Usul al-Ta'weel” ^[2] writes:

“... For instance, the verb can sometimes imply the initiation of the action, sometimes its continuity or perpetuation and sometimes the completion of the action.”

Explaining the different shades of the meanings that a simple verb may imply, he further writes ^[3]:

“1- A verb may imply the initiation [or the beginning] of the action, as is the case in Fussilat 41: 17, where Allah says: 'As regard Thamud, We guided them, but they preferred blindness over guidance' [the verb "hadaynaahum" i.e. 'We guided them' implies the initiation of the action as if to say: 'We opened the door of guidance for them by sending Our messenger to them'] and as Allah says in Al-Insaan 76: 2: 'We guided him [man] to the right path, [now it depends on him] whether he be thankful or unthankful' [Once again the verb "hadaynaho" i.e. 'We guided him' implies the initiation of the action of guidance, that is to say: 'We opened the door of guidance to the right path for him'].”

2- A verb may imply the result of an action. as is the case in Ta Ha 20: 121, where Allah says: 'Thus did Adam disobey his Lord and stray from the right path'. Adam's disobedience was because he did what was against God's directive, however he did what he did because he forgot, as the Qur'an says in Ta Ha 20: 115 that "We made a covenant with Adam, but he forgot and We found him lacking in steadfastness" [Thus the verb '`asaa' i.e. "he disobeyed" actually implies the result of Adam's action due to his forgetting God's directive. That is to say: Adam forgot what God directed him and thus did that, which resulted in disobeying God].

3- Similar to the second case [mentioned above], is that a verb, or an attributive noun, may imply an action that has taken place according to the permission or directive of the agent. As is said: 'The king made the bridge', whereas, actually the bridge was only made [by someone] according to the directive of the king. Of this category is what follows the pious or impious actions of man, as Allah has said in Al-Nisaa 4: 155 "But God has sealed their hearts due to their disobedience", [that is to say God has allowed such to happen] ...

In the referred verse of the Qur'an, the verb 'Anzalna' is used in the first of the three stated implications. Thus, the verse implies that the revelation of the Qur'an was initiated during the Lailatulqadr.

In your last question you have asked:
Did verses come only during Lailatulqadr?

It should be clear from the foregoing explanation that the revelation of the Qur'an was initiated during the Lailatulqadr.

Ameer Abdul Basit

17th May 2002

^[1] Recalling the Sunnah of God regarding His Rasu'ls as mentioned in the following verse:

"Those who oppose God and His Rasu'ls shall be brought low. God has decreed: I will surely triumph, Myself and My Rasu'ls. God is Most Powerful, Mighty." (Al-Mujadilah 58:20-21)

We realize that an important aspect in this message is that by initiating the revelation of the Qur'an, God is now going to give His final verdict regarding the fate of the peoples living in the Arabian Peninsula.

^[2] Al-Daairah Al-Hameediyah, Azamgarh, India, 1388 AH, Pg. 39.
^[3] Al-Daairah Al-Hameediyah, Azamgarh, India, 1388 AH, Pg. 42.

Taken with thanks from www.understanding-islam.org

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