Article taken from: Six Simple Tips for Laylat al-Qadr (The Night of Power) | Muslim Hands UK

In Ramadan 2021, the last ten nights will begin on the night of Saturday 1st May 2021. Saturday night will be the 20th night of Ramadan. The 21st night will fall on the night of Sunday 2nd May 2021.

With the end of Ramadan comes our last efforts in gaining as many rewards as possible. In the last ten days there is a special opportunity for those who seek it: Laylat al-Qadr. We’ve put together six simple tips to help you maximise your rewards on this blessed night.

Before we give you our tips, here’s a quick reminder about what Laylat al-Qadr is, when it takes place, and the signs and rewards of this blessed night.

What is Laylat al-Qadr?

Laylat al-Qadr has been translated into ‘The Night of Power’ or ‘The Night of Destiny’. It is an honourable and auspicious night, upon which the Qur’an was first revealed. The Qur’an describes this night as ‘better than a thousand months’. [The Noble Qur’an 97:3]

When is Laylat al-Qadr?

This blessed night can be found in any of the last ten nights of Ramadan. There are a a variety of opinions as to which night it falls on. Many Muslims seek it out on the odd  nights of Ramadan, as the Prophet (saw) said, ‘Search for it (Laylat al-Qadr) on the 29th, 27th and 25th (of Ramadan)’. [Bukhari]

However, to be on the safe side, we should commit to performing extra acts of worship on all ten nights. By doing so we will not only gain more reward, we will also not risk missing this blessed night.

This follows the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw), as Aishah (ra) said, ‘When the last ten days (of Ramadan) started, the Prophet (saw) would tighten his waist belt (i.e. exert himself), and he would give life to his nights (i.e. pray all night), and he would awaken his family (for prayers)’. [Bukhari]

What are the signs of Laylat al-Qadr?

Contrary to popular belief, there are no specific signs for this night. However, this is what people have experienced on the night:

• It is said that since the angels descend on this night, and we may feel tranquillity and peace of mind and be overwhelmed with a unique tenderness of heart.
• The night is neither very hot nor very cold but a temperate one.
• The sun that rises on the next day is not very hot.

What are the rewards of Laylat al-Qadr?

Any action done on this night such as reciting the Qur’an and remembering Allah, is better on this night than doing these same actions for a thousand months. This means a single good deed performed on Laylat al-Qadr is worth a lifetime of performing that good deed, subhanAllah!

What should I do on Laylat al-Qadr?

There are many ways to gain reward on this blessed night:

One: Perform I’tikaf (seclusion). This is the best way of maximising your worship on this night. Even if you can’t seclude in the masjid, you can still do I’tikaf at home! Let your family know that you wish to be left alone on the last ten nights, so that you can completely focus on making du’a, reading Qur’an and repeating dhikr.

Remember to set aside your phone any other distractions – this is all about focusing your mind and heart on Allah (swt).

Two: Make a lot of du’a. It’s best to make a list of du’as beforehand, so you don’t forget to ask Allah for everything you want, big or small.

Make sure you pray for your own health and the health of your loved ones, for provision, for Allah to always keep you on the straight path, for a way out of any tests you may be facing and, of course, for His forgiveness and mercy. The best du’a to recite on this night, often called ‘the du’a of Aishah (ra)’, is:

Three: Eat lightly. The more you eat, the harder it will be for you to stay up and the less productive you will be! Have enough iftar to sate your hunger, then make sure you stay hydrated during the night so you don’t get tired.

Four: Don’t miss out on giving charity. We’ve previously published an article about the power of charity – it has some truly amazing benefits! It increases your provision, protects you from calamity and shades you on the Day of Judgement. Moreover, Allah multiplies the reward of the charity you give many times over – so we definitely can’t miss out on giving charity on Laylat al-Qadr!

Five: Stand in prayer for at least part of the night. The Prophet (saw) said, ‘…whoever spends the night of Laylat al-Qadr in prayer, out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven’. [Nasa’i]

Remember to refresh your knowledge on how to pray Tarawih, so you can seek forgiveness on Laylat al-Qadr through voluntary prayer.

Six: Connect with the Qur’an as much as possible. This is the night on which the Qur’an was sent down to us and there is no better time to recite and listen to its words. Don’t focus too much on the quantity of Qur’an you are reciting – it is best to take your time and try to understand the verses you are reading.

SubhanAllah! there are such immense rewards to be gained in these blessed 10 nights. Allah has hidden knowledge of the exact night out of mercy for us. This enables us to increase in our worship in search of this honourable night, maximising our rewards as we increase our good deeds on every single night in the last third of Ramadan. We pray Allah accepts our efforts, amin!