Question
Is Laylat Al-Qadr the same night all over the world or it changes in each region ? If different regions in same country start Ramadan on different days, they may be expecting Laylat Al-Qadr on different days?
Answer
First of all, Laylatulqadr belongs to the category of the Mutashabihat and it is extremely difficult for us to determine details thereof. We know from the Qur’an that the revelation of the Qur’an started at a time when there was night in the Arabian Peninsula and it was the night called “laylatulqadr“; we know from the Qur’an that it is highly blessed night; we know from the Qur’an that it is a night when major decisions relating to the world are passed on to the angels; and we know from the Qur’an that in the particular year of the revelation of the Qur’an, laylatulqadr fell in the month of Ramadan. Besides this, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have informed the people that this night was one of the last five odd nights in the month of Ramadan. The Qur’an, however, does not tell us whether this night falls in the month of Ramadan every year or if it comes once in as long as a millennium; it does not tell us whether there is a singular laylatulqadr for the whole world or a separate one for various parts of it. Thus, in view of the limited information that we have regarding laylatulqadr, it is extremely difficult to determine it with accuracy or to give any specific details regarding it.
Moiz Amjad
November 18, 2004