Question
My question concerns Lailat-ul-Qadr. I know that it is in the last ten days of Ramadhan and that it is on one of the odd nights (nights of the even days). However, many people have made it into the night of the 27th. Now they say that if you come and listen to a Quranic Khatam on that night at the masjid1 that you will get such and such rewards. What are the exact requirements for Lailat-ul-Qadr? What should I do as a college student who may not have time to get to a masjid? What exactly are the rewards (some say it is like reading the Quran everyday through Ramadhan)?
Answer
We cannot know for certain the exact date of Lailat al Qadr. Yes, the Prophet (PBUH) has hinted that it might be in the last ten nights, in the odd nights, on the 27th night…
As far as being present at or even listening to the Khatm-e-Qur’an on this night is concerned, it was never recommended by the Prophet. Once, when Hadhrat Ayesha (ra) asked the Prophet (pbuh) what should she do, if she found this night. The Prophet (PBUH) replied that she should ask forgiveness from God. For this purpose, the Prophet taught her a beautiful supplication, the meaning of which is given below:
O my God, You are full of forgiveness, you like forgiveness, please forgive me.
We are allowed to offer nawafil2, recite (understand) the Qur’an, read anything that might open the doors of understanding the Qur’an on us etc. All these activities, may be done in your own private corners… You do not need to go out.
Rewards of doing good, whether on this particular night or on other nights, are not really a quantifiable item. Furthermore, such rewards depend to a great extent on the motives and spirit of the person, in question. The basic factor in determining the reward is not really when and what is being done, but how and under what circumstances is it being done. An act of charity, under normal circumstances, may be highly rewarding. But the same act, under more pressing circumstances may grant us rewards that are infinitely more than the rewards of our charity under normal circumstances.