Shab-e-Qadr 2027

Also called and spelled: Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, the last ten nights of Ramadan, Shab e Qadr, Shabe Qadr, Laylatul Qadr, Lailatul Qadr, Night of Power, 27th Ramzan.

Laylat al-Qadr, Shab-e-Qadr in Urdu, is the night the Quran was first revealed and the greatest night of the year. It lies hidden in the last ten nights of Ramadan, most likely one of the odd nights. In Pakistan, India and Bangladesh the 27th night is the most widely observed, but the Sunnah is to seek it on all the last ten nights.

What the Quran says

A whole surah is given to this night, Surah al-Qadr (97):

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ ۝ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ ۝ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ ۝ تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ ۝ سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ

"We sent it down on the Night of Qadr. And what will explain to you what the Night of Qadr is? The Night of Qadr is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend in it by the permission of their Lord with every matter. Peace it is, until the rising of dawn."

A thousand months is more than 83 years, longer than most lifetimes. Worship on this one night outweighs worship across all of them.

Which night is it?

• The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Seek Laylat al-Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2017).
• He also said to seek it in the last seven nights (Sahih al-Bukhari 2015).
• Ubayy ibn Ka'b swore that it is the 27th night, from the signs the Prophet (ﷺ) described (Sahih Muslim 762). This is why the 27th is the night most people observe.

Many scholars say the night moves between the odd nights from year to year, and that Allah kept it hidden so that people would worship on every one of the last ten. Remember too that South Asia's odd nights usually fall one evening after Saudi Arabia's, so a night that is the 27th in Makkah is the 26th in Lahore or Delhi. Seeking all ten nights covers both.

A sign afterwards: the Prophet (ﷺ) said that on the morning after Laylat al-Qadr the sun rises without strong rays (Sahih Muslim 762). The night itself is described in other reports as calm and mild, neither hot nor cold.

The reward of standing in prayer

"Whoever stands in prayer on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and hoping for reward will have his past sins forgiven" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1901). In the last ten nights the Prophet (ﷺ) would tighten his waist-wrapper, stay up through the night and wake his family for worship (Sahih al-Bukhari 2024).

The dua of Laylat al-Qadr

Aisha asked the Prophet (ﷺ) what she should say if she knew which night was Laylat al-Qadr. He told her to say (Tirmidhi 3513):

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'anni. "O Allah, You are the One who pardons, and You love to pardon, so pardon me." Repeat it through the night, and add your own duas in any language.

I'tikaf in the last ten days

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to spend the last ten days of Ramadan in i'tikaf in the mosque until he passed away (Sahih al-Bukhari 2026). Men stay in the mosque and women may do i'tikaf at a set place in their home, according to the Hanafi school. For the full Sunnah i'tikaf, enter before Maghrib on the evening that begins the 21st night and stay until the Shawwal moon is seen. Hanafi scholars call it a Sunnah on the whole community: if a few people keep it in a mosque, the area is covered.

A plan for each of the last ten nights

1. Pray Maghrib, Isha and taraweeh in congregation.
2. Recite Quran, even a few pages with meaning.
3. Pray two or more rak'ahs of nafl or Tahajjud, ideally in the last third of the night.
4. Repeat the dua for pardon, and make a list of personal duas for yourself, your family and the ummah.
5. Give a little charity every night, so that it falls on Laylat al-Qadr whichever night it is.
6. Eat sehri and pray Fajr before resting.

In Pakistan and India many mosques complete the Quran in taraweeh on the 27th night, and some hold a shabeena, a night-long recitation. Mosques fill up; if you cannot stay all night, a few hours of focused prayer still count.

Shab-e-Qadr 2027 date by country

The Gregorian date of Shab-e-Qadr depends on whether a country follows its own moon sighting or the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia.

The last ten nights of Ramadan 1448

I'tikaf begins before Maghrib on the evening of Sunday, 28 February and ends when the Shawwal moon is seen. The 30th night only comes if Ramadan has 30 days.

Shab-e-Qadr dates for the next five years

Like every Islamic date, Shab-e-Qadr comes about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year. Dates are the night the observance begins (the evening before 27 Ramadan), expected by the calendar and confirmed by moon sighting.