English
The twenty-third night of Ramadan, the last of the Qadr Nights, is more meritorious than the two previous ones; namely, the nineteenth and the twenty-first. Many narrations confirm that it is the Qadr Night at which all wise affairs are decided. Apart from the general acts that are advisably practiced at the three Qadr Nights, there are other acts to be practiced at the twenty-third night of Ramadan:
First: It is recommended to recite Surahs al-’Ankabut (No. 29) and al-Rum (No. 30). Imam al-Sadiq(a.s.) is reported to have said, “Whoever recites these two Surahs at this night, will be included with the people of Paradise.”
Second: It is recommended to recite Surah al-Dukhan (No. 44).
Third: It is recommended to repeat Surah al-Qadr one thousand times.
Fourth: It is highly advisable to repeat the following famous supplicatory prayer as many times as possible at this night:
اَللّٰهُمَّ كُنْ لِوَلِيِّكَ الْحُجَّةِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ
O Allah, (please) be for Your representative, al-Hujjah the son of al-Hasan,
صَلَوَاتُكَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلٰى اٰبَآئِهِ
Your blessings be on him and on his forefathers,
فِي هٰذِهِ السَّاعَةِ وَفِيْ كُلِّ سَاعَةٍ
now and at all times,
وَلِيًّا وَحَافِظًا
protector, guardian,
وَقَآئِدًا وَنَاصِرًا
leader, helper,
وَدَلِيْلًا وَعَيْنًا
guide, and watcher
حَتّٰى تُسْكِنَهُ اَرْضَكَ طَوْعًا
so that You shall allow him to prevail on Your lands willingly
وَتُمَتِّعَهُ فِيْهَا طَوِيْلًا۔
and You shall make him enjoy it for a long time.
Fifth: It is recommended to say the following supplicatory prayer:
اَللّٰهُمَّ امْدُدْ لِي فِي عُمْرِيْ،
O Allah, (please do) prolong my lifetime,
وَاَوْسِعْ لِي فِي رِزْقِي،
expand my sustenance,
وَاَصِحَّ لِي جِسْمِيْ،
make my body healthy,
وَبَلِّغْنِيْ اَمَلِيْ،
make me attain my hopes,
وَاِنْ كُنْتُ مِنَ الْاَشْقِيَاۤءِ فَامْحُنِيْ مِنَ الْاَشْقِيَاۤءِ،
and if I am written with the unhappy ones, (please) erase my name from this list
وَاكْتُبْنِيْ مِنَ السُّعَدَاۤءِ،
write it with the happy ones,
فَاِنَّكَ قُلْتَ فِيْ كِتَابِكَ الْمُنْزَلِ
for You have said in Your Book that You revealed
عَلٰى نَبِيِّكَ الْمُرْسَلِ صَلَوٰتُكَ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهِ :
to Your missioned Prophet, Your peace be upon him and his Household:
يَمْحُو اللهُ مَا يَشَاۤءُ وَيُثْبِتُ وَعِنْدَهُ اُمُّ الْكِتَابِ۔
“Allah makes to pass away and establishes what He pleases, and with Him is the basis of the Book.”
Sixth: It is recommended to say the following supplicatory prayer:
اَللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِيْمَا تَقْضِيْ وَفِيْمَا تُقَدِّرُ
O Allah, among the matters that You decide and make
مِنَ الْاَمْرِ الْمَحْتُوْمِ،
from among the inevitable affairs
وَفِيْمَا تَفْرُقُ مِنَ الْاَمْرِ الْحَكِيْمِ
and from among the wise matters that You make distinct
فِيْ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ،
at the Destiny Night
مِنَ الْقَضَاۤءِ الَّذِيْ لَا يُرَدُّ وَلَا يُبَدَّلُ
from among the act that is neither rejected nor altered,
اَنْ تَكْتُبَنِيْ مِنْ حُجَّاجِ بَيْتِكَ الْحَرَامِ
(please) decide me to be with the pilgrims to Your Holy House
فِيْ عَامِيْ هٰذَا
at this year;
الْمَبْرُوْرِ حَجُّهُمْ
those whose pilgrimage is admitted,
الْمَشْكُوْرِ سَعْيُهُمُ،
whose efforts are praised,
الْمَغْفُوْرِ ذُنُوْبُهُمُ،
whose sins are forgiven,
الْمُكَفَّرِ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُهُمْ،
and whose offenses and pardoned.
وَاجْعَلْ فِيْمَا تَقْضِيْ وَتُقَدِّرُ
Among the matters that You decide and make,
اَنْ تُطِيْلَ عُمْرِيْ
(please) prolong my lifetime
وَتُوَسِّعَ لِي فِيْ رِزْقِيْ۔
and expand my sustenance.
Seventh: It is recommended to say the following supplicatory prayer that is mentioned in the book of Iqbal al-A’mal:
يَا بَاطِنًا فِيْ ظُهُوْرِهِ،
O He Who is intrinsic though He is evident!
وَيَا ظَاهِرًا فِيْ بُطُوْنِهِ
O He Who is evident though He is intrinsic!
وَيَا بَاطِنًا لَيْسَ يَخْفٰى،
O He Who is intrinsic that is not missed!
وَيَا ظَاهِرًا لَيْسَ يُرٰى،
O He Who is evident but He cannot be seen!
يَا مَوْصُوْفًا لَا يَبْلُغُ بِكَيْنُوْنَتِہِ مَوْصُوْفٌ
O He Who is described, but neither any other described thing
وَلَا حَدٌّ مَحْدُوْدٌ،
nor can any boundary attain His Being!
وَيَا غَآئِبًا غَيْرَ مَفْقُوْدٍ،
O He Who is absent but not lost!
وَيَا شَاهِدًا غَيْرَ مَشْهُوْدٍ،
O He Who is present but not witnessed!
يُطْلَبُ فَيُصَابُ،
When He is sought, He shall be obtained,
وَلَمْ يَخْلُ مِنْهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْاَرْضُ وَمَابَيْنَهُمَا طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ،
and neither the heavens, nor the earth, nor can anything that is between them be empty of Him.
لَا يُدْرِكُ بِكَيْفٍ
He cannot be realized by asking ‘How is He?’
وَلَا يُؤَيَّنُ بِاَيْنٍ وَلَا بِحَيْثِ،
His place cannot be identified by asking, ‘Where is He?’ or ‘What is His place?’
اَنْتَ نُوْرُ النُّوْرِ
You are verily the light of all lights
وَرَبَّ الْاَرْبَابِ،
and the Lord of all lords.
اَحَطْتَ بِجَمِيْعِ الْاُمُوْرِ،
You have comprehended all things.
سُبْحَانَ مَنْ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ
Glory be to Him Whose like is nonexistent,
وَهُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْبَصِيْرُ
and He is the Allhearing, the All-seeing.
سُبْحَانَ مَنْ هُوَ هٰكَذَا وَلَا هٰكَذَا غَيْرُهُ۔
Glory be to Him Who is in this state and nothing else can be ever in his state.
Then, one may pray for settling his needs.
Eighth: It is recommended to do a new bathing, other than the first one, at the last hours of night. In fact, to bathe oneself, to spend the whole night with acts of worship, to visit the holy tomb of Imam al-Husayn (a.s.), and to offer the one hundred unit prayer at this night - all these deeds have been confirmed by narrations to be done at the twenty-third night of Ramadan.
In Tahdhib al-Ahkam, Shaykh al-Tusi has narrated that Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq(a.s.) instructed Abu-Basir to offer at the night that is expected to be the Qadr Night a prayer of one hundred units reciting at each unit Surah al-Faatehah once and repeating Surah al-Tawheed ten times. “If I fail to do all the movements of this prayer, what will I do?” asked Abu-Basir. “You may then offer it while sitting,” said Imam al-Sadiq(a.s.). “What if I, too, fail to offer it while sitting?” asked Abu-Basir. “You may then offer it while lying on your bed,” said Imam al-Sadiq(a.s.).
In the book of Da’a’im al-Islam, it is mentioned that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used to roll up his bed and tie his garment so as to dedicate all his time to acts of worship at the last ten nights of Ramadan. He also used to awaken his family members at the twenty-third night of Ramadan (so as to practice acts of worship) by splashing water on their faces. Lady Fatimah al-Zahra’(a.s.), too, used to prevent her family members from sleeping at the twenty-third night of Ramadan by reducing the amount of food that she usually gave to them and by making them sleep at day so as not to be overcome by sleepiness at night. She then used to say, “The actual deprived one is he who is deprived of the good of this night.”
It has been also narrated that Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq(a.s.), at the twenty-third night of Ramadan, ordered his servants to carry him to the mosque because he was ailed. He spent that night in the mosque up to the next morning.
‘Allamah al-Majlisi has confirmed that one should recite as much amount as possible from the Holy Qur’an at this night and should also pray Almighty Allah by saying the supplicatory prayers of al-Sahifah al-Kamilah al-Sajjadiyyah in general and the supplicatory prayers known as Makarim al-Akhlaq and al-Tawbah in particular.
The sanctity of the Qadr Days should be considered by engaging oneself with acts of worship, recitation of the Holy Qur’an, and praying Almighty Allah. Through a considerable chain of authority, it has been narrated that the Qadr Days are as holy as the Qadr Nights.