The Ocean of the Quran

A verse by verse explanation of The Ultimate Scripture

Al-Qadr – Verse 4

تَنَزَّلُ المَلائِكَةُ وَالرّوحُ فيها بِإِذنِ رَبِّهِم مِن كُلِّ أَمرٍ

In it the angels and the Spirit descend, by the leave of their Lord, with every decree.

EXEGESIS

The imperfect tense verb tanazzalu, which is the fifth form of Arabic verbal forms for the root letters n-z-l, means to descend or come down time after time,‎[1] and it demonstrates the meaning of descent from the point of view of the submissiveness of the place or being to which the descent occurs, in the sense that the place or being to which the descent occurs obediently and voluntarily submits to what comes down to it and accepts it wholeheartedly. It does not need to be subdued by force, coercion, or subjugation in order for the descent to take place because it possesses the necessary qualities to readily receive what descends to it.‎[2] Hence, the place of descent, in the context of the use of this form of the verb, is appropriate and suitable for what is to descend to it. Examples of verses that convey such a meaning for this form are 26:210-212, 26:221-222, 41:30, 65:12, and this verse. This imperfect tense verb is actually tatanazzalu, however its initial letter tāʾ is omitted here for the sake of ease of pronunciation.‎[3]

The term rūḥ means the spirit, the soul, and the breath, and it has been used in this sense in the Quran (17:85, 66:12), as well as to mean the Holy Spirit (2:87). It has also been understood to mean revelation or divine inspiration (42:52), and to mean a reference to Gabriel (19:17, 26:193);‎[4] however, its most relevant meaning in the context of this surah has been clarified in the next section.

The term amr basically means command, enjoinment, ordainment, prescription (2:222, 7:12, 12:40, 46:25), decree/decision/verdict (9:106, 11:76), and judgement/opinion (18:82); however, it may have a nuanced difference in meaning depending on the context and hence it can mean will (9:48), teaching and guidance (49:9), system and order (41:12), domain and prerogative (17:85), duties and tasks (18:88), to incite (4:37), to advise, suggest, counsel (26:35), and to justify (52:32). Another popular translation for it is matter, affair, task (8:43, 21:93), but depending on the context it could mean plans (12:102), precautions (9:50), plot (9:48), situation, condition (18:21), and that which exists (11:23).‎[5]

EXPOSITION

This and the next verse elucidate the reason why the Night of Qadr is better than a thousand months. This verse manifests the second special merit of the Night of Qadr by informing what happens during it, which is that In it the angels and the Spirit descend. The word tanazzalu (descend) is an imperfect tense verb. The imperfect tense denotes an act in the present and the future thereby denoting continuity.‎[6] In this case it means the recurrence of the descent of the angels and the Spirit during every Night of Qadr, whenever it occurs in the month of Ramadan, which means it is not limited to the time of Prophet Muhammad (s).‎[7] If the aim was to identify a single night in the past which was not to recur then the perfect tense verb tanazzalat or nazalat (descended) would have sufficed rather than the imperfect tense verb as it appears in this verse. What corroborates this understanding is 44:4 which says: Every definitive matter is decreed in it, which is always cited in transmitted reports and commentaries as a means to explain 97:4, just as the latter verse is cited to explain and clarify the former verse. The phrase is decreed in 44:4 is the translation of the passive verb yufraqu that occurs in it. This verb is also in the imperfect tense akin to the verb tanazzalu in this surah. Thus both verses, which are taken to refer to the same phenomenon, have imperfect tense verbs in them which denote continuity.

The angels and the Spirit descend in the Night of Qadr with what God has permitted them to descend,‎[8] or because of the permission of their Lord.‎[9] A number of commentators gloss the phrase bi-idhni rabbihim as bi-amri rabbihim – due to or because of the command of their Lord‎[10] – citing 19:64 where the angels say: We do not descend save by the command of your Lord.‎[11] And the angels and the Spirit descend in it with‎[12] or for the sake of‎[13] every decree that God has measured out and ordained for the following year in respect of the heavens and the earth.

As mentioned, 97:4 and 44:4 are two verses that tend to be cited together in transmitted reports and Quran commentaries, each one supposed to clarify the other. 97:4 states that in the Night of Qadr the angels and the Spirit descend, with or for the sake of every decree (kulli amr) regarding the forthcoming year. 44:4 states that in this night Every definitive matter (kullu amrin ḥakīm) is decreed (yufraq). Thus, Tabatabai explains in the context of 44:3, which has the passive imperfect tense verb yufraqu and the term ḥakīm, that the term farq means to separate, to distinguish, and to split one thing from the other such that they are distinct and distinguishable from each other. Its opposite is iḥkām. Thus, something which is ḥakīm is one where its parts are not distinguishable from one another, and their characteristics and states are not assigned or differentiated. He writes that with respect to God’s judgements and decrees, matters have two stages: the stage of ijmāl (undifferentiated) and the stage of tafṣīl (differentiated). During the Night of Qadr, 44:3 indicates that matters move from the stage of ijmāl (undifferentiated) to the stage of tafṣīl (differentiated).‎[14] Perhaps those reports of the Imams from the family of the Prophet, some of which are cited under Insights from Hadith, which delineate specific roles for the nineteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-third nights of the month of Ramadan with respect to the phenomenon of the measuring out of decrees for the forthcoming year, point to this process. 

A number of transmitted reports suggest that decrees concluded during the Night of Qadr do not entertain change once concluded. However, another group of transmitted reports (see Insights from Hadith), although emphasising the definitive nature of decrees decided in this night, go on to suggest the possibility of change in them during the forthcoming year even after they are concluded. Admittedly, the notion of divine decrees and destinies being continuously alterable is confirmed in the corpus of Islamic teachings such as those that encourage supplications to God, the giving of charity, and doing good deeds throughout the year in order to affect destinies positively, as well as those teachings which mention sacred places and sacred times after the month of Ramadan in which prayers may be made, which could affect destinies positively, such as on the Day of ʿArafah, the fifteenth night of Shaʿbān, at the burial places of the friends of God, and others. These two sets of apparently conflicting reports need to be understood in light of the principle that the ‘absolute or unrestricted (muṭlaq) reports are subject to the conditional or restricted (muqayyad) reports’ and need to be understood accordingly. The first set of reports should therefore be understood and interpreted in light of the second set of reports.

Muṭahharī points out in his commentary of Sūrat al-Qadr that there are two kinds of decrees concluded in this night: one potentially alterable in the forthcoming year and the other unalterable. He points this out by drawing attention to a well-known supplication of the month of Ramadan, transmitted from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a), where the supplicant beseeches God to render him a pilgrim to His house in that year; a pilgrim whose pilgrimage is accepted, whose good deeds are appreciated, whose sins are forgiven and erased, whose life is prolonged, and whose sustenance is made extensive, and to determine and decree all these things to be from the inescapable decree (al-amr al-maḥtūm), and to be ‘from the decree (min al-qaḍāʾ) that is neither staved off nor altered (alladhī lā yuraddu wa lā yubaddal)’.‎[15] This implies two kinds of decrees: alterable and unalterable. Both kinds of decrees are registered in the Night of Qadr and may be influenced that night. We may not know which decrees are alterable and which not, yet we must supplicate and beseech, do good, and give charity in this night and throughout the year so that we may positively influence our destiny. If, however, we fail to do so, then we may rest assured that we at least did pray to God. This is because irrespective of the outcome of our prayers, prayer in and of itself is an act of worship. It draws a person closer to God, it delights Him, and the prayer is accepted and responded to by God in some manner even if not actualised in fact and in the manner desired.‎[16]

The identity of the Spirit (rūḥ) is contested. What may safely be said is that it pertains to God’s command as exemplified in 17:85 and 19:7, that it has a close relationship with divine revelation and the angels (97:4, 16:2, 78:38, 16:102, 26:193, 42:52), and that it has a role in aiding God’s chosen servants in their godly struggles (2:87, 58:22). However, there are two verses in the Quran which resemble 97:4 closely. These are 16:2 and 78:38. Taken together with 97:4, the rūḥ is mentioned along with the angels but as a separate entity. This is corroborated by the transmitted reports and therefore it appears to be an entity separate from the angels. A man came to Imam Ali (a) and asked him about the rūḥ, saying: ‘Is it not Gabriel?’ The Imam replied: ‘Gabriel (a) is from the angels while the rūḥ is other than Gabriel,’ and he reiterated that to the questioner. So, the questioner reacted, saying: ‘You have said a great thing indeed! There is none who has claimed that the rūḥ is other than Gabriel!’ The Imam responded: ‘You are astray and you relate from those who are astray. God the exalted said to His Prophet (s): He sends down the angels with the Spirit of His command to whomever He wishes of His servants: ‘Warn [the people] that there is no god except Me; so be wary of Me’ [16:2]. Thus, the rūḥ is other than the angels.’‎[17] And Abū Baṣīr asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘Isn’t the rūḥ Gabriel?’ The Imam replied: ‘Gabriel is from the angels while the rūḥ is a creature greater than the angels. Doesn’t God say: In it the angels and the Spirit descend …?’‎[18] In this manner both the Imams intended to point out the distinction between the angels and the Spirit by pointing out that the comparative manner in which they have been brought together indicates a difference.

The rūḥ being God’s creature which is closely linked with divine revelations and with the angels is corroborated in this surah since this surah begins with the mention of the revelation of the Quran, while several transmitted reports mention the role this night plays in augmenting the knowledge of the Imam by means of inspiration conveyed by the angels and the Spirit.

This particular verse does not clarify where the angels and the Spirit descend, but such a question does arise since the descent of the angels and the Spirit is not without purpose. The transmitted reports suggest they descend to the earth or to the lower heavens. It is possible they descend everywhere, since the elision of the mention of the location of descent in this verse necessitates an open-ended understanding.‎[19] Thus they descend to the lower heaven‎[20] where, according to the transmitted reports, they hand over God’s decrees to the relevant angelic scribes there,‎[21] and they descend to the earth too‎[22] in order to witness the devotions and good deeds of God’s creatures and to convey God’s blessings.‎[23] Transmitted reports suggest that the angels and the Spirit used to visit the Messenger of God when he was alive and thereafter visit the divinely chosen Imam of the time from the family of the Prophet.

The transmitted reports, which specify the identity of this night, appear at first sight to be confused and contradictory; however, after careful study a sensible resolution occurs and the confusion and contradiction dissipates. A sample of the relevant reports is cited in the next section, but the conclusion arrived at is that the Night of Qadr occurs: 1. In the month of Ramadan, and that as long as the month of Ramadan occurs in a year, the Night of Qadr necessarily occurs in it. It appears from some reports that there was a misconception regarding this night being the fifteenth of Shaʿbān, a misconception that the Imams from the Prophet’s family refuted. 2. Three specific nights are mentioned in the transmitted reports as being the Night of Qadr, these being the nineteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-third nights of Ramadan. 3. More importance is given to two specific nights: the twenty-first and twenty-third. 4. The twenty-third night is singled out as the most important among the Nights of Qadr. 5. A group of reports clarifies that the specification of the three nights, the nineteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-third nights, is not without reason; the reason being that the measuring and ordainment of decrees for the ensuing year involves a process which begins on the nineteenth night, continues during the twenty-first night, and finally culminates on the twenty-third night. On the other hand, the Sunni religious tradition inclines to the twenty-seventh night of the month of Ramadan as the Night of Qadr.

The reason the Night of Qadr has been thus veiled may be because of the process involved in the measuring and ordainment of decrees for the forthcoming year, which involves three nights. Another reason is to encourage the worshippers to offer their devotions in all the three nights. ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Unays asked the Messenger of God: ‘Inform me about the night that is hoped and coveted to be the Night of Qadr.’ The Messenger of God replied: ‘Had it not been [for the fear] that mankind would leave off saying prayers save for that night I would have informed you of it, however, seek it in the twenty-third night of the month.’‎[24] This is while Ibn ʿUrādah relates that when Imam Ali (a) was asked: ‘Tell us, when is the Night of Qadr?’ He replied: ‘It is not that I lack the ability to know it and therefore am hiding its knowledge, however I do not doubt that God has hidden it from you only out of consideration for you. This is because were He to inform you of it then you would only carry out good deeds on that night and you would leave off good deeds on the other nights, and I hope you shall not make that mistake, God-willing.’‎[25] Hence, the reason God has concealed the exact knowledge of this great and significant night from the people is so that they may strive in worship and devotions during it and influence their futures, and so that they may remain awake in worship on all the three nights in their effort to attain this coveted night.‎[26] This is similar to God concealing the identity of the middle prayer among the five daily ritual prayers, and as He has hidden His greatest name (al-ism al-aʿẓam) among His beautiful names, and as He has hidden that coveted moment or hour on Friday when supplications are accepted,‎[27] and as He has hidden the moment of death so that mankind may forever remain God-conscious, and as He has hidden His pleasure in His obedience and His anger and wrath in His disobedience so that mankind may strive to carry out all the acts of obedience and refrain from all acts of disobedience.‎[28]

This night serves as a special favour for the community of Prophet Muhammad (s). Although this night is not specific to the time of Prophet Muhammad (s), rather it recurs every year and shall do so up until the Day of Judgement, it is a night, knowledge of which appears to be specially bestowed on Prophet Muhammad’s (s) community, while its knowledge was withheld from past nations. Thus the Prophet is reported to have said: ‘Surely God has gifted [knowledge of] the Night of Qadr to my community and did not grant it to those before them.’‎[29] And Imam al-Bāqir (a) is attributed to have related from the Prophet who said the following when the month of Ramadan arrived: ‘O people, God has surely rendered you special by means of it [the month of Ramadan] and it has arrived to you. It is the chief of the months. [There is a night] in it which is better than a thousand months.’‎[30]

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

The following three reports corroborate the recurring nature of the Night of Qadr.

  1. Marthad ibn Abī Marthad relates from his father, who narrated: ‘I was with Abū Dharr at the second of the three stoning pillars [during the pilgrimage]. I asked him about the Night of Qadr. He said: “I was one who used to ask the Messenger of God (s) about it the most. I asked him: ‘The Night of Qadr continues to occur during the time of the prophets. So, if they pass away, does it cease to occur?’ He replied: ‘No; rather it will continue to occur till the Day of Resurrection.’”’‎[31]
  2. ʿAbd-Allāh ibn ʿUmar narrates: ‘The Messenger of God (s) was asked by someone about the Night of Qadr while I was listening, and the Messenger of God (s) replied: “It is in every month of Ramadan.”’‎[32]
  3. It is related that a man asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘Tell me about the Night of Qadr – was it in the past or will it occur repeatedly every year?’ The Imam replied: ‘If the Night of Qadr were to cease to arrive [lit: if it was lifted away] then the Quran would be lifted away [too]!’‎[33]

The next two reports clarify that in the Night of Qadr the angels and the Spirit descend to the lower heaven.

  1. Imam al-Bāqir (a) said the following with respect to In it the angels and the Spirit descend, by the leave of their Lord, with every decree: ‘The angels and the [angelic] scribes descend in it [i.e. in the Night of Qadr] to the lower heaven and register what is to happen during the [forthcoming] year with respect to decrees (umūr) that shall affect [God’s] servants. The decree (al-amr) with God [however] is conditional and [therefore] provisional (mawqūf). He has volition (mashiyyah) in it. Hence, He brings forward what He wishes and delays what He wishes. He erases what He wishes and confirms what He wishes, and with Him is the mother-book (umm al-kitāb).’‎[34]
  2. ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Miskān relates from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) who said: ‘When the Night of Qadr arrives, the angels, the Spirit, and the [angelic] scribes descend to the lower heaven. They register what will happen of the decree (qaḍāʾ) of God, the blessed and the exalted, in that year. So, if God intends to bring something forward or delay it, decrease something or increase it, He orders whatever He wishes to be erased and then He establishes or confirms what He wishes.’ ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Miskān says: ‘I asked: “And so everything is with Him in a book, measured (bi-miqdār), confirmed, and established (muthbat)?” He replied in the affirmative, so I asked: “Then what remains to happen after that?!” He replied: “Glory be to God! Thereafter, God also originates (yuḥdithu) what He wishes, blessed and exalted is God.”’‎[35]

The next four reports verify that the angels and the Spirit descend to the earth as well.

  1. Imam al-Jawād (a) narrated: ‘The Commander of the Faithful (a) said to Ibn Abbas: “The Night of Qadr certainly occurs every year, and in that night the dictates and instructions pertaining to the [following] year, descend. There are guardians [responsible] for the dictates and instructions, after the Messenger of God (s).” So Ibn Abbas asked: “Who are they?” He replied: “I, and eleven from my loins; leaders, those with whom angels communicate.”’‎[36]
  2. Imam al-Bāqir (a) addressed his followers, saying: ‘O community of [our] followers, contend [with our opponents] with Sūrat Innā Anzalnāhu, and you shall triumph, for by God it is God’s proof over creation after the Messenger of God (s), and it is the chief of your religion. It is the ultimate extent of our knowledge. O community of [our] followers, contend [with our opponents] with Ḥā mīm, innā anzalnāhu fī laylatin mubārakah … [44:1-4] for it is specifically for the guardians of the affair (wulāt al-amr) after the Messenger of God (s).’‎[37]
  3. Ibn Bukayr relates from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) who said: ‘Surely what is to happen during the year to the next is decreed in the Night of Qadr; of goodness and evil, of death and life, and rain. In it the group that is to travel for the pilgrimage is decreed. Thereafter, all that is sent to the inhabitants of the earth.’ The narrator asked: ‘To whom is all that sent to from the inhabitants of the earth?’ The Imam replied: ‘To the one you are looking at!’‎[38]
  4. Imam al-Bāqir (a) was asked: ‘Do you [all] know the Night of Qadr?’ He replied: ‘And how do we not know the Night of Qadr while the angels are circling us in that night?!’‎[39]

In Shia teachings a distinction is made between a rasūl (messenger), a nabī (prophet), and an imām, however all of them interact with the angels and the Spirit, albeit in different ways. The following reports explicitly clarify this point.

  1. Kulaynī reports the following from Zurārah who asked Imam al-Bāqir (a) about the distinction between a rasūl and a nabī in the context of 19:54. The Imam replied: ‘The nabī is one who sees [visions] in his sleep and hears the voice [of the angel] but does not see the angel, while the rasūl is one who hears the voice [of the angel] and sees [visions] in his sleep, and sees the angel.’ Zurārah then asked about the station of the Imam and he replied: ‘[The Imam] hears the voice [of the angel] but does not see [the angel in sleep] or witness [the angel when awake].’ The Imam then recited [verse 22:52].‎[40]
  2. Kulaynī also reports the following from both Imam al-Bāqir (a) and Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) in relation to 22:52. The Imam said: ‘The rasūl is one to whom the angel appears and it speaks to him, while a nabī is one who sees [visions] in his sleep, and perhaps the two offices of nubuwwah and risālah come together in one person; while a muḥaddath [lit: one spoken to] is one who hears the voice [of the angel] but does not see the form [of the angel].’‎[41]

The following reports not only describe the distinct nature of the creature known as the rūḥ that is distinct from the angels, but also that the Imams interact with it.

  1. Kulaynī reports from Abū Baṣīr who states that Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) explained 42:52: ‘[The rūḥ] is a creature from God’s creatures, greater than Gabriel and Michael. It was with the Messenger of God, informing him and guiding him, and it is [now] with the Imams after him.’‎[42]
  2. Kulaynī reports from Abū Baṣīr who states that Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said about 17:85: ‘[The rūḥ] is a creature greater than Gabriel and Michael. It was with the Messenger of God and it is [now] with the Imams, and it is from God’s angelic realms.’‎[43]

The following reports confirm the Night of Qadr occurs in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan and that it is one of the odd nights of it.

  1. Imam Ali (a) said: ‘The Messenger of God (s) was asked about the [identity of the] Night of Qadr. He said: “Look for it in the last ten [nights] of the month of Ramadan.”’‎[44]
  2. ʿĀʾishah relates that the Messenger of God said: ‘Seek the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten [nights] of the month of Ramadan.’‎[45]
  3. Imam Ali (a) relates: ‘The Prophet (s) used to awaken his family [for devotions in the night] during the last ten [nights] of the month of Ramadan, and when the last ten [nights] would arrive he would devote himself diligently [to worship] and make his family devote themselves diligently [to worship] too.’‎[46]
  4. Abū Baṣīr relates from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) who said: ‘When the last ten days of the month of Ramadan would arrive, the Messenger of God (s) would exert himself vigorously [in worship]. He would eschew sexual relations with women, would remain awake at night [in worship], and would devote himself exclusively to worship.’‎[47]

Although these last few narrations signify the importance of the last ten nights of Ramadan, the ones which indicate the Night of Qadr being in the last ten nights are from Sunni or non-Twelver sources.

Three specific nights are mentioned in the transmitted reports as being the Night of Qadr.

  1. ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Masʿūd narrates that the Messenger of God said: ‘[The Night of Qadr] is the nineteenth night of the month of Ramadan, the night of the twenty-first, and the night of the twenty-third.’‎[48]
  2. Imam al-Bāqir (a) relates: ‘Ali used to seek the Night of Qadr [on] the nineteenth night, the twenty-first night, and the twenty-third night.’‎[49]
  3. Ḥassān ibn Abī Ali says: ‘I asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) about the Night of Qadr. He replied: “Seek it in the nineteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-third [nights of the month of Ramadan].”’‎[50]

The following narrations speak of only two nights as the Night of Qadr. This may be due to the fact that the question was put to the Imam after the night of nineteenth, or due to the additional importance of these nights.

  1. Shihāb ibn ʿAbd Rabbih asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) to identify for him the Night of Qadr. The Imam replied: ‘It is the twenty-first night and the twenty-third night.’‎[51]
  2. Zurārah asked Imam al-Bāqir (a) about the Night of Qadr. The Imam replied: ‘It is the twenty-first night or the twenty-third night.’ Zurārah asked: ‘Is it not just one night?’ The Imam replied in the affirmative, whereupon Zurārah asked him to identify it for him. The Imam retorted: ‘What do you lose if you were to do good in both nights?’‎[52]
  3. Ali ibn Abī Ḥamzah al-Thumālī narrates that the following incident occurred when he was in the company of Imam al-Ṣādiq (a). Abū Baṣīr asked the Imam: ‘May I be rendered your sacrifice. [What is the identity of] the night in which what is coveted and sought is coveted and sought?’ The Imam answered: ‘It is the night of the twenty-first and the twenty-third.’ Abū Baṣīr asked: ‘And if I am unable [to engage in worship] in both of them, [then which one]?’ The Imam said: ‘How easy are [these] two nights with respect to what you seek!’ Then Ali ibn Abī Ḥamzah said: ‘I asked: “It may happen that the moon was sighted in our location [on a certain date] but then there comes to us a man from another place who informs us to the contrary [i.e. a different date of moon sighting].” The Imam said: “How easy are four nights in respect of what you seek in them!” I said: “May I be your sacrifice; the night of the twenty-third is the night of al-Juhanī.” He said: “That is what is said.” I said: “May I be your sacrifice; Sulaymān ibn Khālid narrated that the night of the nineteenth is the one in which the group of people destined for the pilgrimage is determined.” He said: “O Abā Muhammad, the group destined for the pilgrimage is determined in the Night of Qadr, as are death, affliction, and sustenance that shall happen until the following year. Hence, seek it in the twenty-first and the twenty-third [nights]. Say a hundred cycles of the ritual prayer in each of these nights and keep awake during both these nights if you are able to, until light, and have a ritual bath in them both.” I asked: “What if I am unable to carry out the ritual prayers specified, standing?” He replied: “Then perform them sitting.” I said: “What if I am unable to do that?” He replied: “Then on your bed.” I said: “What if I am unable to do even that?” He said: “It is imperative that you should not sleep during the first part of the night. The doors of the heavens are opened in the month of Ramadan, the devils are shackled and fettered, and the deeds of believers are accepted. How excellent a month is the month of Ramadan! It used to be called al-marzūq (blessed and fortunate) during the time of the Messenger of God (s).”’‎[53]

It is worthy of observations that best of mankind after the Prophet (Imam Ali (a)), was martyred during the best of nights (the Nights of Qadr), in the best of places (the mosque), while occupied in the best of worship (the ritual prayer).

Finally, the twenty-third night is singled out as the most important Night of Qadr in the following reports.

  1. It is narrated that the Messenger of God used to sprinkle water on his family members the night of the twenty-third (and they would derive benefit from the grace of this month),‎[54] while Ibn Abbas narrated from the Prophet that the Night of Qadr is the twenty-third night.‎[55]
  2. Imam al-Bāqir (a) relates: ‘[ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Unays] al-Juhanī came to the Messenger of God (s) and said: “Messenger of God, I have camels, sheep, goats, and slaves [and these are onerous responsibilities]. I would like you to identify for me a night when I can come [to Medina] and attend the prayer.” This was during the month of Ramadan. The Messenger of God (s) called him near and whispered in his ear.’ The Imam continues: ‘Thus when it would be the night of the twenty-third, al-Juhanī would enter [Medina] with his camels, sheep, goats, his family, children, and slaves. He would spend that night, the night of the twenty-third, in Medina. When day would dawn, he would leave with his family, slaves, and livestock to return to his place.’‎[56] In another report, also from Imam al-Bāqir (a), the reason al-Juhanī gave to the Prophet was that his place of residence was remote from Medina whereupon the Prophet instructed him in favour of the twenty-third night.‎[57]

The following reports clarify that the specification of the nineteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-third nights involves a process regarding the measuring and ordainment of decrees. These same reports also refute the misconception regarding the sanctity of the fifteenth of Shaʿbān.

  1. Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘The measuring (taqdīr) is on the nineteenth night, while the endorsement (ibrām) is on the twenty-first night, and signing (imḍāʾ) is on the twenty-third night.’‎[58]
  2. Ḥumrān relates that he said to Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘The people say that on the fifteenth night of Shaʿbān the lifespans are written down, sustenance is measured out, and the documents of the pilgrimage issue forth.’‎[59] He replied: ‘We do not have anything regarding this; however, when it is the nineteenth night of the month of Ramadan the lifespans are written down, sustenance is measured out, the documents of the pilgrimage issue forth, and God inspects His creation. Thus, there does not remain a believer save that He forgives him but for the drunkard. Then when it is the twenty-third night, Every definitive matter is decreed in it [44:4]. He signs it (amḍāhu) and makes it known (anhāhu).’ Ḥumrān asked: ‘To whom, may I be your sacrifice?’ He replied: ‘To your companion [here]. Had it not been so, he [your companion] would not know what will happen in that year.’‎[60]

The following are reports that suggest that decrees ordained are alterable. These are the conditional or restricted (muqayyad) reports in light of which the absolute or unrestricted (muṭlaq) reports need to be understood.

  1. Ḥumrān relates that he asked Imam al-Bāqir (a) about Indeed We sent it down on a blessed night (44:3). The Imam replied: ‘Yes, it is the Night of Qadr. It occurs every year in the month of Ramadan during the last ten days of it. The Quran was not sent down save in the Night of Qadr. God says: Every definitive matter is decreed in it [44:4]. [This means] everything that is to happen in that year to the next is measured out and decreed in the Night of Qadr, from goodness and evil, obedience and disobedience, birth, death, and sustenance. Thus, whatever is measured out, decreed (quddira), and finalised (quḍiya) in that night is inevitable (maḥtūm), however God has volition (mashiyyah) in respect of it.’‎[61]
  2. ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Miskān relates from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) who said: ‘When the Night of Qadr arrives, the angels, the Spirit, and the [angelic] scribes descend to the lower heaven. They register what will happen of the judgement (qaḍāʾ) of God, the blessed and the exalted, in that year. So, if God intends to bring something forward or delay it, decrease something or increase it, He orders whatever He wishes to be erased and then He establishes or confirms what He wishes.’ ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Miskān relates: ‘I asked: “And so everything is with Him in a book, measured (bi-miqdār), confirmed, and established (muthbat)?” He replied in the affirmative, so I asked: “Then what remains to happen after that?!” He replied: “Glory be to God! Thereafter, God also originates (yuḥdithu) what He wishes, blessed and exalted is God.”’‎[62]
  3. Imam al-Bāqir (a) said with respect to In it the angels and the Spirit descend, by the leave of their Lord, with every decree: ‘The angels and the [angelic] scribes descend in it [i.e. in the Night of Qadr] to the lower heaven and register what is to happen during the [forthcoming] year with respect to decrees that shall affect [God’s] servants. The matter with God [however] is provisional. He has volition (mashiyyah) in it. Hence, He brings forward what He wishes and delays what He wishes. He erases what He wishes and confirms what He wishes, and with Him is the mother-book (umm al-kitāb).’‎[63] 
[1] Razi, 32/233.
[2] Tahqiq, 12/88-89.
[3] Mudarrisi, 18/243.
[4] Tabari, 30/168; Razi, 32/234.
[5] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, pp. 44-46.
[6] Mudarrisi, 18/243.
[7] Ibn Ashur, 30/406.
[8] Munyat al-Ṭālibīn, 30/535.
[9] Munyat al-Ṭālibīn, 30/535.
[10] Tabrisi, 10/790.
[11] Tabrisi, 10/790.
[12] Tibyan, 10/386.
[13] Tabrisi.J, 4/519.
[14] Mizan, 18/132.
[15] Iqbal, p. 145.
[16] http://mutahhari.blogspot.com/2012/02/blog-post.html
[17] Kafi, 1/274.
[18] Baṣāʾir al-Darajāt, 4/484.
[19] Kashif, 7/592.
[20] Zamakhshari, 4/781; Tibyan, 10/386.
[21] Tibyan, 10/386.
[22] Zamakhshari, 4/781; Tabrisi, 10/790.
[23] Tabrisi, 10/790.
[24] Kanz, 8/543, h. 24082.
[25] Ibn Abi al-Hadid, 20/154.
[26] Tibyan, 10/385; Zamakhshari, 4/780; Razi, 32/230.
[27] Tabrisi, 10/790; Razi, 32/230.
[28] Razi, 32/230.
[29] Suyuti, 8/570.
[30] Nur, 5/619.
[31] Muṣannaf of Ibn Abī Shaybah, 2/394, h. 5.
[32] Suyuti, 6/372.
[33] Kafi, 4/158, h. 7; Faqih, 2/158, h. 2023.
[34] Kafi, 4/157, h. 3; Faqih, 2/159, h. 2028.
[35] Qummi, 1/366.
[36] Kafi, 1/532, h. 11.
[37] Nur, 5/635-636.
[38] Baṣāʾir al-Darajāt.
[39] Qummi, 2/431.
[40] Qummi, 2/176.
[41] Kafi, 3/177.
[42] Kafi, 1/273.
[43] Kafi, 1/273.
[44] Daʿāʾim al-Islām, 1/282.
[45] Bukhari, 2/710, h. 1913.
[46] Tabrisi, 10/787.
[47] Kafi, 4/155, h. 3.
[48] Jaṣṣāṣ, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 5/374.
[49] Muṣannaf of ʿAbd al-Razzāq, 4/251, h. 7696.
[50] Tabrisi, 10/787.
[51] Tabrisi, 10/787.
[52] Tahdhib, 3/58, h. 200.
[53] Tabrisi, 10/788.
[54] Iqbal, p. 207.
[55] Jaṣṣāṣ, Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 5/374.
[56] Tahdhib, 4/330, h. 1032.
[57] Tahdhib, 4/196, h. 561.
[58] Kafi, 4/159, h. 9.
[59] Thus, as an example, we have Rāzī who cites a report attributed to the Prophet which has the latter say: ‘Surely God measures out the destinies in the night of al-barāʾah, and when it is the Night of Qadr, He hands them over to those responsible for them.’ See Razi, 32/235.
[60] Baṣāʾir al-Darajāt, 4/484.
[61] Kafi, 4/157, h. 6; Faqih, 2/158, h. 2024.
[62] Qummi, 1/366.
[63] Kafi, 4/157, h. 3; Faqih, 2/159, h. 2028.