Laylatul Qadr – Signs, What to Do & Duas

There's one night every year that changes everything.

One night when the gates of heaven open wide, when angels descend in numbers beyond counting, when worship is multiplied beyond comprehension.

One night worth more than 83 years of your life.

That night is Laylatul Qadr – The Night of Decree, The Night of Power, The Night of Destiny.

And if you miss it, you've missed the opportunity of a lifetime.

This article will tell you everything you need to know about Laylatul Qadr—and the specific duas that could change your entire future.

The Best Dua for Laylatul Qadr

Before we discuss in detail when Laylatul Qadr may occur or explain it fully, here is the dua for Laylatul Qadr.

What Is Laylatul Qadr?

Laylatul Qadr literally means "The Night of Decree" or "The Night of Power."

It's the most blessed night in the Islamic calendar—more sacred than any other night of the year, including the Night of Ascension (Isra wal Mi'raj) or the Night of Mid-Sha'ban.

So What Makes It So Special?

Allah Himself dedicated an entire Surah of the Quran to this one night.

That's how important it is.

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

Let's break down what happens on this night:

1) The Quran Was First Revealed

Laylatul Qadr is the night when the Quran began its descent from the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) to the lowest heaven.

From there, it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ over 23 years.

In surah Ad-Dukhan 44:3-4, Allah says:

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنذِرِينَ • فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ

"Indeed, We sent it down during a blessed night. Indeed, We were to warn [mankind]. On that night every precise matter is made distinct."

2) Decrees for the Coming Year Are Written

On Laylatul Qadr, the angels write down the decrees for the coming year:

• Who will live and who will die
• Who will be blessed with provision and who will struggle
• Who will be guided and who will go astray
• Who will get married, have children, face trials, receive healing

This doesn't contradict the concept of divine predestination (Qadr).

Allah knew all of this eternally, but the angels write it down on this night as a matter of divine wisdom.

3) Angels Descend in Unprecedented Numbers

In surah Al-Qadar 97:4, Allah says:

تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ

The scholars say the earth becomes so filled with angels on this night that there is barely any space left. They descend to witness the believers worshiping, to say "Ameen" to their duas, and to ask Allah to forgive them.

4) Worship Is Multiplied Beyond Measure

In thr same surah, Allah says this:

لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ

"The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months."

Let's do the math:

• 1,000 months = 83 years and 4 months
• If you worship sincerely on Laylatul Qadr, it's as if you worshiped for 83+ years straight without stopping

One night. A lifetime of reward.

That's not an exaggeration. That's Allah's promise.

Also on this night, all your past sins erased and wiped clean.

As if they never happened.

So The Question is: When Is Laylatul Qadr?

We Actually don't know the exact night.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was shown which night it was, but then that knowledge was taken away.

Why?

Because Allah wants to test who will truly SEARCH for it. Who will put in the effort. Who will worship on multiple nights instead of just showing up for one.

But he gave us clear guidance on when to look for it.

Hadith 1: The Last Ten Nights

تَحَرَّوْا لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ

"Seek Laylatul Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan."

So it's definitely in the last ten nights (nights 21-30 of Ramadan).

Hadith 2: The Odd Nights

تَحَرَّوْا لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ فِي الْوِتْرِ مِنَ الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ

"Seek Laylatul Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan."

This narrows it down to: 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, or 29th night.

Hadith 3: The Last Seven Nights

الْتَمِسُوهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ، فِي تَاسِعَةٍ تَبْقَى، فِي سَابِعَةٍ تَبْقَى، فِي خَامِسَةٍ تَبْقَى

"Seek it in the last ten nights—when nine nights remain, when seven remain, when five remain."

Counting backwards from the end of Ramadan:

• Nine nights remaining = 21st or 22nd night (depending on if Ramadan is 29 or 30 days)
• Seven nights remaining = 23rd or 24th night
• Five nights remaining = 25th or 26th night

So the strongest candidates are the last seven nights, particularly the odd ones (23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th).

Note: If you want to see the list of hadith for Ramadan, here it is.

The Strongest Candidate: The 27th Night

Many scholars believe the 27th night is the most likely to be Laylatul Qadr, based on:

The Statement of Ubayy ibn Ka'b (رضي الله عنه):

He said: "By Allah, I know which night it is. It is the night that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to seek—the 27th night." (Sahih Muslim)

He didn't just think it was the 27th. He swore by Allah.

Mathematical Observation:

The words "Laylatul Qadr" (ليلة القدر) appear three times in Surah Al-Qadr. If you count the total number of words in the Surah, you'll find interesting connections to the number 27.

Lemme explain this in detail:

Surah Al-Qadr is a short chapter in the Quran. When you count every word in the Arabic text of this Surah, the total number of words is exactly 30.

This is interesting because there are 30 days in a full month of Ramadan.

The phrase "Laylatul Qadr" (ليلة القدر) itself is made of nine Arabic letters.

As I mentioned above, this phrase appears three times in the Surah. If you multiply the number of letters in the phrase (9) by the number of times it is repeated (3), the result is 27.

Also, look at the Position of the Word "Salam"

In the final verse, Allah says:

سَلَٰمٌ هِىَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ ٱلْفَجْرِ

This verse means "Peace it is until the emergence of dawn."

If you count the words of the Surah starting from the very first word (إِنَّآ), the word "Hiya" (هِىَ), which means "it is" and refers back to the Night of Decree, is the 27th word of the Surah.

BUT—and this is critical—it's not guaranteed.

The Wise Approach: Worship ALL the Odd Nights

Don't gamble your eternity on one night.

What if you ONLY worship on the 27th, and it turns out Laylatul Qadr was the 23rd that year?

You missed it.

So here's the strategy the scholars recommend:

✅ Worship on the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, and 29th nights
✅ If you can, worship on ALL ten nights (including the even nights)
✅ Treat EVERY night like it could be Laylatul Qadr

That way, you're guaranteed to catch it.

Signs of Laylatul Qadr

The Prophet ﷺ mentioned several signs that indicate which night is Laylatul Qadr.

But most of these signs are subtle, and you might not notice them at all.

First one is: the temperature is moderate. The air feels gentle. There's a sense of serenity and peace.

Some narrations mention that the night is unusually bright, as if the moon is full—even if it's not actually a full moon.

And the next morning, the sun appears weak, reddish, and without the usual brightness.

BUT: This sign appears AFTER the night is over, so it's not helpful for identifying it while you're in it.

IMPORTANT: So Don't Rely on Signs

You might worship on Laylatul Qadr and not notice a single sign.

The night might feel ordinary. The weather might be normal. You might not "feel" anything special.

And that's OKAY.

Because the Prophet ﷺ said:

مَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا، غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ

Look, It doesn't say "Whoever FEELS Laylatul Qadr."

It says: "Whoever STANDS in prayer."

Your job is to SHOW UP and WORSHIP. Allah's job is to accept it.

Don't wait for signs. Don't wait for feelings.

Just worship with sincerity on all the odd nights, and you'll catch it—whether you "felt" it or not.