Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Qadr Verse 5

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Peace it is till the debut of dawn.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

It is all peace until the break of dawn.

Ruwwad Translation Center

It is all peace until the break of dawn.

A. J. Arberry

Peace it is, till the rising of dawn.

Abdul Haleem

[there is] peace that night until the break of dawn.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

It is all peace, until the rising of the dawn.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Peace!... This until the rise of morn!

Abul Ala Maududi

All peace is that night until the rise of dawn.

Ahmed Ali

It is peace till the dawning of the day.

Ahmed Raza Khan

It is peace until the rising of dawn.

Ali Quli Qarai

It is peaceful until the rising of the dawn.

Ali Ünal

(It is) a sheer mercy and security (from all misfortunes, for the servants who spend it in devotions in appreciation of its worth). (It is) until the rising of the dawn.

Amatul Rahman Omar

(That Night is all) peace. It lasts till the rise of the dawn.

English Literal

Security/peace it is until the dawn`s ascent/rising .

Faridul Haque

It is peace until the rising of dawn.

Hamid S. Aziz

Peace it is until the rising of the dawn!

Hilali & Khan

Peace! (All that night, there is Peace and Goodness from Allah to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Those who disbelieve from among the People of the Book and the idolaters could not have been freed till clear evidence came to them --

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Peace! it is till the break of the morning.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

(The night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn.

Muhammad Sarwar

This Night is all peace until the break of dawn.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Peace it is, till the break of dawn.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

There is peace until the appearance of dawn.

Wahiduddin Khan

it is all peace till the break of dawn.

Talal Itani

Peace it is; until the rise of dawn.

Tafsir jalalayn

It is peaceful (salmun hiya; a predicate preceding the subject) until the rising of the dawn (read matla` or matli`), until the time it rises; it is peaceful because of the numerous salutations [of peace] (salm) spoken in it by the angels, who, every time they come across a believing man or believing woman, bid him peace. Meccan or Medinese, consisting of 8 verses.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

There is peace until the appearance of dawn.

Sa`id bin Mansur said, "Hushaym narrated to us on the authority of Abu Ishaq, who narrated that Ash-Sha`bi said concerning Allah's statement,

تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَـيِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ


سَلَـمٌ هِىَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ


Therein descend the angels and the Ruh by their Lord's permission with every matter, there is a peace until the appearance of dawn.

`The angels giving the greetings of peace during the Night of Al-Qadr to the people in the Masjids until the coming of Fajr (dawn)."'

Qatadah and Ibn Zayd both said concerning Allah's statement,
سَلَـمٌ هِىَ
(There is peace),

"This means all of it is good and there is no evil in it until the coming of Fajr (dawn)."
Specifying the Night of Decree and its Signs

This is supported by what Imam Ahmad recorded from Ubadah bin As-Samit that the Messenger of Allah said,

لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْبَوَاقِي مَنْ قَامَهُنَّ ابْتِغَاءَ حِسْبَتِهِنَّ فَإِنَّ اللهَ يَغْفِرُ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ

وَهِيَ لَيْلَةُ وِتْرٍ تِسْعٍ أَوْ سَبْعٍ أَوْ خَامِسَةٍ أَوْ ثَالِثَةٍ أَوْ اخِرِ لَيْلَة

The Night of Al-Qadr occurs during the last ten (nights). Whoever stands for them (in prayer) seeking their reward, then indeed Allah will forgive his previous sins and his latter sins.

It is an odd night;the ninth, or the seventh, or the fifth, or the third or the last night (of Ramadan).

The Messenger of Allah also said,

إِنَّ أَمَارَةَ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ أَنَّهَا صَافِيَةٌ بَلْجَةٌ كَأَنَّ فِيهَا قَمَرًا سَاطِعًا سَاكِنَةٌ سَاجِيَةٌ

لَاا بَرْدَ فِيهَا وَلَاا حَرَّ وَلَاا يَحِلُّ لِكَوْكَبٍ يُرْمَى بِهِ فِيهَا حَتْى يُصْبِحَ

وَإِنَّ أَمَارَتَهَا أَنَّ الشَّمْسَ صَبِيحَتَهَا تَخْرُجُ مُسْتَوِيَةً لَيْسَ لَهَا شُعَاعٌ مِثْلَ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ

وَلَا يَحِلُّ لِلشَّيْطَانِ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ مَعَهَا يَوْمَيِذ

Verily, the sign of the Night of Al-Qadr is that it is pure and glowing as if there were a bright, tranquil, calm moon during it.

It is not cold, nor is it hot, and no shooting star is permitted until morning.

Its sign is that the sun appears on the morning following it smooth having no rays on it, just like the moon on a full moon night.

Shaytan is not allowed to come out with it (the sun) on that day.

This chain of narration is good.

In its text there is some oddities and in some of its wordings there are things that are objectionable.

Abu Dawud mentioned a section in his Sunan that he titled, "Chapter;Clarification that the Night of Al-Qadr occurs during every Ramadan." Then he recorded that `Abdullah bin `Umar said,

"The Messenger of Allah was asked about the Night of Al-Qadr while I was listening and he said,
هِيَ فِي كُلِّ رَمَضَان
(It occurs during every Ramadan.)"

The men of this chain of narration are all reliable, but Abu Dawud said that Shu`bah and Sufyan both narrated it from Ishaq and they both considered it to be a statement of the Companion (Ibn `Umar, and thus not the statement of the Prophet).

It has been reported that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said,

"The Messenger of Allah performed Itikaf during the first ten nights of Ramadan and we performed Itikaf with him. Then Jibril came to him and said,

`That which you are seeking is in front of you.'

So the Prophet performed Itikaf during the middle ten days of Ramadan and we also performed Itikaf with him. Then Jibril came to him and said;

`That which you are seeking is ahead of you.'

So the Prophet stood up and gave a sermon on the morning of the twentieth of Ramadan and he said,

مَنْ كَانَ اعْتَكَفَ مَعِيَ فَلْيَرْجِعْ فَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ وَإِنِّي أُنْسِيتُهَا وَإِنَّهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الاَْوَاخِرِ فِي وِتْرٍ وَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ كَأَنِّي أَسْجُدُ فِي طِينٍ وَمَاء

Whoever performed Itikaf with me, let him come back (for Itikaf again), for verily I saw the Night of Al-Qadr, and I was caused to forget it, and indeed it is during the last ten (nights). It is during an odd night and I saw myself as if I were prostrating in mud and water.

The roof of the Masjid was made of dried palm-tree leaves and we did not see anything (i.e., clouds) in the sky. But then a patch of wind-driven clouds came and it rained. So the Prophet lead us in prayer until we saw the traces of mud and water on the forehead of the Messenger of Allah , which confirmed his dream."

In one narration it adds that

- this occurred on the morning of the twenty-first night (meaning the next morning).

They both (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) recorded it in the Two Sahihs.

Ash-Shafi`i said, "This Hadith is the most authentic of what has been reported."


It has also been said that it is on the twenty-third night due to a Hadith narrated from `Abdullah bin Unays in Sahih Muslim.

It has also been said that it is on the twenty-fifth night due to what Al-Bukhari recorded from Ibn Abbas that the Messenger of Allah said,

الْتَمِسُوهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الاَْوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ فِي تَاسِعَةٍ تَبْقَى فِي سَابِعَةٍ تَبْقَى فِي خَامِسَةٍ تَبْقَى

Seek it in the last ten (nights) of Ramadan. In the ninth it still remains, in the seventh it still remains, in the fifth it still remains.

Many have explained this Hadith to refer to the odd nights, and this is the most apparent and most popular explanation.


It has also been said that it occurs on the twenty-seventh night because of what Muslim recorded in his Sahih from Ubay bin Ka`b that the Messenger of Allah mentioned that it was on the twenty-seventh night.

Imam Ahmad recorded from Zirr that he asked Ubayy bin Ka`b,

"O Abu Al-Mundhir! Verily, your brother Ibn Mas`ud says whoever stands for prayer (at night) the entire year, will catch the Night of Al-Qadr."

He (Ubayy) said,

"May Allah have mercy upon him. Indeed he knows that it is during the month of Ramadan and that it is the twenty-seventh night."

Then he swore by Allah.

Zirr then said, "How do you know that"

Ubayy replied,

By a sign or an indication that he (the Prophet) informed us of. It rises that next day having no rays on it -- meaning the sun."

Muslim has also recorded it. It has been said that it is the night of the twenty-ninth.

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded from `Ubadah bin As-Samit that he asked the Messenger of Allah about the Night of Decree and he replied,

فِي رَمَضَانَ فَالْتَمِسُوهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الاَْوَاخِرِ

فَإِنَّهَا فِي وِتْرٍ إِحْدَى وَعِشْرِينَ أَوْ ثَلَإثٍ وَعِشْرِينَ أَوْ خَمْسٍ وَعِشْرِينَ أَوْ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ أَوْ تِسْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ أَوْ فِي اخِرِ لَيْلَة

Seek it in Ramadan in the last ten nights.

For verily, it is during the odd nights, the twenty-first, or the twenty-third, or the twenty-fifth, or the twenty-seventh, or the twenty-ninth, or during the last night.

Imam Ahmad also recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said about the Night of Al-Qadr,

إِنَّهَا لَيْلَةُ سَابِعَةٍ أَوْ تَاسِعَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ وَإِنَّ الْمَلَيِكَةَ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ فِي الاَْرْضِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ عَدَدِ الْحَصَى

Verily, it is during the twenty-seventh or the twenty-ninth night.

And verily, the angels who are on the earth during that night are more numerous than the number of pebbles.

Ahmad was alone in recording this Hadith and there is nothing wrong with its chain of narration.

At-Tirmidhi recorded from Abu Qilabah that he said,

"The Night of Al-Qadr moves around (i.e., from year to year) throughout the last ten nights."

This view that At-Tirmidhi mentions from Abu Qilabah has also been recorded by Malik, Ath-Thawri, Ahmad bin Hanbal, Ishaq bin Rahuyah, Abu Thawr, Al-Muzani, Abu Bakr bin Khuzaymah and others.

It has also been related from Ash-Shafi`i, and Al-Qadi reported it from him, and this is most likely.

And Allah knows best.
Supplication during the Night of Decree

It is recommended to supplicate often during all times, especially during the month of Ramadan, in the last ten nights, and during the odd nights of it even more so. It is recommended that one say the following supplication a lot;

"O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me."

This is due to what Imam Ahmad recorded from `A'ishah, that she said,

"O Messenger of Allah! If I find the Night of Al-Qadr what should I say"

He replied,

قُولِي اللْهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

Say;

"O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me."

At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah have all recorded this Hadith.

At-Tirmidhi said, "This Hadith is Hasan Sahih."

Al-Hakim recorded it in his Mustadrak (with a different chain of narration) and he said that it is authentic according to the criteria of the two Sheikhs (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

An-Nasa'i also recorded it.

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Al-Qadr, and all praise and blessings are due to Allah