Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power) Countdown

Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power or Night of Decree, is the holiest night of the Islamic year, marking when Muslims believe the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It is sought among the last ten nights of Ramadan and most widely observed on the 27th night.

History

Laylat al-Qadr takes its name and significance from the Quran itself, which devotes a short chapter, Surah al-Qadr, to the night. Islamic tradition holds that in the year 610 CE the Prophet Muhammad, then in retreat in the cave of Hira on the outskirts of Mecca, received the first revelation of the Quran through the angel Gabriel. That moment of first revelation is remembered as the Night of Power, and the Quran describes it as "better than a thousand months" — a phrase Muslims have understood for fourteen centuries as a measure of the night's immense spiritual worth. The exact date of the night was left unspecified in the earliest sources, and this ambiguity became part of the tradition. Prophetic reports encourage believers to seek the night among the odd-numbered nights of the last ten days of Ramadan — the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th — rather than fixing it to a single calendar date. Over time the 27th night of Ramadan emerged as the most widely observed, and in many countries it is marked by special mosque gatherings, though scholars have long emphasised that the precise night remains hidden and that seeking it across all the final nights is itself part of the devotion. As Islam spread across Arabia, Persia, North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia in the centuries that followed, the practice of keeping vigil on these nights travelled with it, adapting to local custom while preserving its core. Mosques stay open through the night, worshippers undertake the retreat known as itikaf in the final ten days, and the recitation of the Quran intensifies. Today more than a billion Muslims across every continent honour the Night of Power as the spiritual summit of Ramadan.

Meaning

For those who observe it, Laylat al-Qadr is the most sacred night of the year — the night on which, according to Islamic belief, divine revelation first descended and destinies for the year ahead are recorded. The Quranic promise that the night is "better than a thousand months" gives it extraordinary weight: worship, prayer and good deeds performed during it are believed to carry a reward beyond that of a lifetime of ordinary nights. The hidden nature of the night gives it a distinctive spirit. Because no one knows for certain which night it falls upon, believers are encouraged to devote themselves across all the final nights of Ramadan, deepening their prayer, reflection and charity throughout the last ten days. It is a night of seeking closeness to God, of asking forgiveness, and of quiet hope — a peaceful vigil that draws the fasting month toward its spiritual peak and reminds the community that the value of a moment can outweigh that of years.