Imam al-Mahdi and Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Destiny)
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) says:
«إنَّ لِرَبِّكُمْ فی أیامِ دَهْرِكُم نَفَحَاتٍ، فَتَعَرَّضُوا لَهَا لَعَلَّهُ أنْ یصِیبَكُم نَفْحَةٌ منها فلا تَشْقَوْنَ بَعْدَها أبَدا»[1]
“Verily, there are some divine breezes (divine chances and successes) during your lives so, make yourselves ready to catch them; if you may do so, you would not be misled and woeful thereafter.”
The unique night
The Night of Qadr has a striking and shining status among all the nights in a year. The Quran articulates that this night is better than a thousand months of which equals eighty-three years by saying,
﴿لَیْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَیْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ﴾[2]
“The Night of Qadr is better than a thousand months”
It is a great night during which angels and the Spirit descend:
﴿تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِیهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ﴾[3]
“The angels and the Spirit descend therein by the permission of their Lord for every matter.”
In fact, it is a night that thoroughly is auspicious and blessed:
﴿سَلَامٌ هِیَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ﴾[4]
“Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.”
Narrations also mention it highly as is reported from Prophet Muhammad to have said,
«إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ اخْتَارَ مِنَ الایَّامِ الْجُمُعَةَ وَ مِنَ الشُّهُورِ شَهْرَ رَمَضَانَ وَ مِنَ اللَّیَالِی لَیْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ»[5]
“Truly, Fridays among days, Ramaḍān among months, and the Night of Qadr among nights have been favored and chosen by Allah the Exalted, the Glorified.”
Also, Imam al-Ṣādiq offers a short and meaningful Hadith by saying,
«قَلبُ شَهرِ رَمَضانَ لَيلَةُ القَدر» [6]
"The heart of the month of Ramaḍān is the Night of Qadr.”
The precise time of the Laylat al-Qadr
It is quite evident that the Night of Qadr is among the nights of the month of Ramaḍān; that is because, on the one hand, Allah in Surah al-Baqarah says,
﴿شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ﴾[7]
“The month of Ramaḍān [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.”
And on the other hand, in Surah al-Qadr states,
﴿إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِی لَیْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ﴾[8]
“Indeed, We sent the Qur'an down during the Night of Qadr.”
In respect to these two verses, we can come to the conclusion that the Night of Qadr is held in the month of Ramadan for sure. But, at this point, a question comes to mind that in which night of the month is that.
Based on Islamic traditions, all Muslims, Shiˈa and Sunni, are unanimous that this night only is limited to the following nights: the seventeenth, nineteenth, twenty-first, twenty-third, twenty-seventh or twenty-ninth of the Ramaḍān. Of course, it is worthy of noting that Sunnis mainly believe in the twenty-seventh of Ramaḍān, rather the Shiˈas believe that one of the nights: the nineteenth, twenty-first, or the twenty-third of this month is the Night of Qadr.
To explain how Shia reconciles all these three nights, Imam al-Sādiq says,
«اَلتَّقْدِیْرُ فِى لَیْلَهِ الْقَدْرِ تِسْعَهُ عَشَرَ، وَ الاِبْرامُ فِى لَیْلَهِ اِحْدى وَ عِشْرِیْنَ وَ الاِمْضاءُ فِى لَیْلَهِ ثَلاثُ وَ عِشْرِیْنَ»[9]
"The fate of things would be decided in the nineteenth and would be fixed in the twenty-first and finally, it would be confirmed in the twenty-third of Ramaḍān."
It is quoted that a person who lived in the suburb of Medina said to the Prophet that it was impossible for him to attend Medina the whole of the three Nights;
«فَدَعَاهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلی الله علیه و آله فَسَارَّهُ فِي أُذُنِهِ فَكَان الْجُهَنِيُّ إِذَا كَانَتْ لَيْلَةُ ثَلَاثٍ وَ عِشْرِينَ دَخَلَ بِإِبِلِهِ وَ غَنَمِهِ وَ أَهْلِهِ وَ وُلْدِهِ وَ غِلْمَتِهِ فَبَاتَ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ بِالْمَدِينَة»[10]
“Then the Messenger of Allah had whispered to him something and since then people saw him with his camels, sheep, his family, and his servants to come to Medina just on the night of the twenty-third.”
Imam al-Mahdi and the Night of Qadr
It is obvious that the Night of Qadr was not exclusive to a special year at the time of the Prophet. In fact, during the Prophet’s life, during this night, angels and the Spirit came down to him bringing along people’s destiny yearly. Whereas in Arabic literature, the present tense refers to doing an action continuously, the commentators of the Quran believe that the word تَنَزّلُ (descend) [11] signifies the continuity of descending the angels and spirit up to the end of the world. It shows that this occurrence was not limited only to an exact year or the years of the existence of the Prophet. At this point, a question may come to the mind of many people that to whom the angels refer after the demise of the Prophet.
In other words, if the Night Qadr and coming down the angels occurs every year, who is the alternative person on behalf of the Prophet?
In response to this question, there is a narration from Imam al-Sādiq quotes from Imam Ali to have said,
«إِنَ لَيْلَةَ اَلْقَدْرِ فِي كُلِّ سَنَةٍ وَ إِنَّهُ يَنْزِلُ فِي تِلْكَ اَللَّيْلَةِ أَمْرُ اَلسَّنَةِ وَ لِذَلِكَ اَلْأَمْرِ وُلاَةٌ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اَللَّهِ صلی الله علیه و آله فَقَالَ اِبْنُ عَبَّاسٍ مَنْ هُمْ؟ قَالَ أَنَا وَ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ مِنْ صُلْبِي أَئِمَّةٌ مُحَدَّثُونَ»[12]
“There is always the Night of Qadr in every year and in that Night, all the matters pertaining to the (next) year will be confirmed, and there are deputies after the Messenger of Allah for that. Then Ibn-e-Abbās asked the Imam, ‘Who are they?’ Imam Ali answered, ‘The eleven Imams of my progeny and I. We are the Imams who are talked to (by angels and the Spirit).”
In another narration, Imam al-Ṣādiq was asked, “Do you know the Night of Qadr?” and the Imam responded,
«وَ كَيفَ لا نَعرفُ [ليلةَ القَدر] وَ المَلائكةُ تَطُوفُ بِنا فِيها»[13]
“How is it possible for us not to know [the Night of Qadr] while the angels are circling around us then.”
In short, firstly, it comes to light from various Quran verses and traditions that the Night of Qadr possesses a high stature and is a major determinant in human destiny. It is illuminated that this Night is in every year.
Secondly, the Night of Qadr and descent of the angels in every year are big signs of the existence of a living Imam. So, after the Prophet Muhammad, the angels come down to the infallible Imams till now. It proves that in our time, there has to be an Imam to whom the angels come down and this Imam is no one but the last Imam who is Imam al-Mahdi. That is why it is quoted to demonstrate the Imamate to the dissidents by Surah al-Qadr as:
«يَا مَعْشَرَ الشِّيعَةِ خَاصِمُوا بِسُورَةِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ تَفْلُجُوا فَوَ اللَّهِ إِنَّهَا لَحُجَّةُ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى عَلَى الْخَلْقِ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ إِنَّهَا لَسَيِّدَةُ دِينِكُمْ وَ إِنَّهَا لَغَايَةُ عِلْمِنَا يَا مَعْشَرَ الشِّيعَةِ خَاصِمُوا بِ حم وَ الْكِتابِ الْمُبِينِ إِنَّا أَنْزَلْناهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبارَكَةٍ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنْذِرِينَ فَإِنَّهَا لِوُلَاةِ الْأَمْرِ خَاصَّةً بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلی الله علیه و آله»[14]
“O the group of the Shia! Argue with those who do not accept the issue of Imamate by Surah al-Qadr and you will win the argument (Since this Surah says that in each year, even after the Prophet, the angels and the Spirit come down on a special Night. Then, you can ask those who reject the Imamate that after the Prophet to whom the angels will descend and they will give you no answer) By Allah, after the Prophet, this Surah is a proof from Allah the Exalted, the Glorified on mankind and it contains the best part of your religion (which is the issue of Imamate) and this Surah shows the amount of our knowledge (since in the Night of Qadr the angels tell the Imam about all things related to the next year.) O the group of the Shia! Argue with those who do not accept the issue of Imamate by the verses, ‘Ha. Mim. By the Illuminating Book of Religion. We surely sent the Quran down in an auspicious night and We are ever warning’[15]. It indeed points only to the Owners of this Issue (Imamate) after the demise of the Messenger of Allah.”
Also, it is recommended at this night (the twenty-third night of Ramaḍān) to pray for Imam al-Mahdi’s wellness by the reciting this supplication:
«اللّهُمَّ كُنْ لِوَلِيِّكَ الْحُجَّةِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ
“O’ Allah! Be for Your deputy, al-Hujjah bin al-Hassan (al-Mahdi),
صَلَواتُكَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلى آبائِهِ
May Your blessings be upon him and his forefathers,
في هذِهِ السّاعَةِ وَفي كُلِّ ساعَةٍ
Now and at all times,
وَلِيّاً وَ حافِظاً وَ قائِداً و َناصِراً وَ دَليلاً وَ عَيْناً
A master and protector and guide and helper and proof and guard,
حَتّى تُسْكِنَهُ أَرْضَكَ طَوْعاً
Until he resides peacefully on Your earth,
وَ تُمَتِّعَهُ فيها طَويلا»[16]
And let him enjoy (his rule on the Earth) for a long time.”
Source: The Final Hope, June 2016, Issue no. 18
[1] Al-Jāmiʿ al-Saghīr, vol. 1, p. 95
[2] The Quran, 97:3
[3] The Quran, 97:4
[4] The Quran, 97:5
[5] Kamāl al-Dīn wa Tamām al-Ni‘mah, vol. 1, p. 281
[6] ’Usūl al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 66
[7] The Quran, 2:185
[8] The Quran, 97:1
[9] Wasā’il al-Shia, vol. 7, p. 259
[10] Biḥār al-Anwār, vol. 94, p. 9
[11] The Quran, 97:4
[12] ’Usūl al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 247. hadith no. 2
[13] Al-Burhān fī Tafsīr al-Quran, vol. 5, p. 717
[14] Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 249, hadith no. 6
[15] The Quran, 44:3
[16] Sheikh al-Ṭūsī, Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām, vol. 3, p. 103
