Which specific odd night within the last ten is most likely to be Laylat al-Qadr?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Fasting
Primary text
There is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding the most probable night. Ubayy ibn Ka'b and Abdullah ibn Abbas maintained that it is the twenty-seventh night. Ubayy ibn Ka'b based this on the sign that the sun rises the next morning without rays, which they counted and memorized. Abu Dharr narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed standing in the last seven nights, then the last five, and on the twenty-seventh night, he gathered his family, and the people gathered, and he prayed until they feared missing the blessed meal (Suhur). A narration attributed to Ibn Abbas suggests it is the twenty-seventh word of Surah Al-Qadr, which has thirty words. Mu'awiyah narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that it is the twenty-seventh night.
Supporting text
It is held by some that the twenty-third night is the most emphasized, based on a narration where the Prophet, peace be upon him, instructed Abdullah ibn Unays to observe the twenty-third night in the mosque. Others state the twenty-fourth night is most emphasized, based on the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying Laylat al-Qadr is the first night of the final seven nights, which some Companions interpreted as the twenty-seventh being the first night of the final seven. Another view holds the twenty-first night is most emphasized, based on the Prophet's vision of prostrating in water and mud on its morning, which corresponded with a night of rain in the mosque.