Chapter: Al-Qadr (The Decree)

Verse 3: Lailat al-Qadr is better than a thousand months.

There are several issues concerning this verse:

There are several viewpoints regarding the meaning of the verse:

1. Worship in this Night is Better: Worship performed on this night is better than a thousand months in which this night does not occur. It is impossible to mean a thousand months containing this night, as the benefit of this specific night far surpasses any other time. This superiority is due to the immense blessings, provisions, and types of good that God bestows on this night.
2. The Story of the Israelite: Mujahid said that among the Children of Israel, there was a man who used to spend the entire night in prayer until morning, and then fight in jihad until evening. He did this for a thousand months. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the Muslims marveled at this. God then revealed this verse, meaning that the Night of Decree for your Ummah is better than the thousand months of that Israelite who carried arms for that duration.
3. Concern for the Ummah's Lifespans: Malik ibn Anas said that the Prophet (PBUH) saw the lifespans of previous nations and felt that the lifespans of his Ummah were too short, fearing they would not achieve the level of deeds that previous nations attained. So, God granted him the Night of Decree, which is better than a thousand months for all other nations.
4. The Reign of Banu Umayyah: Al-Qasim ibn Fadl narrated from Al-Hasan ibn Ali (RA) that when Al-Hasan ceded the Caliphate to Mu'awiyah, Al-Hasan explained that the Prophet (PBUH) saw in a dream the Umayyad dynasty trampling upon his pulpit one after another (or, in another narration, leaping onto his pulpit like monkeys). This distressed him greatly. God then revealed: "Indeed, We sent it down on the Night of Decree..." up to "...better than a thousand months," meaning the reign of Banu Umayyah. Al-Qasim calculated the reign of Banu Umayyah and found it to be exactly one thousand months.

Critique and Response: The judge (Al-Qadi) criticized this last interpretation, arguing that mentioning a thousand months associated with the days of Banu Umayyah is far-fetched, as God would not mention its virtue by referencing a thousand blameworthy months, and the days of Banu Umayyah were indeed blameworthy.

However, this criticism is weak. The days of Banu Umayyah were great days in terms of worldly prosperity. It is not impossible for God to state that He granted this Night, which is superior in religious prosperity, to a period characterized by worldly prosperity.

This verse contains both a great glad tiding and a severe warning.

The Glad Tidings: God mentioned that this night is better but did not specify the extent of that goodness. This is like the Prophet's (PBUH) statement regarding Ali's (RA) duel with 'Amr ibn 'Abd Wudd: "It is better than the deeds of my Ummah until the Day of Resurrection." He did not say "equal to," but "better," implying: "This is sufficient for you in measurement; the rest is beyond calculation."

Know that whoever revives this night has effectively worshipped God for over eighty years. Whoever revives it every year has been granted multiple lifetimes. Whoever revives the entire month to ensure attaining it has effectively revived thirty Nights of Decree.

It is narrated that on the Day of Resurrection, an Israelite who worshipped God for 400 years will be brought forth, and a man from this Ummah who worshipped God for 40 years will be brought forth. The latter's reward will be greater. The Israelite will say, "You are just," and acknowledge the greater reward. It will be explained: "You feared immediate punishment, so you worshipped diligently. The Ummah of Muhammad were secure due to the saying: 'And Allah would not punish them while you were among them' [Al-Anfal: 33]. Yet, they still worshipped, and for this reason, their worship carries greater reward."

The Severe Warning: God has threatened the perpetrator of a major sin with entering the Fire. Reviving the Night of Decree a hundred times will not absolve him from the punishment deserved for cheating even a single measure (of grain). Thus, this verse hints at the gravity of sin and disobedience.

One might ask: It is authentically reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said, "Your reward is according to your effort/hardship (nasabuk)." Since obedience over a thousand months is more arduous than obedience in a single night, how can their rewards be equal?

The answer lies in several points:

1. Varying Contexts of Action: A single act can differ in goodness or badness based on the accompanying circumstances. Do you not see that congregational prayer is superior to individual prayer by a certain number of degrees, even though the form might be incomplete (e.g., for someone who misses a rak'ah)? Furthermore, if you say to someone, "He is stoned because he committed adultery" (a valid legal statement), this carries a different ruling if said to a Christian (requiring ta'zeer - disciplinary punishment) or if said about a married man (muhsan) (requiring hadd - prescribed punishment). The rulings differ even though the basic form (the utterance) is the same. If this statement were directed at 'A'ishah, it would constitute disbelief (kufr), because it is an attack on 'A'ishah, who was a paragon of knowledge (as the Prophet said, "Take two-thirds of your religion from this Humayra'" [a nickname for 'A'ishah]), an attack on Safwan (who was a companion of Badr), and an attack on all believers (as she is the Mother of the Believers). It even attacks the Prophet's honor, as it implies God would allow him to marry an adulteress. Thus, the speaker who considers the word "adulterer" easy has deemed a word heavier than mountains to be light. This proves that the effects of actions in reward and punishment differ based on their contexts. Therefore, it is not far-fetched that a small act in form can equal great acts in reward.
2. Divine Wisdom in Encouragement: The purpose of the Wise God is to draw creation toward obedience. Sometimes He sets the reward for an act at double, as in "Indeed, with hardship will be ease; indeed, with hardship will be ease" [Al-Sharh: 5-6]. Sometimes He sets it at ten times, sometimes seven hundred times, and sometimes based on specific times or places. The primary goal is to draw the accountable person toward obedience and divert them from preoccupation with worldly matters. Thus, sometimes the Ka'bah and Zamzam are preferred over all other lands; sometimes Ramadan is preferred over all months; sometimes Friday is preferred over all days; and sometimes the Night of Decree is preferred over all nights. The purpose remains what we mentioned.

Verse 4: "The angels and the Spirit descend therein by the permission of their Lord with every matter."