LAYLAT AL QADR. The “night of fate” is a key date in the Muslim calendar. Linternaute.com tells you more about the occurrence and meaning of this night for believers in Islam.
The practice of fasting in Ramadan is well known, whether one adheres to it or not; the “night of fate” much less. During the very demanding month of fasting, during which practicing Muslims who can respect many prohibitions, one night is particularly expected: the famous “of destiny”. This is an important moment for believers in Islam, as the end of Ramadan and the celebrations of Eid al-Fitr approach.
The Night of Destiny (aka Laylat Al-Qadr) 2023 / 1444 (1444 being the current year in the Islamic calendar), corresponds to the night of Monday April 17 to Tuesday April 18, 2023, according to the Grand Mosque of Paris. However, multiple dates are actually possible. How to explain it? According to Islam, which sticks to the explanation of the “prophet”, the Night of Destiny takes place during an odd night, and in the last “decade” of the month of Ramadan. Contrary to popular belief, the Night of Destiny does not necessarily take place on the eve of the 27th day of Ramadan.
Imam Ismaël Tiendrébéogo of the Circle of Studies, Research and Islamic Training (CERFI), recently explained to the newspaper Wakat Séra how to identify the Night of Destiny: according to him, “the prophet gave elements to identify this night. He said that on the very day of the night of fate, there is a coolness, there is no wind, but people feel comfortable. Second, there is peace and serenity that one feels. The next day, the sun is there, but its rays are not burning”.
The “night of destiny”, or Laylat Al-Qadr is, in the Muslim religion, a very important moment which invites all believers to an important introspection, because it is during this night that the Koran would have been revealed to the prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. For believers in Islam, it is a “blessed” night, symbolizing not only the revelation of the Quran, but also a nighttime journey by Muhammad to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Tradition says that he experienced the ascension there and met, in each heaven, several prophets. According to hadith no. 239 or “Muslim”, this is where God ordered the Prophet to prescribe prayer to all Muslims.
It is regularly reminded that this night is “better than 1000 months” because for believers, it offers those who proceed to sincere meditation, repentance and invocation, to receive the forgiveness of their sins. According to the Quran, during this night, Allah grants the pleas of the most pious and devoted believers. The night of fate would be priceless. Indeed, it is written in the book of Islam: “During it descend the Angels and the Spirit, by permission of their Lord for every command. It is peace and salvation until the appearance of the ‘dawn’ (sura The Determination, 1-5).
Between prayers, meditated reading of the Koran, invocations and donations, the night of destiny is an opportunity for practicing Muslims to perform many actions. If the imams charged on that day with the prayer known as “Tarawih” all night “will end the recitation of the entirety of the Koran with the invocation of divine grace for the effort made by Muslims at the end of their fast “, specified a press release from the Grand Mosque of Paris during a recent edition of the “sacred” month, the faithful will be invited to “fulfill their canonical duty by paying the ‘Zakat el-Fitr’ before the Eid prayer”, i.e. the obligatory almsgiving for Muslim believers.
