Illustrated manuscript of the Qur’an

We revealed it on Lailat ul-Qadr.
And what will explain to you what the Night of Power is like?
Lailat ul-Qadr is better than a thousand months.
On that night the angels and the Spirit descend ...with all His decrees.
That night is peace, till the breaking of dawn. (Surah 97:1-5)

Lailat-ul-qadr means “night of power” and refers to the night in which the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, an event which is considered by Muslims to be the most important in their history.

The date of 27 Ramadan for this festival is a traditional date, for it is believed that the actual night is kept secret by Allah. However Muslims believe that the Prophet told them they could seek it in the last 10 days of the month of fasting.

Some will spend Lailat-ul-qadr in prayer or in reciting the Qur’an. Anticipating the moment when the first revelation was sent is a highlight for those who fast during the month of Ramadan; Muslims anticipate the Nuzulul Qur’an—the “coming down” of the Qur’an—with the same devotion that Christians prepare for Christmas.