Imagine a night when whatever you did would count, not as one time, but as a thousand times. What if you were doing push ups every day, trying to grow stronger, but on one special night, each push up you did strengthened you as much as 1,000 push ups. Or you were preparing for a test, but studying on that night counted as much as studying for 1,000 nights.On that special night, you would study or do push ups or whatever you were trying to improve on, knowing how much extra good it would do you.Of course, there is no such special night for most of us, but there is one for those of the Islamic faith. It’s called Laylat al Qadr, which means Night of Power.It’s not a night for doing push ups or studying for school classes, but rather it is a night for religious study and prayer. The holy book of Islam, the Koran, says “The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.”Laylat al Qadr is also called Night of Value, Night of Destiny, Night of Determination, Night of Decree, Precious Night, and other such inspiring names. But it is mostly called the Night of Power. To better understand why, lets first make sure we understand three words: Islam, Muslim, and Koran.Islam is a religion that originated in Saudi Arabia in the 7th century. The word Islam means submission to the will of God. A Muslim is someone who follows the religion of Islam. The Koran is the holy book of Islam. It is to Muslims what the Bible is to Christians.Laylat al Qadr, the Night of Power, marks the night in which the Koran (also written as Quran or Qur’an) was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by Allah. (Allah is the Muslim name for God.) No matter how it is spelled—Koran, Quran, or Qur’an—it is pronounced kur-AHN.For Muslims, Laylat al Qadr is the holiest night of the year.Muhammad used to spend a month every year in the cave of Hira, which was located in a mountain outside of the city of Mecca.The Angel Gabriel visited Muhammad at the cave one night and revealed to him the first verses of the Koran. This is considered the greatest night in Islamic history. It’s the night Muhammad was appointed as Allah’s Prophet and Messenger.After that night, Muhammad continued to receive revelations of the Koran over a 23-year period.Exactly when is the Night of Power? That’s a little hard to say, both for non-Muslims and Muslims alike.Here’s why it’s hard for non-Muslims. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and the Night of Power occurs during Ramadan. But the Islamic calendar is a lunar one: months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. The Islamic year is 10 to 11 days shorter than the solar year, which we use here in the United States. So that means that according to our solar calendar, Ramadan begins 10 to 11 days earlier each year. This year, Ramadan is from March 23 to April 20. Next year, it goes from March 11 to April 9. And so on.Why is it difficult for Muslims to pinpoint exactly when the Night of Power is? Because the exact date is uncertain. It is believed that the original Laylat al-Qadr happened on one of the odd-numbered nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. This means the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, or 29th nights of Ramadan could be Laylat al-Qadr. So even though Laylat al-Qadr is observed on Monday, April 17 this year, Muslims do the smart thing and give extra study, meditation, and prayers during the last ten days of Ramadan to be sure not to miss it.And they don’t want to miss it because worship on that one night equals more than a thousand months of worship.Some things that Muslims do on Laylat al-Qadr include: Attend special services at mosques (Islamic houses of worship.) Think about how important the day is and what a blessing it is that Allah gave such a day. Recite verses from the Koran and give thanks for it. Pray for other people, especially for those who are less fortunate.Fun Facts• Each day during the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during the day. They wake up early and have a small breakfast before the sun comes up, then don’t eat again until after the sun goes down.• Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The others are Declaration of Faith, Prayer, Charity, and a Pilgrimage to Mecca.• The Koran has 30 sections, called juz. Many Muslims will read one juz a day during Ramadan so that they will have read the entire Koran during that month.
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