Central Theme
In the preceding Sūrah,
it is pointed out that the revelation of the Qur’ān was a great blessing and
favour of the Almighty. The fact that it was safeguarded in written form to
provide mankind with Divine Guidance is also referred to. Now, this sūrah deals
with the topic of the revelation of the Qur’ān itself. A special reference is
made to the night in which the Qur’ān was revealed together with a mention of
its greatness and importance in relation to other nights. Although these matters
pertain to the unknown, and a complete understanding of their nature is not
possible, yet any disclosed portion is always beneficial to the seekers of
truth.
The purpose of this delineation is to inform the people
addressed that whatever attitude they adopt about this Book, they must first
seriously contemplate on a few realities:
Firstly, this Book is not the result of some human whim; it
is part of a Divine Scheme, and has been revealed under the direct surveillance
of the Almighty Himself.
Secondly, this event is not temporary or transient in
nature. Everyone should be aware that it has taken place in a night in which
important decisions are made and executed. This night is superior to a thousand
nights. Matters of paramount importance are settled and decided during it. Those
who deprive themselves of its blessings cannot gain them in any other way.
Thirdly, the Book is totally free from any sort of evil
interference from Satan as the night in which it was revealed has been specially
protected from his intrusions and interventions.
Text of the Sūrah
سورة القدر
إِنَّا
أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ Oوَمَا أَدْرَاكَ
مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ O لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ
مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ O تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ
وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْرٍO
سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ O
Meaning of the Sūrah
Indeed, We sent it down in the Night of Destiny. And what
do you imagine what the Night of Destiny is? Better is the Night of Destiny than
a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein [with decrees]
about all matters, by the permission of their Lord.
The night is peace in its entirety. It remains until the
rise of dawn.
Explanation of the Sūrah
Indeed, We
sent it down in the Night of Destiny. (1)
In the previous sūrah, God’s great blessing of providing
guidance to His creation by revealing the Qur’ān is mentioned. Now in this sūrah
without any prior introduction, it is stated that the Almighty had revealed it
in the Night of Destiny. Though at first it seems that the accusative pronoun (Damīr-i-Maf‘ūl)
in the word Anzalnāhu does not have an antecedent, the placement of this sūrah
after the previous one clearly indicates the antecedent. In fact, a little
deliberation shows that this strongly supports the argument that every preceding
sūrah has a deep coherent relationship, intrinsic as well as extrinsic, with the
succeeding one.
The stress in the word Innā (Indeed We) has a very special
purpose. It is meant to dispel the doubt that the Qur’ān is the result of a
human endeavour. It emphasizes that the Qur’ān is totally free from the evil
inspiration and influences of Satan, as its opponents had contended. On the
contrary, It has been solely revealed by the Almighty Himself to provide
guidance and direction to mankind. Laylatu’l-Qadr means the night in which
matters are decided and their enforcement entrusted to the angles. It is the
same night referred to in the following verses of Sūrah Dukhān:
We have revealed this (Qur’ān) in a blessed night.
Verily, by its means, We are going to warn mankind. During this night all
decrees of wisdom are assigned [to the angels], by Our special command. Indeed,
We were to send a Prophet. (44:3-4)
If we reflect upon these verses, two of their implications
become very clear:
Firstly, the Almighty has fixed a glorious night to
specially hand over His decrees to the angels which are to be enforced by them
in this world.
Secondly, the commissioning of the Prophet Muhammad (sws),
his Indhar to the Quraysh and the
revelation of the Qur’ān are among the Divine Decrees entrusted to the angels
during this night, which is a clear proof of the extraordinary significance of
these events. They are a part of an important plan devised by the Almighty which
must reach completion.
The verse does not mean that the whole of the Qur’ān was
revealed in a single night. All that it necessitates is that after a decision
was made and the matter handed over to Gabriel, its first revelation took place
during the night. Subsequently, the Qur’ān was revealed in sections over a
period of twenty three years, which in no way contradicts the actual meaning of
the verse.
And what do you imagine what the Night of Destiny is? (2)
The verse tells us that the greatness and splendour of the
Night of Destiny is beyond the realms of imagination. The reason behind its
majesty and grandeur is that important decisions about this world are made in
it. When the days on which the petty administrations of this world chalk out
their countries’ future year projects have great importance, then how can the
significance of the Night in which Divine Directives are issued forth to decide
the fate of the whole universe be estimated.
These decisions are both positive and negative in their
nature: At one place destruction might take place while at another something
might be created. At some other place the pangs of punishment might be at work,
while an adjacent place might witness God’s blessings. But since these diverse
manifestations emanate from the Almighty whose justice, wisdom and mercy are
beyond question and whose schemes are based upon the collective good of man, all
decisions are beneficial to man in their overall capacity and augur well for the
future. This is precisely the reason why this night has been termed as the Night
of Blessing in Sūrah Dukhān as quoted earlier, and why it has been called
better than a thousand months. These attributes and characteristics of the
night, as have been pointed out before, indicate to the adversaries of the
Qur’ān that they are thoroughly mistaken if they consider a Book revealed in an
exalted night to be a product of fantasy or sorcery. They have failed to
distinguish a gem from a pebble. There is no possibility that an evil
inspiration can penetrate during this majestic night, as in this night the
priceless pearls of revelation are showered by the Creator of the Heavens .
Better is the Night of Destiny than a thousand months. (3)
This is an expression of the exaltedness of the Night. The
relative state of being ‘better’ is because it is favourable for the achievement
of certain objectives. Just as in this material world there is a certain climate
in a certain part of the year in which the seeds of a particular crop must be
sown if they are to sprout, and any negligence to these factors will not yield
the required produce even in some other prolonged periods of time; likewise, in
the spiritual world also there are special days and times of the year which are
set aside for special acts of worship. If they are offered during them, only
then the required results are obtained, and any ignorance in this regard cannot
be compensated in other periods of time even if their span is extended. A few
examples will make this matter more clear. To offer the Friday prayers, a
certain day has been set aside; similarly, a particular month has been fixed for
fasting; for the offering of Hajj and its rites too, certain days have been
appointed by the Almighty. All these acts of worship have been made conditional
to certain periods of time, during which their performance yields a reward that
cannot be estimated.
The Night of Destiny also is no exception to this rule. A
person who prostrates himself before the Almighty during this night might attain
His nearness to an extent which he may never be able to emulate in a thousand
other nights. The words ‘thousand nights’ can be an expression of abundance as
well as that of a relative significance over other nights, but there is no big
difference between the meanings both imply. The purpose is to point out that a
lot of spiritual wealth is hidden beneath the veils of this night. Lucky are the
ones who strive and reap its bounties.
It is a universally acknowledged fact about this night that
the revelation of the Qur’ān began during it, and that this night occurred
during the month of Ramadān, as mentioned in the following verses of Sūrah
Baqarah:
It is the month of Ramadān during which the Qur’ān was
revealed. (2:185)
As far as the question about the exact date is concerned,
it is difficult to answer it due to some disparities found in the Ahādīth that
deal with this subject. The only thing which can be said is that it occurred
most probably during the last ten days of the month.
Due to the discrepancies in the Ahādīth which relate to
this matter some people have raised the question whether the night can occur in
months other than Ramadān. Another question raised is that whether this night
comes in every Ramadān, or does it have a different span. A satisfactory answer
to these queries can only be given if the concerned Ahādīth are critically
analysed and examined, which is beyond the scope of this exegesis. I have
indicated these difficulties so that our learned scholars can deliberate over
them. If the Almighty provides this writer with an opportunity to write his
proposed treatise upon Hādīth, these questions may be tackled therein.
The angels and
the Spirit descend therein [with decrees] about all matters, by the permission
of their Lord. (4)
It has been mentioned before that during his night matters
are decided and assigned to the angles for their enforcement. This verse is an
explanation of this fact. In this night, Archangel Gabriel and other angels
descend upon the earth to carry out the tasks allocated to them by the Almighty,
as is also mentioned in the following verses:
During this Night all decrees of wisdom are assigned [to
the angels] by Our special commandment. (44:4-5)
The Word Al-rūh (the Spirit), as is evident from the
context is used for Gabriel. His name is specially mentioned here because he
occupies a very high rank among the angels.
The night is
peace in its entirety. It remains until the rise of dawn. (5)
This verse explains why the Night of Destiny is superior to
a thousand months.
In the opinion of this writer, Salām is the Enunciative (Kabr)
of a suppressed Inchoative (Mubtadā). The complete sentence can be unfolded
thus: Hiya salām (It is peace in its entirely). An Inchoative is usually
suppressed to emphasize the Enunciative. Just as in the sentence Zaydun ’Adl (Zaid
is justice) an exaggeration is implied by the word ’Adl (justice), likewise, the
word Salām (peace in entirely) also has a strong element of hyperbole in it.
The word Salām signifies safety and protection from every
sort of risk and danger in general and from any satanic interference in
particular. Just as during the time of revelation, all passages into the world
beyond space and time are sealed to block the penetrations of Satan and his
army, as is mentioned at various places in the Qur’ān, it looks as if during
this night also these evil creatures are under Divine detention till the rise of
dawn. Hence, they are unable to acquire the secrets of this night and are unable
to cause disruptions in the blessings of this night.
(Translated from ‘Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān’
by Shehzad Saleem)
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