Surah Al-Qadr And A Night That Is Better than A Thousand Months
Al-Qadr is the 97th chapter of the Quran that has 5 verses and is in the 30th Juz.
It is Makki and the 25th Surah revealed to the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Qadr means measure, amount and value. This Surah talks about creating value, measuring value and determining humans’ fate on a night that is better than a thousand months.
The Nigt of Qadr is said to fall on either the 19t, 21st or 23rd day of Ramadan. It is a night when the Holy Quran has been revealed, a night in which the earth is connected to heavens and angels and the spirit descend on earth.
The name of the Surah comes from the word Al-Qadr in the first verse.
The Surah stresses the significance, virtues and blessings of the Night of Qadr.
It talks about how angels and the spirit descend and how the fate of everyone for the next year is determined on this night.
The fact that the Night of Qadr is better than a thousand months refers to the importance of acts of worship on this night that would bring more blessings than worshipping in a thousand months.
Verse 4 of the Surah says: “On this Night, the angels and the spirit descend by the permission of their Lord with His decree (to determine everyone's destiny).”
According to Imam Khomeini, the spirit either refers to Angel Gabriel, known as Ruh al-Amin, or to the Great Spirit which has all the truths and is known as Aql al Awwal (the First Intellect).
As for the word Amr (decree) in this verse, Allameh Tabatabaei says it could refer to two things: First the World of Amr. In this case, the verse means that on God’s order, the angels and the spirit descend on this night and issue divine orders. The second one refers to something that is going to happen. In that case, the verse means the angels and the spirit descend on the Night of Qadr to study and review all the events that are going to happen.
