Layla al-Qadr (Night of Power in Arabic) is an Islamic holiday which commemorates the Prophet Muhammad’s reception of the Quran. Muhammad was a merchant in the city of Mecca in the sixth century. He was discontent with the unjust and decadent society around him and would retreat to a cave in the wilderness called Hira to fast and meditate for a month each year.
During one retreat he was visited in the cave by the Archangel Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic.) The angel commanded him to recite the Quran. Muhammad deferred, claiming that he was unable to receive the text because he was illiterate. But the angel prevailed upon him and finally Muhammad accepted his new task.
For the rest of his life Muhammad memorized and recited the verses that the angel would periodically bestow on him. Sometimes the angel appeared as a man, sometimes as a boy. Sometimes he appeared as a flame on the horizon, the sound of bees, and black light. Receiving each new verse was an epileptic event for Muhammad. His seizures upon hearing these divine words sometimes made him fall off his camel in a daze.
Layla al-Qadr is the night when Muhammad was first visited by the angel. It occurred during the Arabic month of Ramadan. Strangely Muhammad later forgot which day of the month it occurred on. According to Muhammad, God made him forget so that this mysterious night would not turned into something mundane. Muhammad only remembered that the date was an odd number in the last ten days of the month of Ramadan.
Muslims still look for Layla al-Qadr every Ramadan. It could occur on the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, or 29th of the month. Muslims stay up all night on those dates looking for the special night. Then, one night, the stars will seem brighter and the air will seem sweeter. This is Layla al-Qadr.
Sometimes there are disagreements. Layla al-Qadr might come on the 23rd of Ramadan 23rd for one and the 25th for his neighbor. That is the reason that God made Muhammad forget exactly when it was, so that people could celebrate the Night of Power when they experienced it. This is what I like about the holiday. You become personally involved in creating it. And it makes you go outside at night and consider the beauty of the stars and moon.
Nighttime is considered more mysterious and beautiful than day in Islamic aesthetic thinking. Prayers said at night carry ten times the reward of prayers said during the day. On Layla al-Qadr a Muslim will try to stay up all night and pray, reciting the chapter from the Quran which tells the story of that first night when Muhammad was first visited by a messenger from beyond.
