Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Asalamu Alaykom.

I want to ask wat are the preferred ebadas and doa`a we should do in the last three days of ramadan becoz one of these nigths is laylat al qader, and is it a sonnah if we stay awake or fard during these nights.

Thank you

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Answer:

Night of qadr

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.234 Narrated by Aisha

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.233 Narrated by Abu Salama

I asked Abu Sa'id, and he was a friend of mine, (about the Night of Qadr) and he said, "We practiced Itikaf (seclusion in the mosque) in the middle third of the month of Ramadan with the Prophet (saws). In the morning of the 20th of Ramadan, the Prophet (saws)came and addressed us and said, 'I was informed of (the date of the Night of Qadr) but I was caused to forget it; so search for it in the odd nights of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. (In the dream) I saw myself prostrating in mud and water (as a sign). So, whoever was in Itikaf with me should return to it with me (for another 10-day period)', and we returned. At that time there was no sign of clouds in the sky but suddenly a cloud came and it rained till rainwater started leaking through the roof of the mosque which was made of date-palm leaf stalks. Then the prayer was established and I saw Allah's Messenger (saws) prostrating in mud and water and I saw the traces of mud on his forehead."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) guided the believers to seek for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights amongst last ten nights of Ramadan. He (saws) himself and the believers with him would seclude themselves in these last ten days of Ramadan in the mosque to remember and worship Allah Subhanah.

If one worships Allah Subhanah constantly in search of the Night of Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan, and especially on the odd nights amongst these last ten blessed nights; then, Insha Allah, he will be rewarded in full by the One Who is Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Your Question: I want to ask wat are the preferred ebadas and doa`a we should do

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 97 Surah Al-Qadr verse 3:

3 Laylatul Qadr (The Night of Power) is better than a thousand months.

The nights in Islam start from sunset and end at sunrise; thus the believers may spend as much time of this blessed night in the remembrance and worship of Allah Subhanah as is easy for them. They may spend the full night in his remembrance and worship, or spend a part of it; for the worship of this one blessed night of ‘qadr’ is more meritorious than the worship done in a thousand months!

Aishah said: "I asked the Messenger of Allah (saws),: 'O Messenger of Allah (saws), if I know what night is the Night of Qadr, what should I say during it?' He (saws) said: 'Say: “Allah humma Innaka Afuwan, Tohibbul Afwa, Fahfo anna. (O Allah, You are The Pardoner, and You love to pardon, so pardon me.)"

Related by Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and by atTirmidhi.

One may pray any number of combinations of two-rakah voluntary (Nafl) prayers as is easy for them, recite as much of the Glorious Quran as is easy for them, praise and remember the Merciful Lord as much is easy for them and make as much supplication as possible to the Lord Most Gracious, seeking forgiveness and mercy on this most blessed of nights.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 3.145b

Abu Hurairah said that the Prophet (saws) said: "Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven."

Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim

Your Question: and is it a sonnah if we stay awake or fard during these nights.

Please allow us to clarify the difference between Fard, Sunnah and Nafl prayers:

Fard prayers: These are the five obligatory prayers at their appointed times of the day. If one prays them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah; and if one does not pray them, there will be a severe accounting and punishment.

Nafl prayers: These are the voluntary or extra prayers. If one prays them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah; and if one does not pray them, there is no sin.

Sunnah prayers: These are the Nafl or voluntary prayers which were prayed by the Messenger of Allah (saws), and thus they become his (saw’s) Sunnah for us. If one prays them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah; and if one does not pray them, there is no sin. The most that can be said of one who does not pray the Sunnah prayers is that he lost a great opportunity to earn huge rewards from Allah Subhanah.

Other than the obligatory ‘magrib’ and ‘isha’ prayers of the night, there is absolutely no other obligatory or ‘fard’ prayer or worship one is required to do, even on the blessed ‘Night of Qadr’ in Ramadan. Every act of worship, other than the obligatory ‘magrib’ and ‘isha’ prayers one does on this most blessed of nights, would be considered a voluntary or supererogatory act of worship. If one worships Allah Subhanah by offering ‘nawafil’ prayers, or one recites the Glorious Quran, or one remembers and praises and supplicates the Lord during the night of ‘Qadr’, one would be following the ‘Sunnah’ of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

The believers may chose to spend as much time of this blessed night in the remembrance and worship of Allah Subhanah as they wish, or is easy for them. The worship of the Lord Most Gracious in this one blessed night of ‘qadr’ is more meritorious than the worship done in a thousand months! Thus depending on how much reward a believer chooses to earn, they may chose to spend the full night in remembrance and worship, or spend a part of it; it is entirely upto each individual on how much one wishes to earn the rewards of this most blessed of nights.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan