Quick answer: Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Decree, often called the Night of Power) falls in Ramadan, and the reports point most strongly to the odd-numbered nights of the last ten. No school treats one night as certain, though the 27th is the night many scholars name as the most likely. Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin on Monday 8 February (Umm al-Qura calendar), which would put the five odd nights between the evening of 27 February and the evening of 7 March, depending on moon sighting.
What the Quran says about this night
Surah al-Qadr is the short chapter devoted to the night. It says the Quran was sent down during it, that it outweighs a thousand months, and that the angels descend in it with peace until dawn. Commentators note that a thousand months is more than 80 years.
إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةِ ٱلْقَدْرِ ﴿1﴾ وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ ﴿2﴾ لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌۭ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍۢ ﴿3﴾ تَنَزَّلُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍۢ ﴿4﴾ سَلَٰمٌ هِىَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ ٱلْفَجْرِ ﴿5﴾
[1] Indeed, We sent the Qur'an down during the Night of Decree. [2] And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? [3] The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. [4] The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. [5] Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.
Surah ad-Dukhan also calls the night of the Quran’s revelation a blessed one. Scholars explain the name “Qadr” through the night’s high standing with Allah, and through the belief that decrees are written down in it and many sins are forgiven.
The Quran doesn’t name the date. For that, readers turn to the hadith, and here the reports are many and not all point the same way.
What the reports say about its timing
The clearest instruction is in Sahih al-Bukhari, narrated by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). The Prophet ﷺ told the Muslims to look for the night among the odd nights of the last ten of Ramadan.
تَحَرَّوْا لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ فِي الْوِتْرِ مِنَ الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ
Narrated `Aisha:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan
Another report in Bukhari explains why there is no fixed date. Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) says the Prophet ﷺ came out to tell the people the date, but two Muslims were quarrelling, and the knowledge was lifted.
إِنِّي خَرَجْتُ لأُخْبِرَكُمْ بِلَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ، وَإِنَّهُ تَلاَحَى فُلاَنٌ وَفُلاَنٌ فَرُفِعَتْ وَعَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ خَيْرًا لَكُمُ الْتَمِسُوهَا فِي السَّبْعِ وَالتِّسْعِ وَالْخَمْسِ
Narrated 'Ubada bin As-Samit:"Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went out to inform the people about the (date of the) night of decree (Al-Qadr) but there happened a quarrel between two Muslim men. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I came out to inform you about (the date of) the night of Al-Qadr, but as so and so and so and so quarrelled, its knowledge was taken away (I forgot it) and maybe it was better for you. Now look for it in the 7th, the 9th and the 5th (of the last 10 nights of the month of Ramadan)
Scholars read this in two ways at once. The lifting of the exact date is linked to the harm of arguing, and it is also taken as a sign that what Allah decrees is always best for the community. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, in his commentary on Bukhari, gave the reason for the concealment as a motive to strive: if the night were known, people would limit their effort to it alone.
Other reports narrow the field in different directions. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) described how the Companions were in i’tikaf in the middle ten of Ramadan when the Prophet ﷺ addressed them on the morning of the 20th. He said he had been shown the night and caused to forget it, that it was among the odd nights of the last ten, and that he saw himself prostrating in mud and water. Bukhari records that the roof of the mosque dripped that night, which is why the 21st gets a mention in the discussion.
A report from Ubayy ibn Ka’b (may Allah be pleased with him) in Sahih Muslim 762 swears that the night is the 27th. Reports from several other Companions are also cited in support of the 27th.
What the four schools say about the night
The schools share a baseline and differ in emphasis. Scholars have counted a great many views on the date: Ibn Hajar reported 46 opinions in his Bukhari commentary, and he observed that every one from the third onwards agrees the night can occur and should be sought.
| School | Reported position on the timing | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hanafi | Most likely in the last ten, odd nights more likely; the 27th is the likeliest. Al-Sarakhsi’s Mabsut is cited for most Companions holding the 27th. | Hanafi fatwa answer on IslamQA.org |
| Maliki | Imam Malik is listed among those who limit the night to the last ten of Ramadan. | Athari Archive summary of the classical views |
| Shafi’i | Most Shafi’is limit it to the last ten. Imam al-Shafi’i is reported to have called the 21st most likely, then the 23rd, then the 27th. | Athari Archive; Hanafi fatwa answer on IslamQA.org |
| Hanbali | Most Hanbalis limit it to the last ten. | Athari Archive summary |
A caution on the table: it reports how published summaries describe each school, and its Maliki and Hanbali rows are brief because the sources found give only the “last ten” limit. For a school’s detailed position, a qualified scholar of that school can point to the original manuals.
Sources even disagree about Ibn Hajar’s own conclusion. One summary says he held the strongest view to be an odd night in the last ten that moves from year to year, while another credits him with concluding for the 27th. Readers who need the exact wording can check Fath al-Bari with a teacher.
One more point from Bukhari 49 and Abu Sa’id’s report. Some counted from the end of the month (“the ninth that remains”, “the seventh that remains”), and one reported opinion places the night on an even night for this reason. That counting depends on whether the month has 29 or 30 days, which is one more reason scholars encourage effort across all ten nights.
Expected dates for the odd nights in 2027
These dates are expected, not fixed. The start of Ramadan depends on moon sighting, and countries differ, so the night in your city can move by a day; check our Ramadan dates page and your local mosque or council announcement. Because the Islamic day begins at sunset, the “night of the 27th” is the night before the daytime of 27 Ramadan.
The table assumes 1 Ramadan falls on Monday 8 February 2027. If your community starts a day later, add one day to every row.
| Night | Expected date of that Ramadan day | Begins at sunset on | Ends at dawn on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21st | Sunday 28 February | Saturday 27 February | Sunday 28 February |
| 23rd | Tuesday 2 March | Monday 1 March | Tuesday 2 March |
| 25th | Thursday 4 March | Wednesday 3 March | Thursday 4 March |
| 27th | Saturday 6 March | Friday 5 March | Saturday 6 March |
| 29th | Monday 8 March | Sunday 7 March | Monday 8 March |
The Friday-evening 27th matches the nightly table on the Niyat app’s 2027 page, and the five dates also match the range given in Wikipedia’s table for the year. Use the Hijri converter if your local start differs, and the Ramadan timetables for sunset and Fajr in your city.
How to spend the nights: a step-by-step plan
Aisha reported that when the last ten nights began, the Prophet ﷺ kept awake at night in devotion, woke his family and tightened his waist-sheet, an expression for striving harder.
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي يَعْفُورٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الضُّحَى، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا دَخَلَ الْعَشْرُ شَدَّ مِئْزَرَهُ، وَأَحْيَا لَيْلَهُ، وَأَيْقَظَ أَهْلَهُ.
Narrated Aisha:With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet (ﷺ) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work hard) and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers
The reward attached to standing in prayer on the night is in both Sahih collections.
مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ، وَمَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ ". تَابَعَهُ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ.
Narrated Abu Huraira:The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever fasted the month of Ramadan out of sincere Faith (i.e. belief) and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his past sins will be forgiven, and whoever stood for the prayers in the night of Qadr out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven
Here is a practical order for readers in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Europe, where many people work or study through the day.
- Confirm the start. Wait for your mosque or moon-sighting body to announce 1 Ramadan, then count 20 days to find the evening the 21st night begins.
- Mark all ten nights. Put the five odd nights in your diary first, and add the even ones. Scholars quoted above advise effort across the whole last ten.
- Protect the evening. Ask your employer or school early about leave or flexible hours for the last ten days. Plan a nap after Asr or Dhuhr if your timetable allows.
- Pray in congregation, then stay on. Many mosques run a long night prayer in these nights. If you pray at home, set a fixed block after Isha for qiyam (night prayer) and a second block before Fajr.
- Recite and make dua. The Quran in 30 days plan helps you finish a full reading. Ask for forgiveness in your own language and for the needs of your family and community.
- Give. Many Muslims pay zakat or give sadaqah in these nights; the zakat calculator shows how to work out what you owe, and a scholar can advise on timing.
- Guard your tongue. Bukhari 49 ties the lifting of the date to an argument, so scholars use it as a reminder to keep the nights free of quarrels.
A short supplication asking Allah for pardon is widely taught by scholars for this night. Its wording rests on a report outside Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, so it is left out here, and its use rests on the scholars’ reasoning that asking for forgiveness suits the night.
I’tikaf and what the schools say
I’tikaf is a retreat in the mosque for worship, most associated with the last ten nights of Ramadan. The Companions had been in it when the Prophet ﷺ spoke on the morning of the 20th, as Bukhari 2016 records, and he asked those who had been with him to return to it for another ten days.
The schools agree on the practice and differ on conditions. Source summaries vary a little in detail, so treat the table as a guide to ask a scholar about.
| School | Shortest voluntary stay | Where a woman observes it |
|---|---|---|
| Hanafi | No fixed minimum; an hour by day or night is mentioned. A vowed (wajib) i’tikaf is at least one day and night, with a fast. | The prayer place set aside in her own home, which many Hanafi scholars consider preferable |
| Maliki | Minimum of one day and one night | A masjid only, with her family’s agreement and suitable provision |
| Shafi’i | A stay that would customarily count as seclusion; a short stay with intention can count | A masjid only |
| Hanbali | One hour is the minimum in some accounts; fasting isn’t required | A masjid only |
For those who can’t take ten days, the Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali schools’ women can still give extra time to worship at home in these nights; some who follow those schools encourage this without calling it formal i’tikaf. Whether a short or partial i’tikaf fits your situation is a question for your own scholar.
Signs, and why scholars still say “all ten”
The best-known sign is in Ubayy’s report in Sahih Muslim 762: the sun rises bright without rays on the morning after. This sign comes after the night has passed, so it can’t guide you during it. Some scholars also discuss whether this wording is the Prophet’s ﷺ own words or Ubayy’s, and some read it as how the sun looks to the eye.
The practical lesson drawn by the scholars is steady effort. Wherever the night falls, a person who has prayed, recited and made dua through all ten nights has sought it in every place the reports mention.
Sources
- IslamQA.org (Hanafi): When is Laylat al-Qadr?
- Yaqeen Institute: On the Timing and Virtues of the Night of Power (Ibn al-Iraqi)
- Athari Archive: Everything you need to know about Laylat al-Qadr
- Islam Question and Answer: Is it possible to determine the date of Laylat al-Qadr?
- Islamic Association of Raleigh: Why did some scholars lean toward the 27th?
- Sunnah.com: Sahih al-Bukhari, Virtues of the Night of Qadr
- Sunnah.com: Sahih al-Bukhari 2017
- Islamweb: The Guidance of the Prophet during the Last Ten Days of Ramadan
- Human Appeal USA: What is I’tikaf? Rules, timing and what the schools say
- Islamweb: The minimum period of a valid i’tikaf
- IslamQA.org (Hanafi): Minimum period for wajib i’tikaf
- Islam365: I’tikaf in the masjid
- Khalid al-Mosleh: The signs of Laylatul Qadr
- Niyat: The last ten nights of Ramadan 2027
- Wikipedia: Night of Power
This article explains what the four Sunni schools say and links its sources. It is not a fatwa. Dates are expected dates and depend on moon sighting where you live. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.