97:1
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
Inna anzalnahu fee laylatialqadr
Indeed, We sent it [i.e., the Qur’ān] down during the Night of Decree.
Surah 97 • Chapter of the Holy Qur'an
Surah Al-Qadr — Arabic, Transliteration, Translation and Meaning
Al-Qadr (The Power) — Makkah Revelation (Order: 25) • 5 Verses
سورة القدر
Quick Summary
Key Facts & Authentic Summary
- Surah Al-Qadr is the 97th chapter of the Qur'an, with only 5 verses (Quran.com).
- It is a Makki surah, 25th in the order of revelation.
- Its name means "The Decree" or "The Power", referring to Laylat al-Qadr — the Night of Decree.
- Its central statement: that night is "better than a thousand months" (97:3) — more than eighty-three years.
- It is also known by its opening words "Inna anzalnahu" — "Indeed, We sent it down…"
- Seek it in the odd nights of the last ten of Ramadan — Sahih al-Bukhari 2017.
- The dua for that night, taught to 'A'ishah: Allāhumma innaka ʿAfuwwun Karīmun, tuḥibbu'l-ʿafwa fa'ʿfu ʿannī — Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3513, sahih.
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97:2
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ
Wama adraka ma laylatualqadr
And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree?
97:3
لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
Laylatu alqadri khayrun min alfi shahr
The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.
97:4
تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ
Tanazzalu almala-ikatu warroohufeeha bi-ithni rabbihim min kulli amr
The angels and the Spirit [i.e., Gabriel] descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter.
97:5
سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ
Salamun hiya hatta matlaAAialfajr
Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.
✨ Benefits and Virtues of Surah Al-Qadr
This is an unusual page in the set: the surah's virtue is stated in the Qur'an itself, so there is no need to reach for a contested narration.
Verse 3 establishes the value of the night directly. That is stronger evidence than any hadith on the virtues of reciting a particular surah, and it should be the foundation of this section.
What the page should therefore cover:
The Qur'anic statement of the night's worth (verse 3).
The command to seek it in the odd nights of the last ten — Bukhari 2017, verified.
The dua taught to 'A'ishah — Tirmidhi 3513, verified sahih.
Practical guidance on i'tikaf and increasing worship across all ten nights.
What it should avoid: invented signs by which the night can supposedly be identified with certainty, and specific claimed rewards not found in the text.
📖 Themes and Key Lessons
Theme 01
1. The revelation of the Qur'an (verse 1). The surah anchors the night's worth in a single fact — this is when the Qur'an came down.
Theme 02
2. The night's value (verses 2–3). The rhetorical question, then the answer.
Theme 03
3. The descent of the angels (verse 4). Angels and ar-Rūḥ descending with every decree.
Theme 04
4. Peace until dawn (verse 5). Salāmun hiya ḥattā maṭlaʿi'l-fajr.
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q What is Surah Al-Qadr about?
The Night of Decree — the night on which the Qur'an was sent down, described as better than a thousand months, on which the angels descend with every decree until dawn. It has 5 verses and is the 97th surah.
Q Why is Laylat al-Qadr better than a thousand months?
The Qur'an states it directly (97:3) without giving a reason. A thousand months is over eighty-three years, so the verse establishes that worship on this one night exceeds a lifetime of worship without it.
Q When is Laylat al-Qadr?
"Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan" — Sahih al-Bukhari 2017. It is not fixed to a specific date; scholars hold it was concealed so believers would seek it across all ten nights. The 27th is most commonly expected but is not established as certain.
Q What should I recite on Laylat al-Qadr?
The dua the Prophet ﷺ taught 'A'ishah: Allāhumma innaka ʿAfuwwun Karīmun, tuḥibbu'l-ʿafwa fa'ʿfu ʿannī — Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3513, graded sahih. Note that the word Karīm ("Generous") is in this narration, though it is often omitted in the version circulated online.
Q Why do some versions of the Laylat al-Qadr dua include "Karim" and others not?
The text recorded in Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3513 includes Karīmun. The shorter form without it is very widely circulated and is not wrong to recite — but when quoting this specific hadith, the word belongs in it.
Q Is Surah Al-Qadr the same as Inna Anzalna?
Yes. Many people know it by its opening words, Innā anzalnāhu fī laylati'l-qadr.
Q How many verses does Surah Al-Qadr have?
Five. It is one of the shortest surahs in the Qur'an, in juz 30.
Q What does "Qadr" mean?
Both decree — the apportioning of matters — and worth or measure. Commentators draw on both senses for this night.