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Lail-tul Qadr', the night when this first revelation came down to our Holy Prophet, is therefore
the night of the anniversary of the Holy Qur'an. This makes it a very important and, glorious night full of spiritual grace and bounties.
The word 'Lail-tul Qadr' is the combination of two Arabic words, 'Lail' and 'Qadr'. 'Lail' means 'Night' and 'Qadr' means 'Power' or 'Majesty'; 'Lail-tul Qadr' therefore means 'The Night of Power or Majesty'. The 97th chapter of the Holy Qur'an entitled 'Suratul-Qadr' speaks of the glory, power and blessings of this night. It says:
"Verily, We sent it (the Qur'an) in the Night of Qadr. What can make you know what the Night of Qadr is? The Night of Qadr is better than a thousand nights! The Angels and the Spirit descend therein by the permission of their Lord with decrees of all affairs. Peace there is for the whole night till the breaking of the dawn".
This night falls in the month of Ramadhan and it is observed by the Muslims from 19th to 30th of this month. We Ismailis, in accordance with Imam's guidance, observe it on the 23rd night of Ramadhan.
It is reported that a man from the tribe of Bani Israel fought in the way of God for a thousand months and when this was referred to in the presence of our Holy Prophet, the Muslims inquired: "O Prophet of Allah! our life-span is much shorter than those of our ancestors. How can we earn such honor and benefits?" It is then that the chapter on Lail-tul Qadr was revealed and our Holy Prophet explained: "You have been blessed with something whereby you can gain much more benefits than what your ancestors earned".
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