Recommended Acts of Worship
Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr)
First:
Ghusl (Ritual Bath): The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) said: It is preferable to perform ghusl at sunset so that the person will be in a state of ghusl for the Isha’ prayer.
Second:
Prayer of two Rak'ahs: In each rak'ah, after Surat al-Fatihah, recite Surat al-Ikhlas seven times. After finishing, say seventy times: "I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him." In the Prophetic Hadith: "Whoever does this will not rise from his place until Allah forgives him and his parents."
Third:
Supplication and Seeking Mediation through the Quran: Take the Mus'haf (copy of the Quran), open it before you, and say: "O Allah, I ask You by Your revealed Book and what is in it, and in it is Your Greatest Name and Your Beautiful Names and what is feared and hoped for, that You make me among those You free from the Hell," and supplicate as you wish. Then place the Mus'haf on your head and say: "O Allah, by the right of this Quran, by the right of the one You sent with it, by the right of every believer You have praised therein, and by Your right upon them—for no one knows Your right better than You."
Say "By You, O Allah" 10 times, "By Muhammad (p.)" 10 times, "By Ali (a.s.)" 10 times, "By Fatimah (a.s.)" 10 times, "By al-Hassan (a.s.)" 10 times, "By al-Husseisn (a.s.)" 10 times, "By Ali ibn al-Hussein (a.s.)" 10 times, "By Muhammad ibn Ali (a.s.)" 10 times, "By Ja'far ibn Muhammad (a.s.)" 10 times, "By Musa ibn Ja'far (a.s.)" 10 times, "By Ali ibn Musa (a.s.)" 10 times, "By Muhammad ibn Ali (a.s.)" 10 times, "By Ali ibn Muhammad (a.s.)" 10 times, "By al-Hasan ibn Ali (a.s.)" 10 times, "By al-Hujjah (a.s.)" 10 times—then ask for your need.
Fourth:
Visiting Imam al-Hussein (a.s.)
Fifth:
Prayer of one 100 Rak'ahs, for it holds great virtue.
Sixth:
Recite this supplication: "O Allah, I have entered the evening as Your humble servant, possessing for myself neither benefit nor harm, nor can I avert evil from myself. I bear witness to this against myself, and I confess to You my weakness and my lack of means. So send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and fulfill for me what You have promised me and all the believing men and women—forgiveness on this night—and complete for me what You have bestowed upon me, for I am Your destitute, submissive, weak, poor, and humble servant. O Allah, do not make me heedless of remembering You for what You have granted me, nor of Your favor for what You have given me, nor despairing of Your response even if You delay for me in ease or hardship, difficulty or comfort, health or trial, misery or blessing, for indeed You are Hearing of supplication."
Al-Kaf'ami narrated this supplication from Imam Zain al-'Abidin (a.s.), and he would supplicate with it on these nights while standing, sitting, bowing, and prostrating. Al-'Allamah al-Majlisi and other scholars, and our master, the religious reference Sayyed Fadlullah (ra), said: “The best deeds on these nights are seeking forgiveness, supplicating for worldly and otherworldly needs, for oneself, parents, relatives, and believing brothers—both living and deceased—and remembrance, and sending blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as much as possible, and reviving the night by discussing religious and Quranic sciences.”
Seventh:
Some of the reported supplication, such as:
- Supplication for Noble Morals (Dua Makarim al-Akhlaq)
- Supplication of Repentance (Dua al-Tawbah)
- Supplication of al-Jawshan
Deeds Specific to Each Night:
The Nineteenth Night:
First:
Say one hundred times: "I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him."
Second:
Supplication: "O He who existed before everything, then created everything, then everything will perish except Him. O He for whom there is nothing like Him. O He besides whom there is no god worshipped in the highest heavens, nor in the lowest earths, nor above them, nor beneath them, nor between them. To You is praise, a praise that none can enumerate except You. So send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, a blessing that none can enumerate except You."
Third:
Say: "O Allah, decree in the definitive decree that You ordain, and in the wise matter that You decide on the Night of Decree (Qadr), and in the decree that cannot be reversed or changed, that You write me among the pilgrims of Your Sacred House, whose Hajj is accepted, whose effort is appreciated, whose sins are forgiven, whose evil deeds are expiated. And decree in what You ordain and decide, that You prolong my life, expand my provision, and do such-and-such for me." And ask for your need instead of this phrase.”
The Twenty-First Night:
Its virtue is greater than the nineteenth night. One should perform the general deeds of the Nights of Decree: Ghusl, night vigil, visitation, the prayer with Surah al-Ikhlas recited seven times, the Greater Supplication of al-Jawshan, and others. Traditions emphasized the recommendation of Ghusl, night vigil, and diligence in worship on this night.
And say:
"I seek refuge in the glory of Your Noble Face, lest the month of Ramadan ends for me, or dawn breaks on this night of mine, while I have a sin—or liability—for which You would punish me."
Al-Kaf'ami reported in the margin of the book al-Balad al-Amin that al-Sadiq (p.) would say every night of the last 10 after the obligatory and supererogatory prayers:
"O Allah, fulfill on our behalf what is due from the past of the month of Ramadan, forgive us our shortcomings in it, accept it from us, do not hold us accountable for our excesses against ourselves, make us among those shown mercy, and do not make us among those deprived."
And he said: “Whoever says it, Allah will forgive him for what he committed in the past of this month and protect him from sins for the remainder.” Among them is what al-Sayyed Ibn Tawus reported in al-Iqbal, from Ibn Abi 'Umayr from Marazim, who said: Al-Sadiq (p.) would say every night of the last 10:
"O Allah, You said in Your revealed Book: '[The] month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.' (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:185) So You magnified the sanctity of the month of Ramadan by what You revealed in it of the Quran, and You specified it with the Night of Decree, and made it better than a thousand months. O Allah, these days of Ramadan have passed, and its nights have elapsed, and I, O my God, have reached from it what You know better than I and are more aware of its count than all creation. So I ask You by what Your closest angels, Your sent prophets, and Your righteous servants asked You: to send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, to free my neck from the Hell, to admit me into Paradise by Your mercy, to bestow upon me Your pardon and generosity, to accept my acts of devotion, to answer my supplication, and to grant me security on the Day of Fear from every terror You have prepared for the Day of Resurrection. My God, I seek refuge in Your Noble Face and Your tremendous majesty, lest the days and nights of the month of Ramadan end while I have a liability or sin for which You would hold me accountable, or an offense for which You would exact retribution from me and have not forgiven me. My Master, my Master, my Master, I ask You, O there is no deity except You, since there is no deity except You, if You have been pleased with me in this month, then increase pleasure with me; and if You have not been pleased with me, then from now on be pleased with me, O Most Merciful of the merciful. O Allah, O Unique, O Eternal, O He who neither begets nor is born, nor is there any equivalent to Him."
And frequently say: "O You who softened iron for Dawud (p.), O You who removed affliction and great distress from Ayyub (p.), O Reliever of the worry of Ya'qub (p.), O Remover of the grief of Yusuf (p.), send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You are worthy to send blessings upon them all, and do with me what You are worthy of, and do not do with me what I am worthy of."
Among them is what is reported in al-Kafi with a chain, and in al-Muqni'ah and al-Misbah without a chain: Say on the 21st night:
"O You who merge the night into the day and merge the day into the night, and bring forth the living from the dead and bring forth the dead from the living, O You who provide for whom You will without account. O Allah, O Most Gracious, O Allah, O Most Merciful, O Allah, O Allah. To You belong the most beautiful names and the highest examples, and grandeur and blessings. I ask You to send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, to place my name among the fortunate on this night, my spirit with the martyrs, my good deeds in the highest heights, my misdeeds forgiven, to grant me a certainty that touches my heart, a faith that removes doubt from me, to make me content with what You have apportioned for me, and to give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Blazing Fire. And grant me within it remembrance of You, gratitude to You, yearning for You, turning in repentance, and success for that for which You granted success to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, p. and them."
Al-Kaf'ami reported from al-Sayyed Ibn Baqi that you say on the 21st night:
"O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and apportion for me a forbearance that blocks the door of ignorance from me, guidance by which You favor me against every misguidance, wealth by which You block every door of poverty from me, strength by which You repel every weakness from me, honor by which You dignify me against every humiliation, elevation by which You raise me above every lowliness, security by which You repel every fear from me, well-being by which You shield me from every trial, knowledge by which You open every certainty for me, certainty by which You remove every doubt from me, a supplication by which You extend answer for me on this night and at this hour—the hour, the hour, the hour, O Generous One—and a fear by which You facilitate every mercy for me, and protection by which You place a barrier between me and sins, until I succeed among the infallible ones with You, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful."
The Twenty-Third Night:
It is better than the two previous nights. It is understood from many narrations that it is the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr). It is the night of al-Juhani, named so because this man entered Medina and asked the Messenger of Allah (p.) to guide him to a night to revive and seek the Decree, and he guided him to the twenty-third night of Ramadan. On it, every precise matter is ordained. For this night, there are several specific deeds in addition to the general deeds shared with the two past nights:
First:
Recite Surahs al-'Ankabut and al-Rum. Al-Sadiq (a.s.) said: "Whoever recites these two surahs on this night will be among the people of Paradise."
Second:
Recite Surahs Ha-Mim (as-Sajdah) and ad-Dukhan.
Third:
Recite Surah al-Qadr one thousand times.
Fourth:
Ghusl
Fifth:
Say: "O Allah, extend my lifespan, expand my provision, make my body healthy, fulfill my hope, and if I am among the wretched, erase me from the wretched and write me among the fortunate, for You said in Your revealed Book to Your sent Prophet (Your blessings upon him and his family): 'Allah eliminates what He wills or confirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.' (Surah Ar-Ra'd, 13:39)"
Sixth:
Say: "O Allah, decree in the definitive decree that You ordain, and in the wise matter that You decide on the Night of Decree, from the decree that cannot be reversed or changed, that You write me among the pilgrims of Your Sacred House this year, whose Hajj is accepted, whose effort is appreciated, whose sins are forgiven, whose evil deeds are expiated. And decree in what You ordain and decide, that You prolong my life and expand my provision."
Seventh:
Supplicate with this supplication narrated in al-Iqbal:
"O Hidden in His appearance, O Apparent in His hiddenness. O Hidden One who is not concealed, O Apparent One who is not seen. O Described One whose essence cannot be described or limited by any limit. O Absent One who is not lost, O Present One who is not witnessed. He is sought and found, and the heavens and earth and what is between them are not devoid of Him for the blink of an eye. He is not grasped by 'how', nor located by 'where' or 'in which place'. You are the Light of lights and Lord of lords. You encompass all things. Glory be to He for whom there is nothing similar, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing. Glory be to He who is such, and none other is such." Then supplicate as you wish.
Eighth:
Recite the supplications we have mentioned, such as:
- Supplication for Noble Morals
- Supplication of Abu Hamzah al-Thumali
- Supplication of Repentance
- Supplication of al-Jawshan
Ninth:
It is reported to pray 100 rak'ahs on this night. In every two rak'ahs, say the tashahhud and give the salutation like the dawn prayer. It is permissible to limit it to Surah al-Fatihah, and it is permissible to pray it sitting. The jurists say that prayer while sitting has half the reward of prayer while standing, so if one wants the full reward, they should double the action.
Supplication for the Twenty-Third Night:
"O Lord of the Night of Decree, who made it better than a thousand months. Lord of night and day, mountains and seas, darkness and lights, earth and sky. O Creator, O Fashioner, O Most Affectionate, O Bestower of favors. O Allah, O Most Gracious, O Allah, O Self-Subsisting, O Allah, O Originator, O Allah, O Allah, O Allah. To You belong the most beautiful names and the highest examples, and grandeur and blessings. I ask You to send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, to place my name among the fortunate on this night, my spirit with the martyrs, my good deeds in the highest heights, my misdeeds forgiven, to grant me a certainty that touches my heart, a faith that removes doubt from me, to make me content with what You have apportioned for me, and to give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Blazing Fire. And grant me within it remembrance of You, gratitude to You, yearning for You, turning in repentance and returning, and success for that for which You granted success to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, peace be upon them.”
“O Allah, be for Your guardian, al-Hujjah ibn al-Hasan, Your blessings upon him and his forefathers, in this hour and every hour, a guardian and protector, a leader and helper, a guide and watcher, until You settle him in Your earth willingly and let him enjoy it for a long time."