Importance of Laylat al-Qadr

Question: Many causes are mentioned in Islam regarding the importance and greatness of Laylat al-Qadr. Well-known traditions of religious leaders indicate it to one of the following nights of the holy month of Ramadan: 19^th, 21^st or 23^rd. We are instructed to offer special prayers on this night.

It seems that Laylat al-Qadr is not more than one night every year, but we know this also that, because of the difference in horizons the beginning of the month of Ramadan in some countries happens to be one or two days earlier and in some happens to be one or two days later. According to this situation in those places, there is difference of one or two nights of Laylat al-Qadr. And for those different places more than one Laylat al-Qadr comes into existence. This situation arises every year, as Laylat al-Qadr being only one night and in that particular night the angels descend with blessings and bounties, how harmonious is it? Is it that Laylat al-Qadr was especially in the time of the Prophet (a.s.) and in Makkah and that night is no more after that?

Answer: According to the religious guides it is absolutely proved that Laylat al-Qadr was not restricted to the time of the Prophet (a.s.) and not only in Hijaz area. But in all the periods of time and for all different places it existed with all its importance and greatness and there is no scope for anything contrary to this.

Above mentioned objection has come up because it was imagined that Laylat al-Qadr being one in the whole year meant that every year for all the places in the world only one common night is fixed as Laylat al-Qadr and this night is fixed in every region of the world and it is liable to end at a fixed time.

However this concept is wrong, as we know that the earth is spherical and always one of its hemispheres happens to be in dark and the other in light. Therefore there can never be night at one fixed and common time in all the parts of the earth. By saying that in the whole year there is only one Laylat al-Qadr, it means that for the residents of all the places, according to their own lunar year only one night is Laylat al-Qadr. The explanation to this statement is that residents of every place start their lunar year according to the specific horizon of that place from the first of Muharram. And after passing some lunar months, the month of Ramadan also of that place, starts with the specific horizon of that place and in that month, 19^th, 21st or 23^rd night is Laylat al-Qadr for the people residing in that area.

Residents of every place have to fix their holy days and times according to specific horizon of that place and not only Laylat al-Qadr in particular. For example, Eidul Fitr and Eidul Azha are holy days in Islam and special prayers are prescribed for those days of these Eids not a single one comes on more than one day in the whole year. In different Muslim countries fixation of this day, even though there being difference in their existing horizons, each country fixes the day considering their specific horizon. This is the reason that for example in Saudi Arabia Eid-e-Azha is mostly celebrated one or two days before Pakistan and some other countries.

We should know that this account regarding Laylat al-Qadr, is not a negation for some other purposes (for example, this that in this night Angels are descending) Because all these situations are witness to the enlargement of the special blessings of Allah in this night, for the residents of all the places.

How did Zulqarnain see that the sun set in dark water?

Question: The Holy Quran in Surah Kahf Verse No. 86, states with reference to the legend of Zulqarnain.

When he reached the place where the sun set, he found it going down into a black sea.

What is meant by this dark water? How this is possible that even though the sun being with all its greatness can go down in the dark waters? And is not this against the fact earth is spherical and rotates round the sun; and against the new assertions of the celestial sciences.

Answer: According to those latest research that the Islamic scholars and highly respected writers of Quranic exegesis have done with respect to the legend of Zulqarnain the meaning of above-mentioned verse is this:

Zulqarnain continued his attack forward in the direction of the West in the same way till he reached to the shore of two oceans.

In this regard there is a difference between the Mufassereen (commentators) that, by oceans is it meant to be one of the oceans or it is the Mediterranean and whether the attack by Zulqarnain was to the west to its last limit up to the area of Marrakech or up to Izmir in Turkey. In any ease it was the time of sunset when Zulqarnain was standing on the shore and looking at the astonishing sight, because when a person stands on the seashore, then due to the earth being spherical, at the time of sunset he gets to see that the sun is slowly going down in the sea on the last point of the horizon. On the same basis the Holy Quran also narrates the state and the feelings of Zulqarnain in this way.

“He felt that as if the sun is drowning in the dark water.”

Thus the verse is completely in concordance regarding the earth’s spherical shape and by “ain-e-hamaa” is meant to be the same ocean in the last point of whose horizon the sun had set.

Nevertheless it is a separate question that why the Holy Quran has interpreted the water of the ocean as “aineen”?

Mufassereen (commentators) have explained it in this way:

The word “aine” has seven meanings and one of them is “more water” and another is “the place where water falls.” Since the water is more in seas and oceans and rivers, canals, streams and big seas generally fall into this and the water of the seas also adjoin with the water of the oceans. Therefore the Holy Quran has interpreted it with his word “aine” as plenty of water and delta of water.

As far as the question that why the Holy Quran has interpreted this seawater as dark water is concerned, some reasons can be given to that:

 The river water containing soil, which falls into the sea and the soil on the shore and under the influence of sediment, the water of the seashore becomes muddy, and that takes the color of dust.

(2) In fact when at the time of sunset its rays fall on seawater, it takes up a dark color. This is the reason that the Holy Quran has compared it with muddy water.

(3) Water which is more and deeper, under the effect of intensity of blue color, looks black since Zulqarnain saw that sea-water which was much more and it had acquired the state which was almost blackish, that is why the Holy Quran has interpreted it as the water mixed with black soil.[17]

Footnotes:

[1] Tafseer Muraghi, Part 16, Page 17, Tafseer Majmaul Bayan, Vol. 7, Page 490, Tafseer Tantavi, Part 9, Page 200. Al Munjid , under the words ‘Ham’aa’ and ‘Aien’. Mufradate Raghib, Qisase Quran, under the word Zulqarnain.