4 supplications
Laylat al-Qadr Dua
‘A’ishah asked the Prophet ﷺ: if I know which night is Laylat al-Qadr, what should I say? He answered with the short supplication below (al-Tirmidhi, graded authentic).
The dua of Laylat al-Qadr
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul-‘afwa fa‘fu ‘anni.
O Allah, You are Pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.
Source: Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi; Sunan Ibn Majah
Sayyid al-Istighfar, the master of seeking forgiveness
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
Allahumma anta rabbi la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduk, wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa‘dika mastata‘t, a‘udhu bika min sharri ma sana‘t, abu’u laka bi-ni‘matika ‘alayy, wa abu’u bi-dhanbi, faghfir li fa-innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa ant.
O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I keep Your covenant and promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for none forgives sins but You. Whoever says it with conviction in the day and dies before the evening, or at night and dies before the morning, is among the people of Paradise.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari
Good in this world and the next
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina ‘adhaban-nar.
Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. The supplication the Prophet ﷺ made most often; also said between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone.
Source: Qur’an 2:201; Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim
Do not take us to task
رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا، رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا، رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ، وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا، أَنْتَ مَوْلَانَا فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
Rabbana la tu’akhidhna in nasina aw akhta’na, rabbana wa la tahmil ‘alayna isran kama hamaltahu ‘alal-ladhina min qablina, rabbana wa la tuhammilna ma la taqata lana bih, wa‘fu ‘anna waghfir lana warhamna, anta mawlana fansurna ‘alal-qawmil-kafirin.
Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, do not place on us a burden like that You placed on those before us. Our Lord, do not burden us with what we cannot bear. Pardon us, forgive us and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.
Source: Qur’an 2:286
Hoping for the reward of the Night
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever stands in prayer on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and hoping for reward, his past sins are forgiven” (al-Bukhari, Muslim). One does not need to be certain of having found it: whoever worships every night of the last ten will have stood on it.
Meaning of “You love to pardon”
“O Allah, You are Pardoning and love to pardon, so pardon me” is a du‘a of great depth: pardon (‘afw) goes further than forgiveness, for forgiveness covers the sin while pardon erases it as if it never existed. On the greatest night of the year the believer asks Allah to wipe out his sins completely.
Spend the night in prayer, even a few rak‘ahs with humility, in recitation, this du‘a, istighfar, some charity and sincere repentance, and wake your family as the Prophet ﷺ woke his in the last ten nights (al-Bukhari).
Laylat al-Qadr Dua: questions and answers
Will I know if I caught Laylat al-Qadr?
Not necessarily. Some people sense its peace; the reward depends on sincere worship, not on recognising the night.