Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Decree, is the most precious night of the year. It is the night in which the revelation of the Quran began, and the Quran itself calls it better than a thousand months. No one knows for certain which night it is. Here are the possible nights in Ramadan 2027 with their dates, and some thoughts on how to make the most of them.
What the Quran says
A whole surah is about this night, Surah Al-Qadr (97:1-5):
Indeed, We sent it [i.e., the Qur’ān] down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit [i.e., Gabriel] descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.
Translation: Sahih International. In Surah Ad-Dukhan (44:3) the same night is called a blessed night, and according to 2:185 Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was revealed. These and other verses are collected under Quran verses about Ramadan.
According to a narration in al-Bukhari and Muslim, whoever stands in prayer on this night out of faith and hoping for Allah’s reward has their previous sins forgiven.
When is Laylat al-Qadr 2027?
According to al-Bukhari, the Prophet ﷺ told his companions to seek it in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan. By the Umm al-Qura calendar, Ramadan 1448 begins with the first fast on Monday 8 February 2027. It has 29 days, and Eid al-Fitr is on Tuesday 9 March 2027.
An Islamic night begins at Maghrib, so the 27th night is the night before the 27th fast:
| Night | begins on the evening of | ends at Fajr on |
|---|---|---|
| 21st | Saturday 27 February | Sunday 28 February |
| 23rd | Monday 1 March | Tuesday 2 March |
| 25th | Wednesday 3 March | Thursday 4 March |
| 27th | Friday 5 March | Saturday 6 March |
| 29th | Sunday 7 March | Monday 8 March |
Many mosques follow a local moon sighting or their own calendar. If your mosque starts Ramadan a day later, every night moves by one day: the 27th night would then begin on the evening of 6 March. What your mosque announces is what counts.
Many people hope especially for the 27th night. The companion Ubayy ibn Ka’b held it to be the most likely one (in Muslim). Other scholars say the night moves from year to year. Since no one knows for sure, many people make use of all ten nights, as the Prophet ﷺ did: according to al-Bukhari and Muslim, in the last ten nights he strove harder than at other times, spent the night in worship and woke his family.
The dua for Laylat al-Qadr
Aisha asked the Prophet ﷺ what she should say if she recognised the night. He taught her this supplication (in at-Tirmidhi):
Allahumma innaka ’afuwwun tuhibbul-’afwa fa’fu ’anni
Its meaning: O Allah, You are the One who pardons, You love to pardon, so pardon me. ’Afw means more than forgiveness: a sin wiped out completely. More supplications from the Quran are under dua.
A plan for the nights
- Sleep in the afternoon: a nap of an hour makes long nights possible, especially on working days. In 2027 the 21st and 27th nights fall on a Saturday and a Friday evening.
- Isha and Tarawih: at the mosque if you can. Later you can pray again in the last third of the night, before suhoor. Fajr times for every day are in the Ramadan timetable, for example for London, Birmingham or Manchester.
- Quran: one surah read slowly with its meaning is worth more than many pages in a rush. Surah Al-Qadr belongs in there.
- Dhikr and dua: write down beforehand what you want to ask for, for yourself and for others. Dhikr and dua are also possible during menstruation.
- Sadaqah: if you give something on each of the ten nights, however little, you will also have given on Laylat al-Qadr.
- I’tikaf: the Prophet ﷺ secluded himself in the mosque in the last ten days (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Many mosques offer it; ask yours how long people usually stay.
More on the start date, fasting times and Eid is in Ramadan 2027 in the UK. If getting up for suhoor is the hard part, see How to wake up for Fajr.
In the Nur app
In the last ten nights, the Ramadan card in Nur tells you when an odd night begins: “Tonight is the 27th night. It may be Laylat al-Qadr.” The habit “Qiyam · last ten nights” is only active during the last ten nights, with Surah Al-Qadr and the dua in it. The suhoor alarm (iOS 26 and later) rings 30 to 90 minutes before Fajr, and you can shift the start of Ramadan by a day to match your mosque. Get Nur for free.
