Missed Prayers During the Night of Power

Answered by: Maulana Tammim Mohamadou

Question:

I was wondering if I was doing a full days’ worth of missed prayers each odd night in the final ten nights of Ramadan and one of those nights was the night of power, would this equate to 1000 months’ worth of missed prayers?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Allah ﷻ says in the Holy Qur’an:

“We have sent it (the Qur’an) down in the Night of Qadr. [1] And what may let you know what the Night of Qadr is? [2] The Night of Qadr is much better than one thousand months. [3] The angels and the Spirit descend in it, with the leave of your Lord, along with every command. [4] Peace is till the rising of the dawn. [5]” (Sural al-Qadr)

One meaning of the word Qadr is ‘greatness, honour or dignity and another meaning of the word Qadr is ‘predestination’.

The night is called the Night of Qadr because it is a night of greatness, honour, majesty, and dignity.

Imam Abu Bakr Warraq (رحمه الله) has stated that this night is so-called because a person becomes a man of honour and dignity on account of repentance, seeking pardon and righteous acts during this night, whilst prior to this he might have lacked honour and dignity on account of unrighteous life he might have led. 

The night is also called [‘predestination’] because the destiny of individuals and nations that was decided in pre-eternity is assigned to the relevant angels who are appointed for cosmic planning. Every man’s age, death, sustenance, rain, and other things are measured out to the angels to be implemented for a complete year from one month of Ramadan to another. 

So, when Allah ﷻ says that this night is better than thousand months is in fact in the meaning reward and not in the meaning of actual action itself.

Scholars have said that the meaning of this [verse] is that doing what is pleasing to Allah on that night like prayer and others [worship] is better than good actions [done] in thousand months [in terms of reward.

So, what is meant is the reward and not the action itself therefore the answer to your question is that doing Qadha of Salah on that night will not equate to doing a thousand months’ worth of Salah you will get the thousand-month reward for having done that good action, in shā Allah.

Last but not least, one should not delay the Qadha of Salah purposefully it is a debt towards Allah Taala therefore it should be paid back as fast as possible, in shā Allah.

Only Allah (ﷻ) knows best.

Written by Maulana Tammim Mohamadou

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

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