Quran-97:3 Surah Al-qadr English Translation,Transliteration and Tafsir(Tafseer).

لَيۡلَةُ ٱلۡقَدۡرِ خَيۡرٞ مِّنۡ أَلۡفِ شَهۡرٖ

Transliteration:( Lailatul qadri khairum min alfee shahr )

3.The Night of Power is better[2] than a thousand months. (Kanzul Imaan Translation)

(3) The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. (Saheen International Translation)

Surah Al-Qadr Ayat 3 Tafsir (Commentry)



  • Tafseer-e-Naeemi (Ahmad Yaar Khan)
  • Ibn Kathir
  • Ala-Madudi
  • Shaheen International

Tafsir (Commentary) of "The Night of Power is Better Than a Thousand Months"

The Greatness of the Night of Power

This verse emphasizes the immense superiority of Lailatul Qadr (the Night of Power) over a thousand months. Allah asks, “O believer! What do you know what type of night is the Night of Qadr?” This indicates that its reality is beyond human understanding. However, the Holy Prophet became aware of its lofty status and significance through divine revelation.

The word Qadr has multiple meanings:

  • Honour: As in the verse, “And they esteemed not Allah as was due to Him” (S39:V67).
  • Estimation: As in, “And We do not send it down but with a known measure” (S15:V21).
  • Straitened livelihood: As in, “But when He tries him and straitens his livelihood” (S89:V16).

This night is called the Night of Power because:

  1. It is a night of great honour.
  2. It is the night in which the list of events for the entire year is distributed to the angels.
  3. It is the night when so many angels descend upon the earth that it becomes filled with them.

Many scholars believe that Lailatul Qadr is on the 27th night of Ramadan. They derive this from the fact that the phrase “The Night of Power” appears three times in this Surah, and the Arabic phrase Lailatul Qadr consists of nine letters. 9 × 3 = 27. Also, this Surah has 30 words, and the word "it" (referring to the Night of Power) is the 27th word.

Why It Is Better Than a Thousand Months

The verse makes it clear that Lailatul Qadr is far superior to a thousand months devoid of its blessings. Since the Holy Prophet mentioned a thousand months in reference to the worship of Shamsoon, an Israelite, Allah Almighty also used this measure. In Arabic, the highest standard count is a thousand, which is why this number is mentioned here. The phrase "better than a thousand months" could mean:

  • Its closeness to Allah makes it highly esteemed.
  • Worship performed on this night is more rewarding than a thousand months.

Key Benefits from This Verse

  1. Connection with Sacred Things Brings Great Benefits

    • Lailatul Qadr is honoured because of its connection with the Holy Quran.
    • Even the dog of the Companions of the Cave gained eternal respect due to its association with the pious believers.
  2. The Superiority of the Holy Quran

    • The Holy Quran is superior to all other revealed books because Taurat and Injeel were not given this special honour regarding their time of revelation.

The Descent of Angels on This Night

During Lailatul Qadr, from sunset until dawn, countless angels descend, including:

  • The worshipping angels of Sidrah,
  • Hazrat Jibraeel (Roohul Ameen),
  • Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him),
  • The spirit of the Holy Prophet,
  • Special groups of angels known as Rooh, who recite praises of Allah Almighty in countless languages.

These angels descend upon the mosques, homes of believers, and places where people are engaged in worship. They join believers in prayers, saying Ameen to their supplications and seeking blessings from the righteous. (Tafseer Roohul Ma’ani, Tafseer Azizi).

Key Issues Derived from This Verse

  1. The Earth Is Superior to the Heavens on This Night

    • The favourite angels descend to earth on this night to gain nearness to Allah Almighty.
    • Hazrat Jibraeel (peace be upon him) used to visit Madina Munawwarah for prayer (Hadith Shareef).
  2. The Proximity of the Pious Enhances Worship Acceptance

    • Angels visit the graves of Prophets and Saints to offer prayers.
    • The Israelites were commanded to seek repentance in Jerusalem, as their supplication would be accepted there (Holy Quran).
  3. Lailatul Qadr Brings Countless Blessings to Earth

    • The bounties of this night descend in abundance.
    • Angels descend to earth to receive these blessings.
  4. Different Types of Angels Exist

    • Some angels always remain in heaven.
    • Some stay only on earth.
    • Some move between heaven and earth, and some descend only on Lailatul Qadr.
  5. The Latter Part of the Night Is the Most Virtuous

    • Although Lailatul Qadr is superior as a whole, its final part is the most exalted because this is when all the angels assemble together.
  6. Sacred Souls Witness the World’s Affairs on This Night

    • Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) resides in the fourth heaven, and the soul of the Holy Prophet is at Illeyeen (the loftiest station).
    • However, during sacred nights like Lailatul Qadr, they descend to observe the world’s affairs (Tafseer Roohul Ma’ani).

Ibn-Kathir

The tafsir of Surah Qadr verse 3 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Qadr ayat 1 which provides the complete commentary from verse 1 through 5.


Ala-Maududi

(97:3) The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.[2]


2. The commentators in general have understood this to mean that the good acts performed in this night are superior in value to the good acts of a thousand months in which Lailat-ul-qadr is not included. There is no doubt that this is in itself correct and the Prophet (peace be upon him) has described great excellences and virtues of the good acts and devotions of this night. According to a tradition related in Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Abu Hurairah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The one who remained standing in worship in the state of belief and for the sake of rewards from Allah during Lailat-ul-qadr, would have all his previous sins forgiven. And in Musnad Ahmad, there is a tradition from Ubadah bin as-Samit, saying that the Prophet said: Lailat-ut-qadr is among the last ten nights of Ramadan. The one who stood up in worship in order to take advantage of their rewards, Allah will forgive all his former and latter sins. But, the verse does not say: To act righteously in Lailat-ul-qadr is better than acting righteously in a thousand months, but it says: Lailat-ul-qadr is better than a thousand months. And a thousand months also does not imply 83 years and 4 months exactly, but a very long period of time as a thousand denoted among the Arabs. Therefore, the verse means that in this one night a task was accomplished for the welfare of mankind the like of which had not been accomplished even during an indefinitely long period of history.

(3) The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.

Surah Al-Qadr All Ayat (Verses)

1
2
3
4
5
Quran Surah 97 Verse 3

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