How are Laylat al-Qadr and the night of the Prophet's journey compared?
2026-10-14
T195 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Original Q&A · Complete source question and answer
Complete original question and answer, 25/286.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
وسئل عن [ليلة القدر]، و[ليلة الإسراء بالنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم] أيهما أفضل ؟
الجواب
بأن ليلة الإسراء أفضل في حق النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وليلة القدر أفضل بالنسبة إلى الأمة، فحظ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم الذي اختص به ليلة المعراج منها أكمل من حظه من ليلة القدر.
وحظ الأمة من ليلة القدر أكمل من حظهم من ليلة المعراج، وإن كان لهم فيها أعظم حظ، لكن الفضل والشرف والرتبة العليا إنما حصلت فيها، لمن أسرى به صلى الله عليه وسلم.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
He was asked which is better: Laylat al-Qadr or the night of the Prophet's night journey, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
Answer
He answered that the night of the journey is better with respect to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, whereas Laylat al-Qadr is better with respect to the community. The Prophet's unique share in the night of the ascent was more complete than his share in Laylat al-Qadr.
The community's share in Laylat al-Qadr is more complete than their share in the night of the ascent. Although they have a very great share in it, its particular excellence, honour and highest rank belonged to the one who was taken on the night journey, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 25/286
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic checked against the cited source and adjacent question boundaries. Diacritics and display marks omitted; honorific glyphs expanded. Titles and scope notes are editorial.