The Meaning of "Better than a Thousand Months"

In his post, I present our Imam’s answer to a common question about the Night of Ordainment [Laylatul Qadr]. What does it mean for this night to be better than a thousand months? Many of us may have read this chapter thousands of time, but have barely spent time contemplating deeply about its meaning. This post is meant to shed some light on a few commonly-questioned issues surrounding the Night of Ordainment. Hopefully, following our better understanding of the significance of this night, we would be more motivated to plan properly how to utilize this divine opportunity most effectively.

I hope this post does indeed encourage and inspire us to dedicate more time and thoughts, on this night and other nights, to explore our faith, our religion and our hereafter. In-depth contemplation often leads to desirable for actions.

If this post does revitalize your desire for prayers and committing good deeds, then please do place and keep me in your supplications and prayers. Thank you.

This tradition is graded Good.

Arabic Text:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ وَ زُرَارَةَ وَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ حُمْرَانَ‏ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ - إِنَّا أَنْزَلْناهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبارَكَةٍ  (44:3)قَالَ نَعَمْ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ وَ هِيَ فِي كُلِّ سَنَةٍ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ فَلَمْ يُنْزَلِ الْقُرْآنُ إِلَّا فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ - فِيها يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ‏(44:4)  قَالَ يُقَدَّرُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ كُلُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ يَكُونُ فِي تِلْكَ السَّنَةِ إِلَى مِثْلِهَا مِنْ قَابِلٍ خَيْرٍ وَ شَرٍّ وَ طَاعَةٍ وَ مَعْصِيَةٍ وَ مَوْلُودٍ وَ أَجَلٍ أَوْ رِزْقٍ فَمَا قُدِّرَ فِي تِلْكَ السَّنَةِ وَ قُضِيَ فَهُوَ الْمَحْتُومُ وَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِيهِ الْمَشِيئَةُ قَالَ قُلْتُ‏ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ(97:3)  أَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ عُنِيَ بِذَلِكَ فَقَالَ الْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ فِيهَا مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ وَ الزَّكَاةِ وَ أَنْوَاعِ الْخَيْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ فِي أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ لَيْسَ فِيهَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ وَ لَوْ لَا مَا يُضَاعِفُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَا بَلَغُوا وَ لَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضَاعِفُ لَهُمُ الْحَسَنَاتِ بِحُبِّنَا.

English Translation:

Narrated by Ali Ibn Ibrahim from his father from Ibn Abu Omeir from Omar Ibn Othaina from Al-Fudhail, Zurara and Mohamed Ibn Muslim from Homran,  who asked Abu Ja’afar (PBUH) regarding the words of Allah the Most Exalted:  “Verily, We have revealed it (the Quran) on a blessed night.” (44:3)

He (As) replied: Yes; on the Night of Ordainment which comes every year in the month of Ramadhan, in one of the last 10 nights, for the Quran was not revealed except on the Night of Ordainment. Allah the Most Exalted says: “In it all judicious affairs are made distinct.” (44:4)

He (as) said: On the Night of Ordainment everything is decreed in that year until the like of it comes upon; good and evil and obedience and disobedience and births and deaths or livelihoods. So, what is decreed and dictated in that year becomes inevitable, and is the will of Allah the Most Exalted.

I asked him, “You said the “Night of Ordainment is better than a thousand months.” (97:3) What is meant by that?”

He (as) said, “Good deeds on this night including prayer, alms-giving and all nature of charitable are better than deeds done over a thousand months without a Night of Ordainment. And if not [for this night] Allah would not multiply for the faithfuls their deeds, but Allah the Most Exalted multiplies their rewards, with our love."

Note:

There is an almost identical tradition with a slightly different chain of transmission (sanad) and subtle different in the content (matn). This difference in matn seems to appear at the very end. The phrase “with our love” or “بِحُبِّنَا” is missing in Al-Sadooq’s Thawaab al-Amaal… (P. 65).

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 4, Page 157-158, Tradition#6