And what will he (Ali) see?

And what will he (Ali) see?' He (S) would then recite the verse saying, ‘The angels and the Spirit descend therein with the permission of their Lord for every affair; peace, it is, till the break of the morn.' Then he (S) would pause and ask them, ‘Is there anything left after the Almighty having verbally said ‘ every affair'?' They would both answer in the negative, and he (S) would then ask them, ‘Do you both know regarding whom it is revealed?' They would both say, ‘No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah!' He (S) would then say, ‘Yes; is there going to be a Lailatul-Qadr after me (I.e., after my demise)?' They would answer in the affirmative, and he (S) would then ask them, ‘Will every affair descend therein?' They said: ‘Yes.' He then asked them, ‘To whom will it descend?' They answered, ‘We do not know.' He (S), with his hand on my head, pushed me gently forward and said, ‘If you do not know, then it is regarding this person after me.' Both men, ever since the demise of the Messenger of Allah (S), used to be filled with awe whenever that night approached.'" The Almighty says, "Therein every wise affair is made distinct" (44:4).

This means that in this night, the Exalted One decrees everything that will happen next year. It is also said in Arabic that someone has a "qadr," a social status or a certain prestige, which he enjoys among people. The "Qadr" in this sense, therefore, also connotes prestige and significance.

The Almighty also says in the Holy Qur'an, "They did not honor Allah as He ought to be honored," that is, they did not glorify Him as He ought to be glorified; thus, "qadr" in this verse implies glorification. Lailatul-Qadr, then, is the great night which enjoys a great deal of prestige and high esteem with Allah and in which He determines and decrees the fate and sustenance of all His creation.

It has a special status simply because obedience to Him during it is regarded with great seriousness and urgency, and a great reward awaits those who honor the month wherein it falls. It is also said that it was so named because a Book from Allah which enjoys greatness of status was revealed to a Prophet who also enjoys a great honor and prestige. Another view is that it was named so because the earth becomes straitened due…