The Night of Destiny

1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Sayf ibn ‘Amirah from Hassan ibn Mehran who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), about the night of destiny. He replied, ‘You should try to find it in the twenty- first or twenty-third nights (of the month of Ramadan).”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

1. Abu Ali al-Ash’ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Jabbar from Ahmad ibn al-Nadr from ‘Amr ibn Shamir from ’Urwah ibn ‘ Abd Allah who has said the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘You must not travel to meet the caravan of suppliers out of the city before other buyers. One must not buy for the ones who are not present. Allah grants sustenance to the Muslims through one another.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Ahmad ibn Muhammad has narrated from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad al-Jawhariy from Ali ibn abu Hamzah al-Thumaliy who has said the following: “Once I was in the presence of abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.), when abu Basir asked him, ‘May I be sacrificed for you, when is the night during which one may hope that his wishes will come true?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is in the twenty-first or twenty-third nights.’ He (abu Basir) then asked, ‘What happens if I cannot (stay awake) on both nights?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘(Remaining awake for) just two nights is easy with a view to realizing your wishes.’ I (the narrator) then said, ‘We may see the new moon on a certain time and then receive information that people have seen the new moon on a different day at another place.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Remaining awake for four nights is easy with a view to realizing your wishes.’ I then said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you, the twenty-third night is the night of al-Juhaniy.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘That is what it is called.’ I then said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you, Sulayman ibn Khalid narrates that during the nineteenth night, the list of people (honored to) perform Hajj is written.’ He (the Imam) said to me, ‘O abu Muhammad, the list of people for Hajj is written during the night of destiny; so also are deaths, trials, sustenance and things that have to happen until the next night of destiny. You should try to pray for the realization of your wishes during the twenty-first or twenty-third nights. You should perform one hundred Rak‘at salat (prayer) during each of these two nights and remain awake if you can, up to daylight, and take a ghusl (shower) during both nights.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘What should I do if I cannot do this in a standing position?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘Pray in a sitting position.’ I then asked, ‘What should I do if I cannot do this either?’ He said, ‘(Do it) while on your bed. It does not matter if you just slept very lightly at the beginning of the night. The doors of the sky remain open during Ramadan, and devils are nailed down, and the deeds of believing people are accepted. What a good month is Ramadan! During the time of the Messenger of Allah (sw), it was called al-Marzuq (the provider of sustenance).”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from Muthanna’ al-Hannat from Minhal al-Qassab who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once said, ‘You must not travel to meet the caravan of suppliers out of the city before other buyers, you must not buy from those you meet in this way and you must not eat from items purchased in this way.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Muhammad has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from ‘Ila’ (swearing) and abu Ayyub from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the case of a woman before whom two men testify that her absent husband has divorced her and she counts waiting period then marries; then the absent husband comes. He says that he has not divorced her and one of the two testifying people says that he has lied. He (the Imam) said, ‘The second has no way to her and the one who testified must pay the mahr (dower) to the second man and she must count her waiting period because of the second marriage. The first husband must not go near her until her waiting period is complete.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ibn Mahbub has narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn Yahya al-Kahily from Minhal al-Qassab who has said the following: “I once asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), ‘What is the limit of going out to meet a caravan of suppliers?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is a distance of one Rawhah (four Farasikh which is equal to six miles)”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father and A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad all from ibn abu Najran from ‘Asem ibn Hamid ibn Qays who has said the following: “I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the case of a man whose wife thinks that he has died or is killed; thus she marries as well as his slave-girl and both give birth to their husband; then the first husband comes and the master of the slave-girl. He (the Imam) said, ‘He takes back his wife because he has the right to do so. He also takes back his slave-girl and her child or the cost of the child’s value.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from more than one person who have said the following: “Certain individuals of our people - the only one of these people I know is Sa‘id al-Samman- asked abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘Why is it that the night of destiny is better than one thousand months?‘ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is because doing good deeds during this night is better than doing good deeds in one thousand months that do not have the night of destiny.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj from Minhal al-Qassab who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once said, ‘You must not travel to meet the caravan of suppliers out of the city before other buyers; the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, prohibited it.’ I then asked, ‘What are its limits?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is less than a morning or evening’s journey.’ I then asked, ‘How much is that?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It is four farasikh (which is equal to six miles).”’ Ibn abu ‘Umayr has said, ‘Above this distance does not apply to “meeting suppliers.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from and Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father all from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Ibrahim ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid from abu Basir and others who has said the following: “About the case of two witnesses who testify that a woman’s husband has divorced her or that he has died, thus, she marries, then the husband comes, abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has stated this Hadith. ‘They are whipped for their crime. They are held responsible for the mahr (dower) to be paid to the husband for deceit; then she counts waiting period and returns to her first husband.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn abu Hamzah from abu Basir who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that Torah was revealed during the sixth night of the month of Ramadan. Injil (New Testament) was revealed during the twelfth night of the month of Ramadan. Al-Zabbur, (Psalms) was revealed during the eighteenth night of the month of Ramadan; and the Holy Quran was revealed during the night of destiny.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father all from ibn abu Nasr from ‘Abd al-Karim from Zurarah who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘If a woman receives news of the death of her husband or she is informed about her being divorced by her husband and she counts her waiting period and thereafter marries, then her previous husband comes. The first one is more rightful than the second one, regardless, he (the second) has gone to bed with her or not; but she can demand mahr (dower) from the second one because of his going to bed with her and the second one can thereafter never lawfully marry her again.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad from af-Sayyariy from certain individuals of our people from Dawud ibn Farqad who has said that narrated to him Ya’qub who has said the following: “I once heard a man asking abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the night of destiny, saying, ‘Please tell me about the night of destiny. Was it only just for one night, or it comes every year?’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), replied, ‘Had the night of destiny been removed, most certainly, the Holy Quran would also had been removed.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from abu ‘Abd Allah al-Mu’min from Ishaq ibn ‘Ammar who has said the following: “I heard him (the Imam) say- when people said, “Sustenance is divided during the night in the middle of the month of Sha‘ban”-, ‘No, by Allah, that is in no other time besides the nineteenth night of the month of Ramadan, or the twenty-first or twenty-third night of this month. During the nineteenth night of this month, two groups meet; in the twenty-first night, all matters of wisdom are differentiated; and in the twenty-third night, whatever Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, wishes of such matters is approved. It is the night of destiny about which Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, has said, . . the night of destiny is better than one thousand months.’” He (the narrator) has said, ‘I then asked about the meaning of his words, “Two groups meet”?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘Allah brings together in that night what He has decided, in matters to be brought forward or delayed, to decide or to approve it.’ I then said, ‘What is the meaning of, “approves it during the twenty-third night”?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘During the twenty-first night, He differentiates the rule. Then al- Bada’ may take place, therefore, in the twenty-third night is the approval and thus it becomes inevitable in such issues where al-Bada’ does not happen, Allah is most Blessed, the most High.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from ibn Bukayr from Zurarah who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Measurement and determination is on the night of the nineteenth, verification is on the twenty- first night and final approval is on the twenty-third night.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

10. Ahmad ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ali ibn al-Husayn from Muhammad ibn al-Walid and Muhammad ibn Ahmad from Yunus ibn Ya’qub from Ali ibn ’Isa al-Qammat from his uncle who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that in his dream, the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, saw banu ‘Umayyah climb on his pulpit after him and mislead people from the right path and take them backward. He remained sad and depressed. Jibril came and asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, why are you sad and depressed?’ He replied, ‘O Jibril, in my dream last night, I saw banu ‘Umayyah climb my pulpit, mislead people from the right path and take them backward.’ He (Jibril) said, ‘I swear by the One who has sent you as a prophet in all truth that I have no information about this matter.’ The Messenger of Allah (Jibril) ascended to the heaven and, after a little while, came back with a verse of the Holy Quran to comfort him. “Consider, if We allow them to enjoy for a few years, then the thing about which they were warned comes upon them, and whatever they enjoyed will be of no benefit for them.” (26:205) He revealed to him, “We have revealed the Holy Quran in the night of destiny. What do you think you know about the night of destiny? The night of destiny is better than one thousand months.’ Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, has made the night of destiny better than one thousand months for His prophet. It (one thousand nights) is equal to the life of the kingdom of banu ‘Umayyah.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

11. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from ibn Faddal from abu Jamilah from Rifa’ah who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the night of destiny is the beginning of the year, and it also is the end of it (the year before).”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

12. A number of our people have narrated, from Sahl ibn Ziyad, from Ali ibn al-Hakam, from Rabi’ al-Musliy and Ziyad ibn abu al-Hallal who have narrated it, from a man, from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who said, “In the nineteenth night of the month of Ramadan is measurement and determination; in the twenty-first night is decision; and in the twenty-third night is verification of what has to take place during the coming year up to the next night of destiny. Allah, glorious is his praise, does whatever He wills about His creation.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ahmad ibn Muhammad has narrated from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from Fadalah ibn Ayyub from al-‘Ala’ ibn Razin from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “Once I asked one of the two Imam, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, about signs of the night of destiny. He replied, ‘One of the signs of this night is sweet fragrance; during the cold season it is warm, and during the hot season it is cool and pleasant.’ Someone asked him about the night of destiny. He (the Imam) replied, ‘The angels and scribes come down to the sky above the world and then they write down all that has to happen during the year and what people will experience therein. Its affairs are withheld with Him. In it He has a wish and thus He brings forward whatever He wishes or delays whatever He wishes. He confirms whatever He wishes and deletes whatever He wishes; the mother book is with Him.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Umar ibn ‘Udhaynah from al-Fudayl, Zurarah and Muhammad ibn Muslim from Humran who has narrated the following: “I once asked abu Ja‘far (a.s.), about the following words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious: ‘We have revealed it during the blessed night.’ (44:3) He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, it is the night of destiny. Every year this night is during the last ten days in the month of Ramadan. It was the night of destiny and no other night when the Holy Quran was revealed. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, has said, “During this night all matters of wisdom are differentiated.’” (44:4) He (Imam) said, ‘During the night of destiny, all things of good or evil, obedience or disobedience, birth or death, or sustenance that are to take place in the year up to the next month of Ramadan, are measured and determined. Whatever is measured and determined for that year becomes inevitable; however, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, has a wish in it.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I then asked about the meaning of, “The night of destiny is better than one thousand nights?”’ He (Imam) replied, ‘Good deeds like salat (prayer), zakat and other forms of good are better than good deeds done in one thousand months wherein the night of destiny does not exist. Had it not been for the generosity of Allah, the most Blessed, the most High, toward the believing people, they could not gain any success, but Allah increases their good deeds (through our love).”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.