The recommended acts of the second night of Qadr

The eve of the twenty-first of the Holy month of Ramadhan is one of the blessed nights of Qadr [Power / Decree]. The acts of this night are divided into three sections:

First: Acts of the three nights of Qadr:

1. Take a Ghusl preferably near sunset time (wudhu also required) so you are pure for the prayers of Maghreb and Isha.
2. Recite two Rakats prayer, in every Rakat recite Surat al-Fatiha, and Surat Ikhlaas seven times. After finishing the prayer recite 70 times: "I seek the forgiveness of Allah and I repent before Him." [astaghfiru allaha wa atubu ilayhi أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إلَيْهِ.]
3. Dua Raf' Al-Masahif: The Holy Quran should be opened and placed in front, then one should recite: "O Allah , in the name of this Holy Book sent by You, whatever there be in the Book. Including Your greatest name and Your good names [Asmaa-e-Husnaa] and the things to be dreaded, the things that may be expected and desired, treat me as one of those who are free from Hell fire." [Alaahumma inni asaloka be kitaabekal munzale Wa maa feeh, wa feehismokal akbaro wa asmaakal husnaa, wa maa yokhaafo Wa yurjaa an taj-alani min otaqaaeka minan-Naar", (اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِكِتابِكَ الْمُنْزَلِ، وَما فِيهِ وَفِيهِ اسْمُكَ الْأَكْبَرُ، وَأسْماؤُكَ الْحُسْنى‏ وَما يُخافُ وَيُرْجى‏، أَنْ تَجْعَلَنِي مِنْ عُتَقائِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ)
4. Place the Holy Qur'an on one’s head and say, "O Allah! I appeal to You by the right of this Qur'an and the right of the one who was sent along with it, and by the right of the Mo’min (believer) whose praise is contained in this Book and Your right on them. As no one else recognizes Your right more than You." ["Allaahumma be haqqe haazal Qur'an we be haqqe man arsaltahoo beh, Wa be haqqe kulle momenin madahtahoo feeh, we be haqqeka alaihim fa-laa ahada a'arafo be haqqeka mink" اللَّهُمَّ بِحَقِّ هذا الْقُرْآنِ، وَبِحَقِّ مَنْ أَرْسَلْتَهُ بِهِ، وَبِحَقِّ كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ مَدَحْتَهُ فِيهِ، وَبِحَقِّكَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَلا أَحَدَ أَعْرَفُ بِحَقِّكَ مِنْكَ]

Then repeat each of the following ten times: By Your right, O Allah! By the right of Mohammad (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household! By the right of Ali (Peace be upon him! By the right of Fatima (Peace be upon her)! By the right of al-Hassan (Peace be upon him)! By the right of al-Hussayn (Peace be upon him)! By the right of Ali bin (son of) al-Hussayn (Peace be upon him)! By the right of Mohammad bin Ali (Peace be upon him)! By the right of J`afar bin Mohammad (Peace be upon him)! By the right of Musa bin J`afar (Peace be upon him)! By the right of Ali bin Musa (Peace be upon him)! By the right of Mohammad bin Ali (Peace be upon him)! By the right of Ali bin Mohammad (Peace be upon him)! By the right of Hasan bin Ali (Peace be upon him)! By the right of Al Hujjah (Peace be upon him)

One should then pray to Almighty Allah to fulfil one’s desires.

5. Recite the Ziyarat of Imam Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him).
6. Keep awake the whole night. It has been reported that whoever keeps awake during Laylatul Qadr will have all his sins forgiven even if they number the stars in the sky, the stones in the mountains and are of the quantity of water in the seas.
7. Recite a hundred rakats and it is preferable that in each rakat after the recitation of Surat Fatiha, Surat Ikhlaas be recited ten times
8. Recite Dua Jawshan Kabir (1000 names of Allah) & Jawshan Saghir.
9. Remember Imam Al-Mahdi (Peace be upon him) much throughout the night & recite Dua Faraj for Imam (may Allah hasten his holy reappearance) as many times as possible intermittently. Ziyarat Ale Yasin & Dua Nudba may also be recited...

Second: The common acts for the last ten nights of the holy month:

1. In al-Kafi, Shaykh al-Kulayniy has reported Imam Ja`far As-Sadeq (peace be upon him) to recite: "I seek the protection of the Majesty of Your Honorable Face, against that the month of Ramadhan elapses or dawn puts an end to this night but there is still an offense or a sin for which I am still liable and for which You will punish me."

(اللّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِجَلَالِ وَجْهِكَ الْكَرِيمِ أَنْ يَنْقَضِيَ عَنِّي شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ أَوْ يَطْلُعَ الْفَجْرُ مِنْ لَيْلَتِي هَذِهِ وَلَكَ قِبَلِي ذَنْبٌ أَوْ تَبِعَةٌ تُعَذِّبُنِي عَلَيْهِ).

2. In ’al-Balad al-Amin’, al-Kaf`amiy has mentioned that Imam Ja`far As-Sadeq (peace be upon him) used to say the following:

“O Allah: (please) help us fulfill the right of the past days of the month of Ramadhan, And forgive us our shortcoming during it, And receive it from us with acceptance, And do not blame us for our extravegence in our affairs, And include us with those upon whom mercy is had, And do not include us with those deprived (of the awards of Ramadhan).”

3. In ‘Iqbal al-A`mal’ Sayyid Ibn Tawus has narrated on the authority of Ibn Abi-`Umayr on the authority of Murazim that Imam Ja`far As-Sadeq (peace be upon him) used to say the following at each of the last ten nights of Ramadhan:

“O Allah: You have said in Your revealed Book: "The month of Ramadhan is that in which the Qur'an was revealed, a guidance to men and clear proofs of the guidance and the distinction." You have thus rendered great the sanctity of this month of Ramadhan, Because You revealed the Qur'an in it, And You decided the Grand Night to be in this month exclusively, And You made it better than one thousand months. O Allah: the days of the month of Ramadhan are elapsing, And its nights are also elapsing, While I have become in the state that You, O my God, know better than I do, And You can count it more precisely than all the created beings. So, I beseech You in the name of that by which Your favorite angels, And Your missioned Prophets, And Your righteous servants have besought You, That You may bless Mohammad and the Household of Mohammad, And You may release me from Hellfire, And allow me to enter Paradise, by Your mercy, And confer upon me with Your pardon and Your generosity, And accept my seeking of nearness to You, And respond to my prayer, And bestow upon me with security on the Day of Dread Against all the horrors that You have prepared for the Resurrection Day. O my God: I seek the protection of Your Noble Face, And Your Great Majesty, Against that the days and nights of the month of Ramadhan elapse, While there is still a sin or an offense for which You may punish me, Or a wrongdoing for which You want to chastise me; and You have not yet forgiven them for me, O my Master; O my Master; O my Master; I beseech You, O He save Whom there is no god, Indeed, there is no god save You, If You have been pleased with me in this month, Then (please) increase Your satisfaction with me; And if You have not been pleased with me, Then (please) be satisfied with me from this moment, O the most Merciful of all those who show mercy. O Allah; O the One and Only; O the Besought of all; O He Who begets not, nor is He begotten, And none is like Him.”

4. Repeat the following invocation as many times as possible:

“O He Who made the iron pliant for (Prophet) David, peace be upon him;
O He Who took off the harm and calamity that afflict (Prophet) Job, peace be upon him;
O He Who relieved the sorrow of (Prophet) Jacob, peace be upon him;
O He Who removed the grief of (Prophet) Joseph, peace be upon him:
(Please do) send blessings upon Mohammad and the Household of Mohammad,
As exactly as You are worthy of blessing them all, And (please) do to me that which befits You, And do not do to me that which I deserve.”



Third: Special acts of this night:

1. Recite the following supplication:

“O Allah: (please) bless Mohammad and the Household of Mohammad,
And decide for me forbearance that blocks the door to ignorance against me,
And guidance that You confer upon me against any item of straying off,
And affluence that blocks the door to all poverty against me,
And power due to which You repel any weakness from me,
And might with which You honor me against all humiliation,
And sublimity through which You exalt me against all humbleness,
And security through which You protect me against any fear,
And well-being by which You cover me against any ailment,
And knowledge due to which You open before me all certitude,
And certitude due to which You remove from me any dubiosity,
And prayer through which You expand Your response to me at this very night and at this very hour,
This very hour, this very hour, this very hour, O the All-generous,
And apprehension due to which You spread over me all items of mercy,
And shelter due to which You intervene between my sins and me,
So that I shall succeed in the view of the Infallible ones with You,
Out of Your mercy, O the most Merciful of all those who show mercy.

2. Shaykh al-Kulayni, in ‘al-Kafi’, has narrated, that the following supplication, which is also narrated in ‘al-Muqni`ah’ and ‘al-Misbah’, should be said for last 10 nights:

“O (One) who causes the night to pass into the day, and the day to pass into the night. O (One) who brings forth the living from the dead, and brings forth the dead from the living. O the Provider of sustenance for whoever He pleases, without measure. O Allah, O Beneficent, O Allah, O Merciful. O Allah, O Allah, O Allah, You have the most beautiful names, the highest examples, the grandeur, the bounties.

I beseech You to, bless Mohammad and the family of Mohammad, and place my name, in this night, among the fortunate, and my soul among the martyrs, let my good deeds be (written) in the 'Illiyyin (Book of the virtuous), and my evil deeds be forgiven. (And I beseech You to ) grant me a certainty which gives joy to my heart, and a faith which drives doubt away from me, and make me pleased with what You have granted me.

(And I beseech You to) Give us good in this world, and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the burning fire. (HQ 2:201) (And I beseech You to) grant me in it (Laylatul Qadr) Your remembrance, and Your gratitude, and desire for (pleasing) You, turning (to You for repentance), and success, for all that You have granted Mohammad and his family, peace be on him and on them.