# What If Laylatul Qadr Is The Wrong Night? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #9

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Pause and Reflect
**Published:** 2026-03-09
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/yk-Ftz0LWh8
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-9-what-if-laylatul-qadr-is-the-wrong-night
**Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia

## Summary
In this Ramadan reflection, the speaker draws a powerful parallel between contemporary political scandals — specifically referencing the Epstein files and the war on Iran as a potential distraction — and historical patterns of elite corruption described in the Quran. He focuses on the ayah from Surah Al-Isra [Al-Isra 17:16]: 'And when We wish to destroy a town, We command its elite, and they commit wickedness therein, so the word is justified against it, and We destroy it with complete destruction.' The speaker presents three scholarly interpretations of this verse: (1) Allah commanded the elite with righteousness and they disobeyed; (2) Allah allowed their evil to consume them as a precursor to destruction; and (3) Allah gave them wealth, power, and means, which they used to indulge their lowest desires until destruction came. He connects this Quranic principle to historical examples, including how Allah exposed Al-Walid ibn Mughirah's illegitimate birth when he tried to humiliate Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), how Prophet Yahya (ﷺ) was martyred for refusing to legitimize the corrupt desires of Herod Antipas, and how Fir'awn's regime was built on exploitation and moral depravity. The speaker emphasizes that the pattern of corrupt elites using distraction, deflection, and war to cover their scandals is timeless. He concludes with hope, noting that in the Quran, the exposure and destruction of corrupt elites are divinely linked — when they feel most invincible and most exposed, that is precisely when Allah's punishment arrives. He calls on believers to recognize these signs and to make du'a for the oppressed.

## Transcript
**[0:00]** I'm going to start tonight's khatira actually on a somber note, because it's important, subhanAllah. So we have in this masjid, alhamdulillah, been advocating for our sister Liqa' Kurdiyya, who has been now in ICE detention for over a year, spending her second Ramadan there

**[0:17]** in Prairieland. And we ask Allah azzawajal to free her, and we know of her name, and we know of brother Ya'qub's name now, may Allah free him. We know of different people. SubhanAllah, sister Liqa' had introduced me in Prairieland to another sister named Noor Salman,

**[0:34]** who is a young sister from Iraq, a medical school student, had legal permanent residency and was picked up, and suddenly everything revoked, and it became a nightmare for her. And you often don't know who's sitting next to you in the masjid, and what their story is,

**[0:53]** and what they're going through. And this is something just to open our hearts to the people, in our masjid and in our ranks. Last year, we were talking about Liqa' and we were talking about sister Ward, and her husband Tahir was advocating for her, and alhamdulillah, Tahir came, stood up, and Ward got out, and she's attended this masjid multiple times. I don't

**[1:11]** even know if she's here tonight, but may Allah bless them both, and may Allah azzawajal protect her and protect her family. Allahumma ameen. But I happened to meet brother Khalid, who is the husband of our sister Noor, who is in Prairieland. If you could stand up, brother Khalid. SubhanAllah, you see, this is my first time actually meeting him, but you see a brother who

**[1:30]** is sitting in the masjid, praying quietly, and you don't know what he's going through. And his wife is in Prairieland right now, and I want us, as we come into these last ten nights, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala free Noor, may Allah azzawajal free Liqa', may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala free Ya'qub, may Allah free Dr. Afia, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala free Shukri, may Allah free Ghassan,

**[1:50]** may Allah free all of the political prisoners that we know and that we don't know. Ya Rabb, Ya Rabb, Ya Allah, we ask you in these last ten nights to free them. We ask you to return Noor to her husband. We ask you, O Allah, to free Liqa'. We ask you, O Allah, to free all of those that are unjustly imprisoned. We ask you, O Allah, to guide us to be of service to them, and we ask you, O Allah,

**[2:09]** that as long as they dwell in those cells, that you fill their cells with tranquility, that you fill their cells with sakinah. Allahumma ameen. Please keep brother Khalid and his wife Noor in your du'a, bi'idhnillahi ta'ala. I wanted to start with that, because subhanAllah, average brother, he just texted me. We only communicated by phone. I only have spoken to his wife, and he said, I'm in the

**[2:31]** masjid. I said, where? He said, I'm looking at you right now, and we don't know the stories of the people that are right next to us. So please, dear brothers and sisters, in these last ten nights, make du'a for your brothers and sisters, those that you know of and those that you don't know of, bi'idhnillahi ta'ala, the ummah that is close to you and the ummah that is far from you. I'll keep tonight very short,

**[2:49]** bi'idhnillahi ta'ala, on top of that. I titled this khatira, did we start Ramadan wrong? Because I can't remember, for a while, a conversation amongst people, you know, did we start on the wrong day? Did we start on the wrong day? And obviously, unfortunately, it's one of those times where we have a Ramadan

**[3:08]** that started two days for many people in the community. We know many people that started Thursday, started Wednesday. I was in a Muslim country when Ramadan started anyway, so subhanAllah, you don't even bother yourself and think about these things. You just go with what the country announces, and you start to fast with them. But you'll see even two countries, not just two communities,

**[3:27]** two countries next to each other, fasting on different days. Let me make one thing clear. Two countries, two communities, could use a valid method. Both of them could use a correct and valid method to establish the month of Ramadan. But obviously, Ramadan can't be both of those days.

**[3:44]** It either started this day or it started that day. Which brings me to the point of what we're going into the last 10 nights. And this is so crucial and so important, and it's a simple reminder. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sought Laylatul Qadr in all of the last 10 nights.

**[4:02]** And that is without confusion in moon sighting and doubts about whether or not the moon was actually seen or not, or whether this or that happened. That was the Prophet (ﷺ), and he is the sole authority while he's on earth, and he still, alayhi salatu wasalam,

**[4:19]** honored all 10 of those nights. And there are a few reasons for that. Number one, as we said earlier in the program today, that these are the best 10 nights of the year, whether or not Laylatul Qadr is amongst them. Meaning, Laylatul Qadr is the best of those nights, and then the other nights are the best nights after Laylatul Qadr. So you honor those nights.

**[4:38]** Yes, he said, seek it in the odd nights, salallahu alayhi wasalam. But what if the night that you think is odd is actually even, and the night that someone else thinks is even is actually odd? And that is actually going to be a situation that we face in this particular month of Ramadan.

**[4:55]** There are communities that are going to be treating the odd completely different from this community, and that's going to be around the country and even around the world. So who's right? Another factor to add, and so this is what some of the ulema mention, that, and it's a minor opinion,

**[5:11]** but it is an opinion, that one of the hadiths of the Prophet (ﷺ), he said, seek Laylatul Qadr, and he said, with nine remaining, with seven remaining, with five remaining, and when he uses al-baqeen, that which is remaining, then therefore if the month is 29 days, then that turns the even into odd, if you treat it as remaining nights, rather than the

**[5:31]** nights that are ahead of you. I say this, dear brothers and sisters, when Ibn Mas'ud (رضي الله عنه) was asked, when is Laylatul Qadr, he said, it could be any night of the year. And he said that to make a point, not because he actually believed that it could be any night of the year. This night is worth everything, everything, everything. Don't throw away a single

**[5:54]** one of these nights. So if you're someone who's watching, or you're someone who's visiting from another community, and you started, for example, on Thursday, and you say, oh tomorrow night's not a, it's not even one of the last ten nights for us, treat it like it is. What do you have to lose? Honor the night, do tahajjud, honor it with, as if it's one of the last ten. And if you're someone

**[6:14]** who started on Wednesday, and tomorrow will be the 21st night for you, then don't treat the 22nd like the 22nd, treat it like the potential 21st. And don't treat the 28th night like the 28th night, treat it like the potential 27th. Think in that way, and that way every single one of the nights

**[6:31]** ahead is going to be special. But especially in a year like this, when there's so much controversy, and understandably so, about whether the moon was actually seen, and what method was, especially in a year like this, these next ten nights don't lose a single one of them. Very simple. Have the exact

**[6:50]** same regimen for every single one of the last ten nights. The masjid should not have a discrepancy between the even and the odd, especially in a month like this, especially in a time like this. So that is my short message to you, and insha'Allah ta'ala, I ask Allah azzawajal to accept from us

**[7:08]** to accept the du'as that we make in Laylatul Qadr for our oppressed brothers and sisters. I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to decree for us blessing in this life, and acceptance in the next.

## Other Episodes in "Pause and Reflect"
- [Singling Out the 27th Night for Worship? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #12](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-12-singling-out-the-27th-night-for-worship.md)
- [Pay Attention to the Masjid Al-Aqsa Shutdown | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #11](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-11-pay-attention-to-masjid-al-aqsa-shutdown.md)
- [How Can You Despair of the Lord of Laylatul Qadr? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #10](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-10-how-can-you-despair-of-the-lord-of-laylatul-qadr.md)
- [Sharia Takeovers and Middle East Chaos | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #8](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/ramadan-pause-and-reflect-8-sharia-takeovers-and-middle-east-chaos.md)
- [Why The Epstein Empire Attacked Iran | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #7](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/why-the-epstein-empire-attacked-iran-ramadan-pause-and-reflect-7.md)
- [How Am I Supposed To Feel About Israel vs. Iran? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #6](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/how-am-i-supposed-to-feel-about-israel-vs-iran-pause-and-reflect-6.md)
- [The Only Surah Without Bismillah | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #5](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/the-only-surah-without-bismillah-ramadan-pause-and-reflect-5.md)
- [One Small Sin That Tips the Scale | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #4](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-4-one-small-sin-that-tips-the-scale.md)
- [He Wrote on Himself Mercy | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #3](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-3-he-wrote-on-himself-mercy.md)
- [The Scholars Who Can’t Read | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #2](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-2-the-scholars-who-cant-read.md)
- [The Baqarah Challenge | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #1](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-1-the-baqarah-challenge.md)