# Why the Prophet ﷺ Forgot the Exact Date of Laylatul Qadr | Ramadan Reflections

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Ramadan Reflections (2025)
**Published:** 2025-03-22
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/JpqhdHR8dRM
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/ramadan-reflections-2025/why-the-prophet-forgot-the-exact-date-of-laylatul-qadr-ramadan-reflections
**Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia

## Description
Why was the Prophet ﷺ made to forget the exact date of Laylatul Qadr? When is the benefit and the mercy of Allah for us in that?

## Transcript
**[0:01]** There's a powerful narration and a concept of a narration here that I was reflecting upon. Which is the Prophet (ﷺ) being made to forget the exact night of Laylatul Qadr. The Prophet (ﷺ) mentions that I was shown the night of Laylatul Qadr.

**[0:20]** And he said, وَإِنِّي نُسِيتُهَا By the way, there's a big difference between نُسِيتُهَا and نَسِيتُهَا. نُسِيتُهَا means that I was caused to forget it. نَسِيتُهَا would mean I forgot it. Now here's the thing about that entire incident.

**[0:37]** Why did the Prophet (ﷺ) forget the night of Laylatul Qadr? Why was he caused to forget the exact night of Laylatul Qadr? Anybody know? Because he came out and he found two companions or more in an argument with one another.

**[0:54]** So he just saw the vision. He was given the exact night. And he comes to the masjid to inform the sahaba about when the night of Laylatul Qadr is going to be. And when he comes out and sees the argument, it was lifted from them as a result.

**[1:13]** Okay? So much to glean from this in and of itself. Number one, obviously what the ulama point to is the obvious loss of barakah through quarreling. When we quarrel with one another, when we fight, when we argue with one another, there's a loss of barakah. What a loss, right?

**[1:29]** That year in and of itself, like the Prophet (ﷺ) was coming out to tell the companions when Laylatul Qadr was. And what a loss for it to be taken away. And so the general loss of barakah, the loss of blessing that comes from arguments and quarreling.

**[1:44]** So keep that in mind especially in these last ten nights. If you find yourself annoyed by something or you're about to get into an argument over a parking spot. Or you're about to get into an argument with security. Or you're about to get into an argument with this person or that person. Keep that in mind in these last ten nights.

**[2:00]** Especially the loss of blessing, the loss of barakah. But there's something else that I want to point out. Do we know the names of those two companions that were arguing? No? We don't. Can you imagine if we knew the two companions?

**[2:16]** The whole ummah would be mad at them, right? Like we had Laylatul Qadr in our reach. And you two had an argument and you lost it for everybody. But their names are actually intentionally omitted. That so and so was arguing with so and so. Do we know what the argument was about?

**[2:33]** No, it doesn't matter. They could have been arguing about anything. But that wasn't the time for it and that's why there was a loss of blessing as a result of that. But here's the part of the narration, subhanAllah, that I want you to pay attention to.

**[2:49]** The Prophet (ﷺ) says, وَعَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونَ خَيْرًا لَكُمْ And it may be that it's better for you that I was made to forget which exact night it was. Such a powerful sentence. It may be that it was better for you that I forgot.

**[3:08]** And the ulama actually broke down some of the wisdoms of this. Number one, some of them said that if the ummah knew every year when Laylatul Qadr was, the Prophet (ﷺ) already said what a mahroom person he is, what a deprived person he is,

**[3:28]** who misses out, who is deprived of the blessings of Laylatul Qadr because you have such a small window of these ten nights and you still miss Laylatul Qadr. And so it would increase the deprivation and perhaps even the sinfulness of a person.

**[3:43]** Like how bad would you have to be if you knew the night every year and you still neglected it. And so it is a means of removing the blame for those people. The second thing is obviously the search.

**[3:59]** وَعَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونَ خَيْرًا لَكُمْ It may be better for you. As a result of this ummah not knowing exactly when Laylatul Qadr is, you stack up the entire ten nights of blessing, worshipping Allah (ﷻ), pursuing Allah (ﷻ),

**[4:14]** all of the dhikr, all of the ibadah, all of the du'a, all of the sadaqah, all of the recitation of the Qur'an, all of that goodness that comes out of the other eight or nine nights depending on whether we have a full Ramadan or not, all of that will be credited to you and on the Day of Judgment you would be glad that you didn't know when Laylatul Qadr was

**[4:34]** because let's face it, if the Prophet (ﷺ) said the ten nights are blessed but Laylatul Qadr is this night every single year, we would not push ourselves on various nights the way that we do now. We just wouldn't. It would be human nature.

**[4:49]** We would do our Laylatul Qadr and then the rest of the nights, alhamdulillah, they're blessed nights, but you would see the numbers of taraweeh dip, you would see the ibadah dip, and this is actually something the Prophet (ﷺ) pointed out to Mu'adh (رضي الله عنه) when the Prophet (ﷺ) told Mu'adh (رضي الله عنه) that whoever says la ilaha illallah,

**[5:07]** whoever sincerely says kalimatul ikhlas, haramallahu alayhi alnaar, Allah (ﷻ) forbid that person from the fire. Say, ya Rasulullah, can I go tell everyone this great news? The Prophet (ﷺ) said, dhar al-nas yata'maloon, let the people keep working, oh Mu'adh, let them strive for a greater degree

**[5:25]** because Jannah has degrees. So if they take this hadith, if they take this premise and they get comfortable and complacent with it, then all they might do is protect themselves from the fire.

**[5:40]** But you don't want to just aim to protect yourself from the fire, you want to aim for a higher degree in Paradise. Ya Mu'adh, let the people work, let the people compete in that which is good. And so that's one of the wisdoms and one of the blessings that we take from this as well,

**[5:56]** that it is better for us as an ummah that we don't actually know the exact night of Laylatul Qadr. The last thing, subhanAllah, that I'll mention in this regard, that some of the ulema like al-Hafidh ibn Rajab (رحمه الله), they mention the seasons of ibadah.

**[6:11]** Like if you look in general, the way that our ibadah work is that they are seasons. It's not like a one day and that's it. Usually there are seasons that come upon us and those seasons allow us to push ourselves consistently

**[6:26]** until we peak, we max out at the timing, just the right time that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has put something for us. So you have this whole season of Ramadan, you have the whole 10 days of Dhul Hijjah, you have the sacred months, Al-Ashhur Al-Hurum. So you have seasons, that's one.

**[6:42]** But the second thing is that every single order and command that Allah has given us is meant to bring something different out of us. It's meant to bring something different out of us. So here's what I want you to think about, just chew on this for a bit inshaAllah ta'ala. What's the best day of the year?

**[6:59]** I'm concerned that only two people answered the question. We're not fundraising anymore guys, it's alright, you can interact now, it's alright. You don't have to send an anonymous answer, it's Arafah. Arafah is the best day of the year, by consensus.

**[7:15]** There's no difference of opinion about it. Does Arafah change year to year? Is Arafah sometimes on the 7th of Dhul Hijjah, sometimes on the 5th of Dhul Hijjah? It's always on the same day, the ummah knows exactly when Arafah is. You know when to strive.

**[7:31]** Let's be real, the attitude that we have towards the best 10 days of the year, even though we know that they're the best 10 days of the year, Dhul Hijjah 1 through 8. How does the ummah usually act? So alhamdulillah, Allah has given us the best day of the year,

**[7:48]** and we know exactly when the best day of the year is, and so people push themselves on the day of Arafah. People that maybe don't fast the 6th of Shawwal, or don't fast Mondays and Thursdays, or don't fast Ayyam al-Bid, the three days, but on Arafah they fast. Many people fast on Arafah, they make du'a on Arafah,

**[8:04]** they do good deeds on Arafah because they know Arafah is the best day of the year. SubhanAllah, of the wisdoms, of Allah Azza wa Jal giving us the best day of the year, at a very obvious time, but making the best night of the year mysterious,

**[8:21]** is that there is a different type of raghba, a different type of search, a different type of spiritual muscle that's exercised when you have to look for something, versus when you know exactly when something is. Arafah is the day in which Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala forgives more people,

**[8:38]** frees more people from the fire than any other day of the year. And Alhamdulillah we all know when that day is, and you push yourself to it. And the ulema mention Laylatul Qadr is Laylatul Ihsan, is the night of Ihsan, is the night of excellence, is the night of extra,

**[8:53]** that's why even the way that it's described is by the multiplication of it. Laylatul Qadr khayrun min alfi shahr, it's better than a thousand months. It's meant for people who are constantly looking for the next level with Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.

**[9:08]** They're looking for that multiplication of their deeds, they're looking for the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala. And just like the day, during the daytime things are so clear and obvious, the day of Arafah is clear and obvious.

**[9:23]** And just like the nighttime is reserved with all of its mystery for the seekers of whatever is being sought, Laylatul Qadr has been made a mystery. Wahuwa khayrun lakum, and that's better for you that it's a mystery.

**[9:38]** So we ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to bless us in each and every single one of these nights, and we ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to grant us the blessing of achieving worshipping Him in Laylatul Qadr, and we ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to bless us in all of these nights with acceptance,

**[9:54]** and to forgive us in all of these nights, and to let every deed that we put forth in all of these nights be accepted, and be a means for our expiation and our elevation. Allahumma ameen. BarakAllahu feekum. Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

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