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Lanterns, dates, a glass of milk, lentil soup, rice, kunafa, and pastries on a patterned table, with a lit mosque seen through a window.

Laylat al-Qadr / Night of Power

ليلة القدر

🌍 Major Global Eventreligious📅 One of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, commonly 27 Ramadan

About Laylat al-Qadr / Night of Power

Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, is widely held to be the holiest night of Ramadan — the night the Qur'an was first revealed, traditionally sought among the odd nights of the last ten days (most commonly the 27th of Ramadan in Sunni tradition, and the 23rd in much of Shia practice). Food on this night is intentionally simple but sustaining, woven around long hours of prayer, Qur'an recitation, and itikaf at the mosque. Many families break their fast first with dates and laban, then turn to warming bowls of harira in Moroccan and wider Maghrebi homes, or slow-cooked haleem shared from communal pots across South Asian neighborhoods. Sweets traveling tray-to-tray at iftar gatherings often include qatayef, the cream- or nut-filled Levantine pancakes especially associated with Ramadan nights, and golden, syrup-soaked kunafa. Across Turkish, Levantine, South Asian, Indonesian, Maghrebi, Persian, and West African Sufi communities, the textures shift but the rhythm is shared: charitable food distribution, mosque iftars, and quiet late-night meals that carry worshippers through to suhoor.

Signature Dishes

Dates and laban

Harira

حريرة

Qatayef

قطايف

Haleem

حلیم

Kunafa

كنافة

Regional Variations

Sunni (global majority)

Hidden-night tradition across odd nights of last 10 days of Ramadan (21/23/25/27/29); 27th Ramadan most commonly emphasized as strongest candidate.

Shia (Twelver)

23rd Ramadan traditionally observed as primary Qadr night; often a three-night observance (19/21/23) intertwined with Imam Ali's martyrdom commemoration.

Salafi / Wahhabi

Observe per Sunni hidden-night tradition; emphasis on Qur'an recitation and itikaf, less Sufi-style mystical devotion.

Sufi orders (Tijani, Naqshbandi, Qadiri)

Devotional gatherings with dhikr, Qasidat al-Burda and Mawlid Sharif recitations on candidate Qadr nights.

Turkey

Known as Kadir Gecesi; mosque illuminations, extended sahur, lokum, halva and baklava distributed at mosques.

Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine)

Qatayef and maamoul peak on Qadr nights; charitable food distribution at mosques common.

South Asia (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh)

Niyaz (charitable food) intensified; sheer-khurma, haleem, pakoras, jalebi traditionally shared at Qadr Iftar gatherings.

Indonesia & Malaysia

Bubur Lambuk community porridge in Malaysia; kolak and bubur sumsum in Indonesia; Hari Raya preparation overlaps.

Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia)

Chebakia, sellou and regional Ramadan sweets distributed; communal mosque Iftar emphasized on Qadr nights.

Iran (Persian Shia)

Three-night Qadr observance (19/21/23 Ramadan); ash-e reshteh, sholeh zard, halim bademjan traditionally served alongside Imam Ali martyrdom commemoration.

Afghanistan

Sunni majority follows hidden-night tradition; Hazara Shia minority follows 23rd Ramadan focus; bolani, mantu and qabili pulao common at Iftar.

West Africa (Senegal, Mali — Tijani Sufi)

Tijani Sufi gatherings with dhikr on Qadr nights; community-meal distribution central to observance.

Sub-Saharan Africa (Sudan, Somalia)

Sudanese aseeda and Somali sambusa commonly shared at mosque-based community Iftar on Qadr nights.

Observance Practices

  • Night-long vigil (Qiyam al-Layl) on candidate Qadr nights

  • Itikaf (mosque seclusion) — typically last 10 nights of Ramadan, men mosque-based, women home-based

  • Tarawih and Tahajjud night prayers

  • Qur'an recitation, often timing the Khatm (full completion) for Qadr night

  • Recitation of Surah Al-Qadr (97:1-5)

  • Supplication, especially 'Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbu al-'afwa fa'fu 'anni'

  • Dhikr gatherings and devotional poetry (Qasidat al-Burda, Mawlid Sharif)

    Sufi orders (Tijani, Naqshbandi, Qadiri)

  • Special Du'a recitations (Du'a Jawshan Kabir, Du'a Iftitah)

    Shia (Twelver)

  • Mourning observance for Imam Ali's martyrdom intertwined with Qadr nights

    Shia (Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain)

  • Community Iftar and charitable food distribution at mosques

  • Niyaz (charitable food offering) intensified on Qadr nights

    South Asia

  • Bubur Lambuk community porridge cooking and distribution

    Malaysia

  • Qur'an Hifz (memorization) completion ceremonies sometimes timed to Qadr

  • Intensified charitable giving (Sadaqah, Zakat al-Fitr preparation)

Regions

Muslim communities worldwide

Cuisines

All Islamic cuisines

Related Recipes

Harira Marrakchia (حريرة) — Moroccan Lamb and Chickpea Soup

signature·Morocco / North Africa

Haleem (حلیم) — Afghan Slow-cooked wheat and meat, silky and rich

signature·Afghanistan / South-Central Asia

Atayef (قطايف) — Lebanese Stuffed Pancakes with Ashta Cream and Pistachio

signature·Levant

Harira (الحريرة) — Moroccan Tomato and Lentil Ramadan Soup

regional variant·Morocco

Haleem (حلیم) — Indian Slow-simmered wheat-lentil-meat porridge, spiced

regional variant·South Asia