إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ ‎﴿١﴾‏ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ ‎﴿٢﴾‏ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ ‎﴿٣﴾‏ تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ ‎﴿٤﴾‏ سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ ‎﴿٥﴾‏

“Verily! We have sent it (this Qurʾān) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Decree). And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is?  The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allāh in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).  Therein descend the angels and the Rūḥ [Jibrīl (Gabriel)] by Allāh’s Permission with all Decrees, Peace! (All that night, there is Peace and Goodness from Allāh to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn.”
[al-Qadr, 97]

States Shaykh ʿAbdullāh al-Bukhārī, “The Month of Ramaḍān is the month of obedience to Allāh, the time the people have to bring themselves to Allāh. Many people think that Ramaḍān is the month of being lazy and laid back. That is not the month of Ramaḍān, it is the month of working hard, keeping away from sins, keeping away from desires. The month of Ramaḍān is the best month. It is the time that Allāh revealed the Qurʾān. It is the time when Jibrīl (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhu) came to Muḥammad (ﷺ) and taught him the Qurʾān…”

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنذِرِينَ ‎﴿٣﴾‏

“We sent it [this Qurʾān] down on a blessed night [(i.e. night of Qadr, Sūrah No: 97) in the month of Ramaḍān, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship].”
[al-Dukhan, 44:3]

Reading the Qurʾān in Ramaḍān

“…The salaf al-ṣāliḥ (righteous predecessors) used to try to finish the Qurʾān every three days, or every seven or every ten. Also, it was narrated that Imām al-Shāfiʿī finished the Qurʾān in one night. It is very important that one tries to push oneself to read the Qurʾān and to do more than one would normally do. We know that Ramaḍān is the month that Allāh revealed the Qurʾān. How can a Muslim stay away from the Qurʾān?  How can a person go a day or two or three without opening the Qurʾān?

…This was the character of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥ that they would become awestruck when they heard the Qurʾān.  So, brothers and sisters, try to increase in reading the Qurʾān in this blessed month of Ramaḍān. If you are read the Qurʾān in the month of Ramaḍān you will receive more reward than the other months.”

Increasing the Du’āʾ in Ramaḍān

Al-Ḥākim stated in his ‘Mustadrak’ from the ḥadīth of ʿAlī Ibn Abī Ṭālib (raḍī Allāhu ʿanhu) from the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) that he said, “Supplication is the weapon of the believer, the pillar of the religion, and the light of the heaven and earth.” (Abū Ya`lā [no. 439], Ibn Adee [2/296], al-Ḥākim [1/492] and al-Qudaa`ee [no. 143])

“Duʿāʾ was the habit of the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ). Increase in duʿāʾʾʾ to Allāh, the one who does this is like the one who is at a door, eventually someone will answer him. Likewise, the one who supplicates to Allāh is like the one who knocks a door, he will soon receive an answer. Keep in mind, the duʿāʾʾʾ without actions is nothing. Do not just make duʿāʾʾʾ and believe that you will be fine. You should make duʿāʾʾʾ and worship Allāh. One of the salaf said, ‘the example of the one who makes duʿāʾʾʾ but doesn’t act upon his duʿāʾʾʾ is like the one who has a weapon without ammunition.’ So you must have duʿāʾʾʾ and you must have actions and worship Allāh.”

Ṣalāh al-Layl (The Night Prayer) in Ramaḍān

Abū Hurayrah narrated that Allāh’s Messenger said: “Whoever establishes prayers during the nights of Ramaḍān, faithfully out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allāh’s rewards (not for showing off), all his past sins will be forgiven.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitab al-Īmān, Ḥadīth No. 36)

“Remember, the one who stands in the night of ‘laylah al-qadr’ will have the reward of 83 years. You have to strive hard, give up sleep and this may not be sweet in the dunyā, but it will be sweet in the hereafter. One must have patience in obeying Allāh and patience in staying away from sins. The person who is the loser is the one who doesn’t become closer to Allāh in this month.

From The Questions:

[Q]: When it comes to sighting the moon, we have two groups, one that believes we should go with the ‘local sighting’ and one that believes we should go with the Muslims overseas; we wish to seek advice on this?