I thu asked Ubayy b. Ka'b (Allah be pleased with him): Your brother (in faith) Ibn Mas'ud says: He who stands (for the night prayer) throughout the year would find Lailat-ul-Qadr, whereupon he said: May Allah have mercy upon him; (he said these words) with the intention that people might not rely only (on one night), whereas he knew that it (Lailat-ul-Qadr) is in the month of Ramadan and it is the twenty-seventh night. He then took oath (without making any exception, i. e. without saying In sha Allah) that it was the twenty-seventh night. I said to him: Abu Mundhir, on what ground do you say that? Thereupon he said: By the indication or by the sign which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave us, and that is that on that day (the sun) would rise without having any ray in it.  

أَنْ لاَ يَتَّكِلَ النَّاسُ أَمَا إِنَّهُ قَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهَا فِي رَمَضَانَ وَأَنَّهَا فِي الْعَشْرِ الأَوَاخِرِ وَأَنَّهَا لَيْلَةُ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ ثُمَّ حَلَفَ لاَ يَسْتَثْنِي أَنَّهَا لَيْلَةُ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ فَقُلْتُ بِأَىِّ شَىْءٍ تَقُولُ ذَلِكَ يَا أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ قَالَ بِالْعَلاَمَةِ أَوْ بِالآيَةِ الَّتِي أَخْبَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنَّهَا تَطْلُعُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لاَ شُعَاعَ لَهَا  

I said to Ubayy b. Ka'b: Tell me about lailat al-qadr, O Abu al-Mundhir, for our companion (Ibn Mas'ud) was questioned about it, and he said: Anyone who gets up for prayer every night all the year round will hit upon it (i.e. lailat al-qadr). He replied: May Allah have mercy on Abu 'Abd al-Rahman. By Allah, he knew that it was in Ramadan, (Musaddad's version goes) but he disliked that the people should content themselves (with that night alone); or he liked that the people should not content themselves (with the night alone). According to the agreed version: By Allah, it is the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan, without any reservation. I said: How did you know that, Abu al-Mundhir? He replied: By the indication (or sign) of which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us. I asked Zirr: What is the sign ? He replied: The sun rises like a vessel of water in the morning following that night; it has no rays until it rises high up.  

أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ يَا أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ فَإِنَّ صَاحِبَنَا سُئِلَ عَنْهَا فَقَالَ مَنْ يَقُمِ الْحَوْلَ يُصِبْهَا فَقَالَ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهَا فِي رَمَضَانَ زَادَ مُسَدَّدٌ وَلَكِنْ كَرِهَ أَنْ يَتَّكِلُوا أَوْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ لاَ يَتَّكِلُوا ثُمَّ اتَّفَقَا وَاللَّهِ إِنَّهَا لَفِي رَمَضَانَ لَيْلَةُ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ لاَ يَسْتَثْنِي قُلْتُ يَا أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ أَنَّى عَلِمْتَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ بِالآيَةِ الَّتِي أَخْبَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قُلْتُ لِزِرٍّ مَا الآيَةُ قَالَ تُصْبِحُ الشَّمْسُ صَبِيحَةَ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ مِثْلَ الطَّسْتِ لَيْسَ لَهَا شُعَاعٌ حَتَّى تَرْتَفِعَ  

“I said to Ubayy bin Ka’b: ‘Your brother Abdullah bin Mas’ud says: “Whoever stands (in voluntary prayer) the whole year, then he will have reached the Night of Al-Qadr.’” So he said: ‘May Allah forgive Abu Abdur-Rahman. He knows that is during the last ten (nights) of Ramadan, and that it is the night of the twenty-seventh. But he wanted the people to not rely upon that.’ Then he uttered an oath, that without exception it is on the night of the twenty-seventh.” He said: “I said to him: ‘Why is it that you say that O Abu Al-Mindhir?’ He said: “By the sign or indication which the Messenger of Allah informed us of: ‘That the sun rises on that day having no beams with it.’”  

يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لأَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ لَقَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهَا فِي الْعَشَرَةِ الأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ وَأَنَّهَا لَيْلَةُ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ وَلَكِنَّهُ أَرَادَ أَنْ لاَ يَتَّكِلَ النَّاسُ ثُمَّ حَلَفَ لاَ يَسْتَثْنِي أَنَّهَا لَيْلَةُ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ قُلْتُ لَهُ بِأَىِّ شَيْءٍ تَقُولُ ذَلِكَ يَا أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ قَالَ بِالآيَةِ الَّتِي أَخْبَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَوْ بِالْعَلاَمَةِ أَنَّ الشَّمْسَ تَطْلُعُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لاَ شُعَاعَ لَهَا  

[Machine] May Allah have mercy on Abu Abdul Rahman, he knew that it was in Ramadan, indeed it is on the 27th night. But he pretended to be unaware in order for people not to rely on it. By the One who revealed the Book upon Muhammad, indeed it is on the 27th night of Ramadan. I said, "O Abu Al-Mundhir, how did you come to know?" He said, "By the verse that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us of." So we counted and memorized. By Allah, it is indeed a special night. I asked Zir, "What is the verse?" He said, "Verily, the sun rises, dispersing its rays."  

يَرْحَمُ اللهُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهَا فِي رَمَضَانَ فَإِنَّهَا لِسَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ وَلَكِنَّهُ عَمَّى عَلَى النَّاسِ لِكَيْ لَا يَتَّكِلُوا فَوَالَّذِي أَنْزَلَ الْكِتَابَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ إِنَّهَا فِيرَمَضَانَ لَيْلَةُ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ وَأَنَّى عَلِمْتَهَا؟ قَالَ بِالْآيَةِ الَّتِي أَنْبَأَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَعَدَدْنَا وَحَفِظْنَا فَوَاللهِ إِنَّهَا لَهِيَ مَا يُسْتَثْنَى قُلْتُ لِزِرٍّ مَا الْآيَةُ؟ قَالَ إِنَّ الشَّمْسَ تَطْلُعُ غَدَاةَ إِذٍ كَأَنَّهَا طَسْتٌ لَيْسَ لَهَا شُعَاعٌ  

[Machine] "May Allah have mercy on Abu Abdurrahman. He knew that it was in Ramadan, but he pretended not to know so that people would not speak. The one who revealed the book on Muhammad, ﷺ , said, 'Indeed, it is in Ramadan, and indeed it is the night of the twenty-seventh.' I asked Abu Al-Mundhir, 'How did you know that?' He replied, 'From the verse that the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , informed us of. Indeed, we have seen and memorized it, and by Allah, it is notable and not excluded.' I asked Zirr, 'What is the verse?' He said, 'The sun will rise on that day, as if it were a disk with no rays.'"  

«يَرْحَمُ اللهُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ لَقَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهَا فِي رَمَضَانَ وَلَكِنَّهُ عَمَّى عَلَى النَّاسِ حَتَّى لَا يَتَكَلَّمُوا وَالَّذِي أَنْزَلَ الْكِتَابَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ» إِنَّهَا لَفِي رَمَضَانَ وَإِنَّهَا لَيْلَةُ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ قُلْتُ أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ أَنَّى عَلِمْتَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ «بِالْآيَةِ الَّتِي أَخْبَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَدْ رَأَيْنَا وَحَفِظْنَا فَوَاللهِ إِنَّهَا لَهِيَ لَا يَسْتَثْنِي» قُلْتُ لِزِرٍّ وَمَا الْآيَةُ؟ قَالَ «تَطْلُعُ الشَّمْسُ غَدَاتَئِذٍ كَأَنَّهَا طَسْتٌ لَيْسَ لَهَا شُعَاعٌ»  

I said to Ubayy b. Ka'b: Tell me about lailat al-qadr, O Abu al-Mundhir, for our companion (Ibn Mas'ud) was questioned about it, and he said: Anyone who gets up for prayer every night all the year round will hit upon it (i.e. lailat al-qadr). He replied: May Allah have mercy on Abu 'Abd al-Rahman. By Allah, he knew that it was in Ramadan, (Musaddad's version goes) but he disliked that the people should content themselves (with that night alone); or he liked that the people should not content themselves (with the night alone). According to the agreed version: By Allah, it is the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan, without any reservation. I said: How did you know that, Abu al-Mundhir? He replied: By the indication (or sign) of which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us. I asked Zirr: What is the sign ? He replied: The sun rises like a vessel of water in the morning following that night; it has no rays until it rises high up. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 1378)   

«رَحِمَ اللهُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَمَا وَاللهِ لَقَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهَا فِي رَمَضَانَ وَلَكِنَّهُ كَرِهَ أَنْ يَتَّكِلُوا أَوْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ لَا يَتَّكِلُوا وَاللهِ إِنَّهَا لَفِي رَمَضَانَ وَإِنَّهَا لَيْلَةُ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ يَحْلِفُ وَلَا يَسْتَثْنِي» قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ أَنَّى عَلِمْتَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ «بِالْآيَةِ الَّتِي أَخْبَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ» قَالَ حَمَّادٌ فَقُلْتُ لِعَاصِمٍ مَا الْآيَةُ؟ قَالَ «تُصْبِحُ الشَّمْسُ صَبِيحَةَ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ لَيْسَ لَهَا شُعَاعُ مِثْلَ الطَّسْتِ حَتَّى تَرْتَفِعَ»  

[Machine] Tell me about the Night of Decree," for Abdullah said, "Whoever stands (in prayer) for it, he will be showered with its blessings." He said, "May Allah have mercy on Abu 'Abdur-Rahman. He knows that it is in Ramadan, but he stayed quiet in order not to burden the people. By Allah, it is on the twenty-seventh night." So I said to Abu Al-Mundhir, "How do you know that?" He said, "Through the verse by which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed us. So we counted it and memorized it." Asim said, "I asked Zir, 'What is that verse?' He said, 'The rising of the white sun (a little intense light) which appears like the tumb (the full moon) and lasts until it rises." I kept asking him about it repeatedly and he answered me the same way.  

أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ فَإِنَّ عَبْدَ اللهِ يَقُولُ مَنْ يُقِمِ الْحَوْلَ يُصِبْهَا قَالَ «يَرْحَمُ اللهُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ إِنَّهُ لِيَعْلَمُ أَنَّهَا فِي رَمَضَانَ وَلَكِنْ عَمَّى عَلَى النَّاسِ حَتَّى لَا يَتَّكِلُوا وَاللهِ إِنَّهَا لَيْلَةُ سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ» فَقُلْتُ أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ أَنَّى عَلِمْتَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ «بِالْآيَةِ الَّتِي أَنْبَأَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فَعَدَدْنَا وَحَفِظْنَا أَنَّهَا لَهِيَ» قَالَ عَاصِمٌ قُلْتُ لِزِرٍّ مَا تِلْكَ الْآيَةُ؟ قَالَ «طُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ بَيْضَاءَ كَالطَّسْتِ لَيْسَ لَهَا شُعَاعٌ حَتَّى تَرْتَفِعَ» قَالَ فَرَمَقْتُهَا مِرَارًا كَذَلِكَ  

"عَنْ زِرٍّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لأُبىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ: أَخْبرني عَنْ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ يَا أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ فإنَّ صَاحِبنَا ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ سُئِلَ عَنْهَا فَقَالَ: مَنْ يَقُمِ الْحَوْلَ يُصِبْهَا، فَقَالَ: رَحِمَ الله أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَالله لَقَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّها فِى رَمَضَانَ ولَكِنْ كَرِهَ أَنْ يَتَّكِلُوا، والله إِنَّها لَفِى رَمَضَانَ لَيْلَةَ سَبْعٍ وَعشرينَ، قُلْتُ: أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ! أَنَّى عَلِمْتَ ذَاكَ؟ قَالَ: بالآيَةِ التَّي أَخْبَرَنَا رَسُولُ الله ﷺ قُلتُ لَهُ: مَا الآيَةُ؟ قَالَ: تُصْبحُ الشَّمْسُ صَبيحةَ تِلْكً الَّليْلَةِ مِثْلَ الطَّسْتِ لَيْسَ لَهَا شُعَاعٌ حَتَّى تَرْتَفِعَ".