The Virtue of the Night of Decree, Standing in Prayer on It, and Supplication in It

Question : The Night of Decree holds a great and lofty status, O Shaykh Muhammad. Perhaps you could remind the listening brothers of the virtue of this night, and the virtue of standing in prayer on it and making supplication in it, as has been reported.

Answer : Yes, standing in prayer on the Night of Decree is established from the Prophet It is narrated that Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “O Messenger of Allah, if I were to encounter the Night of Decree, what should I say in it?” He said: “Say: O Allah, You are the Pardoner, You love pardon, so pardon me.” A person should increase in supplication: “O Allah, You are the Pardoner, You love pardon, so pardon me.” He should increase in supplication: “Glory be to You, O Allah, our Lord, and praise be to You. O Allah, forgive me.” And he should supplicate with whatever he wishes.
But let it be known that the Night of Decree is not in a specific night every year. Yes. It may be the twenty-first night in a given year, as it was in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It may be the twenty-third, or the twenty-fifth, or the twenty-seventh, or the twenty-ninth, or the thirtieth, or the twenty-eighth, or the twenty-sixth, or the twenty-fourth, or the twenty-second. All of this is possible. Allah the Exalted has concealed it from His servants out of mercy for them and as a test for them. Whoever stands in prayer on a night is written for him the reward. He knows that the Night of Decree is not restricted to a specific standing in prayer; standing in prayer is in all the nights of the ten, and i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) is in all the nights of the ten.
'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) is in the entire month. As for some of the common people singling out the twenty-seventh night for 'Umrah, this is a bid'ah (religious innovation) with no basis. I am not saying do not perform 'Umrah on the twenty-seventh night. If a person cannot perform 'Umrah except on the twenty-seventh night, there is no harm. But for him to single out 'Umrah for the twenty-seventh night, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not tell the people to perform 'Umrah on the twenty-seventh night, means he has introduced into the religion of Allah what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not legislate. And I am amazed at the crowds of people performing 'Umrah on the twenty-seventh night without a basis to which they refer. Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say, “Whoever comes with an 'Umrah on the twenty-seventh night is as if he performed Hajj”? He said, “An 'Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to a Hajj.” And he said regarding the Night of Decree .
I ask Allah the Exalted to make us all among those who worship Allah with knowledge, and to guide the scholars of the Muslims to direct their common people. Because matters like these that occur, and the common people follow them until they become a belief in their hearts, are caused by some scholars not warning about such things. Otherwise, if the Muslims were warned about such things, and it was said that the twenty-seventh night has no special status for 'Umrah, and that 'Umrah is in all of Ramadan, as came in the hadith , the common people would be alerted to this, so that nothing is legislated in the religion of Allah that is not part of it, and so that people do not crowd on the twenty-seventh night specifically, causing some to harm others and some to make things difficult for others. So I do not see that one who performed 'Umrah on the twenty-seventh night has any advantage over one who performed 'Umrah on the twenty-sixth or the twenty-fourth.