Speaking about the Night of Decree, when it occurs, and the wisdom behind concealing its time from the people.

The Shaykh : And peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the Righteous, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows, this night is the Tuesday night that completes the middle ten days of Ramadan. Ramadan contains the first ten days, the middle ten days, and the last ten days. The last ten days begin from the coming night, if Allah wills. From there, the i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque) begins, not from this night, nor from the next day, but rather it begins after the sunset of the night of the twentieth and ends with the sunset of the last day of Ramadan. When? Yes, it ends with the last day of Ramadan. If the month is twenty-nine days, it ends on the night of the thirtieth. If it is thirty days, it ends on the night of the thirty-first, which is the first day of the month of what?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Shawwal. We will speak briefly about i'tikaf (spiritual retreat in the mosque), its ruling, and its regulations. As for the ruling of i'tikaf, it is a sunnah (recommended practice) established by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) through his action and his approval. He used to perform i'tikaf in the first ten days of Ramadan, then he performed i'tikaf in the middle ten days seeking the Night of Decree. Then he informed that it is in the last ten days, so he performed i'tikaf in the last ten days. He informed his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), (peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and may Allah be pleased with them), that he was shown the Night of Decree, meaning he was shown the specific night. He said: The sky rained on the night of the twenty-first, and the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) mosque was under a canopy. Do you know what a canopy is? It means it was covered with palm branches. The sky rained on the night of the twenty-first, and the rain reached the ground, and the ground became mud. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) prayed the Fajr (dawn prayer) on the day of the twenty-first and left his prayer. The Muslims saw on his forehead (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him) traces of water and mud. And thus, the Night of Decree was in that year. When? The night of what?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : The night of the twenty-first. But if that night was the night of the twenty-first, does it remain always? The answer is no, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to seek it in all the ten days. Any of the ten days could be the Night of Decree. It could be the night of the twenty-first, walk with us, the twenty-second, the twenty-third, the twenty-fourth, the twenty-fifth, the twenty-sixth, the twenty-seventh, the twenty-eighth, the twenty-ninth, the thirtieth. Any one of these nights could contain the Night of Decree.
But it is most likely to be in the odd-numbered nights. The odd-numbered nights are the twenty-first, the twenty-third, the twenty-fifth, the twenty-seventh, and the twenty-ninth. And the most likely of these odd-numbered nights is the night of the twenty-seventh. But it is not fixed that it must be the night of the twenty-seventh. It could be the night of the twenty-seventh this year, and the night of the twenty-third the next year. If someone asks: How do you say it could be in all the ten days, when a group of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) were shown the Night of Decree in the last seven days, and he said: They agreed, meaning they concurred . And this means that the first three days of the last ten days are not sought for the Night of Decree.
So the answer, pay attention, man. The answer is that in that year, it was in the last seven days, not in all years.
In any case, the Night of Decree is a blessing from Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) upon us, and His mercy toward us, and His wisdom in His Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) and His divine decree, that He concealed it from us. He concealed it from us for two reasons, as far as our knowledge has reached. The first reason: so that the servants increase in worship in all the ten days. Is that not so, my brother? Yes. Is that not so? Yes?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : No, say yes, and listen to the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): Rest, because if the servants knew it in one night, in how many nights would they strive? In one night. But if they do not know it, they strive in all the nights. The second reason: Allah (Mighty and Majestic) may test the servants and try them with what indicates the sincerity of their seeking and their faith. The explanation of this is that the one eager to attain its virtue finds it easy for them to stand in prayer all ten nights. The lazy one finds it difficult, and he hesitates and does not strive except in the night he sees as closest to the Night of Decree. As is the case now with some people who do not strive in the last ten days except in the night of the twenty-seventh. You find the mosques on the night of the twenty-seventh packed with worshippers, and on nights other than the twenty-seventh, how many are the ten? Five or four? They are very few. And this indicates their laziness. And perhaps these people will not be granted the good of the Night of Decree. So, the Night of Decree, my brothers, is in what? In the last ten days. This is one point.
Second, is it known specifically? The answer is no.
Third, is there a wisdom in concealing its specific time? Yes.