This is the night of the Qadr. The term Al-Qadr has been frequently translated as “the power”. A better translation may be “the value” or “the decree” because God says the value of this night is greater than one thousand months, a lifetime of over eighty-three years! God sends His decrees in this night. This is the night when the Quran was first revealed at the time of Prophet Muhammad. God says in the Quran:
“We have indeed revealed this (the Quran) in the Night of Value (or Measure). And what will explain to you what the Night of Value is? The Night of Value is better than a thousand months. Therein come down angels and the Spirit (the angel Gabriel) by God’s permission with all decrees. (That night is) Peace until the rising of the dawn.” (Quran 97:1-5)
The Night of Decree is a gift to mankind from God. However, it is not clear which night is Laylat al-Qadr. Some reports by companions of the Prophet allude it to be the 27th night of the month of Ramadan, but many more sayings point to any of the odd date nights during the last third of the month of Ramadan. According to authentic teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, Muslims are advised to spend the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th nights of Ramadan in worship and doing good works to assure finding Laylat al-Qadr. A portion of Muslims stay up all night in prayers and good works, however, the Prophet and his companions used to sleep at least one-third of the night.
In some Muslim countries, the 27th of Ramadan is a holiday to enable people to rest during the day after all night of worship.[1] Schools are closed from the 27th of Ramadan through the 2nd of Shawwal (5 to 6 days) to combine Laylat al-Qadr and Eid al-Fitr (An Islamic celebration that starts with the end of Ramadan) observances.
I’tekaf or Seclusion
The practice of the Prophet Muhammad was to spend the last ten days and nights of Ramadan in a mosque. Following his practice, it is considered, an act of worship for someone to go in seclusion in a neighborhood mosque. People in seclusion spend their time in various forms of dhikr (remembrance of God), such as performing extra prayers, recitation and study of the Quran, study of the Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), and exhorting each other to be good through obeying God and His Messenger. Since people in seclusion are not permitted to go outside the mosque except for emergencies, they sleep in the mosque and use available facilities at the mosque.
The food for the people in seclusion is provided either by their own families or people in the community. Seclusion ends, generally, at the declaration of sighting of the moon or at the end of the month of Ramadan. For busy people a shorter version of seclusion is allowed, such as one night, one day or a few days.
Sadaqat al-Fitr
In general, any material help extended to the poor, needy and to those who ask and deserve so is called Sadaqah. Sadaqat al-Fitr, which is also called Zakat al-Fitr, is the obligatory material help extended to the poor of the society before the Eid prayers, preferably to be given early enough for the poor to prepare for the celebration. In North America, the estimated amount of $5 to $8 worth of staple food (such as rice) is to be given on behalf of each member of the donor’s family, including infants.
Eid al-Fitr
The end of the fasting month is celebrated on the first of Shawwal, the 10th month, which follows Ramadan. On the 29th of Ramadan after sunset, people go out in the open looking for a new crescent in the western horizon where the sun sets. If the crescent is sighted, the end of Ramadan is declared. If the crescent is not sighted, Ramadan is extended by one day.
On the day of Eid, people take a bath or shower in the early morning, eat breakfast, wear their best clothes, use perfume and proceed to the place of Eid congregation while pronouncing takbeerat, saying, “God is the Greatest, there is no deity but God and all praise belongs to God.” Muslims pronounce takbeerat in their homes, in the street and at the place of congregation while waiting for the leader, the Imam. It was the practice of the Prophet Muhammad to hold Eid prayer congregations in open grounds. Following the practice of the Prophet Muslims are advised to hold Eid prayers in open grounds. In Muslim countries with warm climate there are designated Eid prayer grounds. However, in North America Muslims rent halls at convention centers or major hotels.
The Imam leads the prayers at the appointed time, and then delivers a sermon. At the end of the sermon, people supplicate, greet, embrace and congratulate each other for the successful completion of Ramadan and ask God for the acceptance of their efforts in His obedience.
During the day, people visit each other and children receive gifts. In some countries, people go for picnics and other gatherings. Eid celebrations may be arranged at work or at any social settings. Essentially, Eid is a day of thanks to God and a day of meeting family and friends.
Umrah, or Minor Hajj, in Ramadan
There is a report from Prophet Muhammad saying that performing Umrah in the month of Ramadan is equal to performing a major or complete Hajj. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca. Hajj is the enactment of some of the trials and tribulations of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), his wife Hagar and his oldest son, Ishmael. Complete Hajj lasts for five days but Umrah is completed in a couple of hours. Umrah is only a small part of the Hajj. An animal sacrifice may be offered at the completion of Umrah. Umrah may be performed anytime during the year but it has special significance in the month of Ramadan.
As we enter upon the month of Shawaal, let us not leave off the many acts of worship we performed during the blessed month of Ramadan. Ramadan, for most of us, was a time of renewal and reestablishment of our commitment to Allah and His religion.
We fasted, gave charity, read the Quran and performed the night prayer. We avoided gossip, slander and every evil that would invalidate our fasting. But now that Ramadan is over, the majority of us, unfortunately, will put the Quran back on the shelves, will suspend fasting until next year and will abandon the night prayer. This is not the way it should be, because all of these acts of worship carry rewards and are of benefit to us throughout the year, in addition to the fact that there is no divine prescription limiting them to Ramadan.
The Quran
It's sad, but true, that many of us have fallen into the bad habit of only reciting the Quran during the month of Ramadan. By doing this, we cheat ourselves out of the abundant blessings that come from reading the words of Allah. Reading the Quran is the best way to remember Allah, it is a protection from the Satan and in it are cures for what ails us. For Allah says (what means): "O mankind, there has come to you a protection from your Lord and a healing for what is in your hearts and for those who believe, a guidance and a mercy." [Quran; 10:57]
The Messenger of Allah 
said: "Whoever reads a letter of the Book of Allah (Quran) shall have a good deed (recorded for him or her) and every good deed is increased a ten-fold (reward). I do not say that Alif Laam Meem is one letter, but rather Alif is a letter, Laam is a letter and Meem is a letter." [At-Tirmithi]
The Quran is also the best way for a servant to draw closer to his or her Lord. Khabbaab Ibn Al-Arat, may Allah be pleased with him, said to a man: "Draw closer to Allah as much as
The Night Prayer
Many of us passed the nights of the month of Ramadan, especially the last ten, standing in prayer before Allah. Just because Ramadan is over, does not mean that Allah does not see us now if we stand in the night prayer. Allah Says (what means): "Surely your Lord knows (O Muhammad) that you stand (in prayer) two thirds of the night, or half of it, or a third of it..." [Quran; 73:20]
The Messenger of Allah said: "The best prayer, after the obligatory prayer, is the night prayer." [Muslim]
The night prayer carries with it many blessings. For example, Al-Hassan 
was asked: "How is it that those who stay up at night have the most attractive faces?" He, may Allah be pleased with him, replied, "Because they are on intimate terms with The Merciful, and He adorns them with some of His light."
And for those of us who feel that standing in the night prayer will leave us tired and unable to go about our daily tasks in the morning, we should consider the following words of Allah's Prophet. He said: "When any of you sleeps, Satan ties three knots at the back of his head. On each knot he repeats and exhales the following words, 'The night is long, so stay asleep.' If you wake up and remember Allah, one knot is undone and if you perform ablution the second knot is undone and if you pray, the third knot is undone, and you get up in the morning full of energy and with a clear heart. Otherwise, you will get up feeling lazy and with a muddled heart." [Al-Bukhari]
Fasting
The Prophet said: "Whoever fasts a day in the way of Allah, Allah will place between him and the Fire a trench like that between the heavens and the earth." [At-Tirmithi]
Likewise, fasting wipes away the evils that arise out of person's wealth, family or neighbor. Huthayfah Ibn Al-Yamaan, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: "The evils caused for a man through his family, wealth and neighbor are expiated by prayer, fasting and charity." [Al-Bukhari]
The Prophet explained to us that fasting protects us from our unlawful desires, shields us from the hell fire and draws us closer to Allah and His Paradise. He also encouraged us to fast at least three days each month. The best days for this optional fasting are Mondays and Thursdays, or the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth days of the lunar month.
Charity
Allah has blessed most of us to live relatively comfortable lives. But there are Muslims all over the world that find great difficulty in attaining the most basic necessities of life. During Ramadan most of us give in charity, but we forget to do so for the rest of the year. Giving charity is of greater benefit to the one who gives it, than to the one who receives it. It is a means of purifying our wealth, increasing our faith and attaining righteousness. Allah Says (what means): "It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East or West, but it is righteousness to believe in Allah, and the Last Day, and the angels, and the Books, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, the orphans, the needy, and to the wayfarer ..." [Quran; 2:177]
Giving in charity also allows us to express our faith. To truly taste the sweetness of faith, we must want for our brothers and sisters what we want for ourselves. For the Prophet said: "None of you will have faith until he likes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for himself." [Al-Bukhari]
Clearly, fasting, praying during the night, reading the Book of Allah and giving charity should not be relegated to Ramadan alone. These good deeds, and others like staying away from gossip and slander, are all things we should do all the time. By keeping the spirit of Ramadan alive throughout the year, we can safeguard our religion and will be able to seize many opportunities to earn the mercy and blessings of Allah.
