The Angels of Laylat al-Qadr

ملائكة ليلة القدر

Angels who descend with the Spirit on Laylat al-Qadr by their Lord's leave, with peace on every matter, as in al-Qadr 4; it is among the greatest instances of angels descending upon the earth's people.

Depth

At a glance

Region
Global / Diaspora

Scripture and its sciencesAfterlife and eschatology

Overview

The angels of the Night of Decree are the angels who descend on the Night of Decree by their Lord's permission with every matter of peace, as in Al-Qadr 4 "the angels and the Spirit descend". They are among the clearest reported works of the angels in the Qur'an 1 2.

In the Qur'an

  • Al-Qadr 1, Al-Qadr 2, Al-Qadr 3, Al-Qadr 4, and Al-Qadr 5: the whole surah of Al-Qadr, in which "the angels and the Spirit descend by their Lord's permission with every matter of peace" 1.
  • In the tafsir, "the Spirit" here is Jibril, and the angels descend with every matter 2.
  • In a narration, "the angels" in the verse are those who descend with peace upon the people of the earth 2.

In hadith

  • In a narration of al-Bukhari on the description of the Night of Decree "the angels descend on the Night of Decree..." 3.
  • In the hadith "whoever stands in prayer on the Night of Decree in faith and seeking reward, his past sins are forgiven" 3 4.
  • In a narration that Jibril descended upon the Prophet ﷺ on the Night of Decree 3.
  • In a hadith that "the angels" on the Night of Decree are those who record the deeds 5.

With the exegetes

Ibn Kathir details that "the angels" in Al-Qadr 4 are those who descend with peace, and that "the Spirit" is Jibril 2. Al-Qurtubi holds that "with every matter of peace" in the verse means that whatever good and benefit God commands descends with the angels 6.

Their description

  • They descend on the Night of Decree by their Lord's permission with every matter of peace 1.
  • "The Spirit" in the verse is Jibril in the view of the majority of exegetes 2.
  • In a narration they descend with peace upon the people of the earth 2.

Notes for researchers

  • "Angels of the Night of Decree" is a technical name; the Qur'an calls them "the angels" in Al-Qadr 4 1.
  • In it is evidence of the greatness of the Night of Decree, that it is better than a thousand months 1.
  • Their companion in this topic is the angels on its page.

Connections

Explore the connections

Mentioned in
Qur'an 97:4
Related to
Angels in Islam (mala'ika)· The Creation and Nature of Angels

People and things also explored

Angels in Islam (mala'ika)· The Creation and Nature of Angels· The Noble Recording Scribes· The Throne-Bearers· The Higher Assembly· Angels in the jurists' discussion (malaika)· The Angels of Ibrahim· The Angels of the Hundred-Souls Story

Sources

  1. Tanzil Project, Qur'an text v1.1
  2. Tafsir Ibn Kathir
  3. Sahih al-Bukhari
  4. Sahih Muslim
  5. Sunan Abi Dawud
  6. al-Mufhim li-ma Ashkala min Talkhis Kitab Muslim, vol. 7
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The Angels of Laylat al-Qadr”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/malaikat-laylat-al-qadr/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-11.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · Help complete it · JSON

Wing

Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words.
Related

Angels in Islam (mala'ika)

Belief in the angels is a pillar of faith in Sunni creed. The Encyclopaedia of Islam explains the word as the plural of an old Semitic term meaning messenger and reports the Qur'anic stress on the angels' complete obedience. It sets out Sunni discussions of their creation from light, their impeccability, Iblis, Harut and Marut, the questioning by Munkar and Nakir and their rank against humans, then the Imami and Isma'ili teachings on angels and the Imams.