to enter a state of I‘tikāf (Bu. 33:6). The mu‘takif may be visited by other people or by his wife (Bu. 33:11). According to one ḥadīth, he may visit a sick person20 (AD. 14:78). An I‘tikāf may be performed in other days (AD. 15:75), but the last ten days of Ramadzān are specially mentioned in ḥadīth and I‘tikāf is spoken of in the Holy Qur’ān in connection with Ramadzān.

Lailat al-Qadr

One of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadzān is called Lailat al-Qadr, the night of grandeur or majesty. In the Holy Qur’ān, it is spoken of in two places. In ch. 97, it is mentioned thrice as lailat al-Qadr. “Surely We revealed it on lailat al-Qadr. And what will make thee comprehend what the lailat al-Qadr is? Lailat al-Qadr is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend in it by the permission of their Lord — for every affair — Peace! it is till the break of the morning.” Here this night is spoken of as the night in which the Holy Qur’ān was revealed, and it is further stated that it is the night on which angels and the Spirit descend. It is also mentioned in ch.44 where it is called a blessed night (laila mubāraka): “By the Book that makes manifest (the truth)! We revealed it on a blessed night — truly We are ever-warning. Therein is made clear every affair full of wisdom — a command from Us” (44:2-5). It will be seen that, in both places, the Holy Qur’ān is spoken of as having been revealed on this night, and elsewhere it is stated that the Holy Qur’ān was revealed in the month of Ramadzān, which shows that this night occurs in the month of Ramadzān. The revelation of the Holy Qur’ān on this night means that its revelation began on that night; in other words, the first revelation came to the Holy Prophet on this night. It is called a blessed night or the grand night because in it was laid the basis of a new revelation to the world which contains every commandment (amr) full of wisdom and knowledge (ḥakīm). The lailat al-Qadr is, therefore, as it were, the anniversary of the revelation of the Holy Qur’ān.

As shown above, the last ten days of Ramadzān are specially observed as days of devotion, so much so that, though Islām discourages asceticism, yet in these ten days, a Muslim is allowed to