The twenty-first night of Ramadan is more meritorious that the nineteenth. When the Holy Infallibles (a.s.) were asked to specify the Qadr Night, they did not specify; rather they used to say, “It is too easy to act at two nights in order to win one’s desire.” They also used to say, “What will harm you if you do righteously at two nights?” Shaykh al-Kulayni, in al-Kafi, has narrated, with a complete chain of authority, that the following supplicatory prayer, which is also narrated in al-Muqni’ah and al-Misbah yet with an interruption in the chain of authority, should be said at the twenty-first night of Ramadan:
يَا مُولِجَ اللَّيْلِ فِي النَّهَارِ وَ مُولِجَ النَّهَارِ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَ مُخْرِجَ الْحَيِّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَ مُخْرِجَ الْمَيِّتِ مِنَ الْحَيِّ يَا رَازِقَ مَنْ يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ يَا اللّٰهُ يَا رَحْمَانُ يَا اللّٰهُ يَا رَحِيمُ يَا اللّٰهُ يَا اللّٰهُ يَا اللّٰهُ لَكَ الْاَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى وَ الْاَمْثَالُ الْعُلْيَا وَ الْكِبْرِيَاءُ وَ الْآلاءُ اَسْاَلُكَ اَنْ تُصَلِّيَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اَنْ تَجْعَلَ اسْمِي فِي هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ فِي السُّعَدَاءِ وَ رُوحِي مَعَ الشُّهَدَاءِ وَ اِحْسَانِي فِي عِلِّيِّينَ وَ اِسَاءَتِي مَغْفُورَةً وَ اَنْ تَهَبَ لِي يَقِينا تُبَاشِرُ بِهِ قَلْبِي وَ اِيمَانا يُذْهِبُ الشَّكَّ عَنِّي وَ تُرْضِيَنِي بِمَا قَسَمْتَ لِي وَ آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَ قِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ الْحَرِيقِ وَ ارْزُقْنِي فِيهَا ذِكْرَكَ وَ شُكْرَكَ وَ الرَّغْبَةَ اِلَيْكَ وَ الْاِنَابَةَ وَ التَّوْفِيقَ لِمَا وَفَّقْتَ لَهُ مُحَمَّدا وَ آلَ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِ وَ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلامُ.
O He Who causes the night to enter into the day And causes the day to enter into the night, And brings forth the living from the dead And brings forth the dead from the living, And He Who gives sustenance to whomever He please without measure: O Allah; O the All-beneficent; O Allah; O the All-merciful; O Allah; O Allah; O Allah; To You are the Most Excellent Names, And the most elevated examples, And greatness and bounties. I beseech You to bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad, And to include my name with the list of the happiest ones, And to add my soul to the martyrs, And record my good deeds in the most exalted rank And to decide my offense to be forgiven, And to grant me certitude that fills in my heart And faith that removes dubiosity from me And to make me feel satisfied with that which You decide for me And (please) grant us reward in this world And reward in the Hereafter, And save us from the torment of the burning Fire, And (also) confer upon us at this night Your mentioning, thanking You, and desiring for You, And turning to You, and success to that to which You led Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad, peace be upon him and them.
Al-Kaf’ami has quoted Sayyid Ibn Baqi as saying that it is recommended to say the following supplicatory prayer at the twenty-first night of Ramadan:
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اقْسِمْ لِي حِلْما يَسُدُّ عَنِّي بَابَ الْجَهْلِ وَ هُدًى تَمُنُّ بِهِ عَلَيَّ مِنْ كُلِّ ضَلالَةٍ وَ غِنًى تَسُدُّ بِهِ عَنِّي بَابَ كُلِّ فَقْرٍ وَ قُوَّةً تَرُدُّ بِهَا عَنِّي كُلَّ ضَعْفٍ وَ عِزّا تُكْرِمُنِي بِهِ عَنْ كُلِّ ذُلٍّ وَ رِفْعَةً تَرْفَعُنِي بِهَا عَنْ كُلِّ ضَعَةٍ وَ اَمْنا تَرُدُّ بِهِ عَنِّي كُلَّ خَوْفٍ وَ عَافِيَةً تَسْتُرُنِي بِهَا عَنْ كُلِّ بَلاءٍ وَ عِلْما تَفْتَحُ لِي بِهِ كُلَّ يَقِينٍ وَ يَقِينا تُذْهِبُ بِهِ عَنِّي كُلَّ شَكٍّ وَ دُعَاءً تَبْسُطُ لِي بِهِ الْاِجَابَةَ فِي هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ وَ فِي هَذِهِ السَّاعَةِ السَّاعَةِ السَّاعَةِ السَّاعَةِ يَا كَرِيمُ وَ خَوْفا تَنْشُرُ لِي بِهِ كُلَّ رَحْمَةٍ وَ عِصْمَةً تَحُولُ بِهَا بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَ الذُّنُوبِ حَتَّى اُفْلِحَ بِهَا عِنْدَ الْمَعْصُومِينَ عِنْدَكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا اَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
O Allah: (please) bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad, And decide for me forbearance that blocks the door to ignorance against me, And guidance that You confer upon me against any item of straying off, And affluence that blocks the door to all poverty against me, And power due to which You repel any weakness from me, And might with which You honor me against all humiliation, And sublimity through which You exalt me against all humbleness, And security through which You protect me against any fear, And well-being by which You cover me against any ailment, And knowledge due to which You open before me all certitude, And certitude due to which You remove from me any dubiosity, And prayer through which You expand Your response to me at this very night and at this very hour, This very hour, this very hour, this very hour, O the All-generous, And apprehension due to which You spread over me all items of mercy, And shelter due to which You intervene between my sins and me, So that I shall succeed in the view of the Infallible ones with You, Out of Your mercy, O the most Merciful of all those who show mercy.
Kulayni has narrated that Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) used to supplicate Almighty Allah at the twenty-first and twenty-third nights of Ramadan up to midnight. After that, he would offer prayers. As for the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), it has been narrated that he used to bathe himself at each of the last ten nights of Ramadan. Being the best time of I’tikaf (the ritual seclusion in places of worship for practicing acts of worship), it is highly recommended to practice the ritual I’tikaf at the last ten nights of Ramadan, for this deed brings about an abundant reward. According to narrations, its reward is as same as the reward of two times of Hajj and two times of ‘Umrah. In this regard, it is reported that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), at the last ten nights of Ramadan, used to confine himself to the mosque where a dome made of camel hair would be erected for him while he would roll up his bed and prepare himself for worship. It is worth mentioning that at the twenty-first night of Ramadan, the sadnesses of the Shi’ah should be shown. At the twenty-first night of Ramadan, AH 40, Imam Ali ibn Abi-Talib, Ameer al-Momineen - peace be upon him - departed life as martyr. It is narrated that fresh blood would be found under any rock that was lifted at that night. The same thing happened at the night of Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom. Shaykh al-Mufid says: At this night, it is highly recommended, as frequently as possible, to invoke Almighty Allah’s blessings upon the Holy Prophet and his Household and to invoke His curse upon those who have wronged the Ahl al-Bayt and upon the killer of Imam AliAmeer al-Momineen.