Answered by Shaykh Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
Which ten nights are referred to in chapter 89 of the Qurʿān? Are they the last ten nights of Ramaḍān?
Answer:
In the Name of Allāh, Most Merciful, Most Gracious
Jazāk Allāh Khayr/ Thank you for your question.
There are four scholarly views regarding the meaning of “layāl ʿashr (ten nights)” from verse 89:2 of the Qurʿān, as listed below:
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First 10 days and nights of Dhū al-Ḥijjah. This view has been reported by Ibn Abbās, Mujāhid, Qatādah, Ḍhahhāk, Suddī, Qurṭubī, Kalbī, Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, Muqātil and Shawkānī.
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Last 10 nights of Ramaḍān. This stance reported by Abū Dhabyān.
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First 10 days and nights of Ramaḍān. This opinion reported by Ḍhahhāk.
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First 10 days of Muḥarram. This verdict reported by Yamān Ibn Riyāb.
Imam Shawkānī (may Allāh’s mercy be with him) has indicated that it is possible that all of these meanings are incorporated in the verse.
And Allāh Knows Best
