Which is better, to observe Laylat al-Qadr collectively or individually?
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the most honorable of messengers, our master Muhammad, and his pure family. After that,
There are different states for supplication, and each state has its own effects and blessings when remembering Allah, seeking His closeness, and interceding to Him. Sometimes one may pray in complete solitude, and at other times with a congregation of worshippers, as in communal prayers where it is recommended to supplicate during and after the prayer. There are also occasions for gathering forty believers or for believers to come together in places of supplication; each has its own virtue and role.
Supplication in secrecy and privacy is meant to achieve sincerity and avoid showing off, while public supplication allows one to gain the blessings of the community and to turn towards Allah in prayer, thereby establishing the houses of Allah.
Thus, there is encouragement for both private and public supplication.
Allah says: {Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors.} (Surah Al-A'raf 55)
It is narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him): "A private supplication is equivalent to seventy public supplications."
There is also encouragement for collective supplication, as stated in the verse: {And keep yourself patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His face.} (Surah Al-Kahf 28)
In a narration from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him): "There is no group of forty men who gather and call upon Allah, the Exalted, regarding a matter except that He responds to them. If they are not forty, then four men can call upon Allah ten times, and He will respond to them. If they are not four, then one person can call upon Allah forty times, and the Almighty, the Compeller, will respond to him."
Moreover, it is required of the believer to revive the religion and its symbols, to uphold the rituals of Allah with their brothers, to fill the mosques of Allah with prayer, remembrance, and supplication, and to visit the revered shrines of the pure family in places where the name of Allah is mentioned, alongside believers who travel from all directions to these sacred sites.
May you be guided to all that is good.