Record 60,000 people pray at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on night of 27th day of Ramadan

This is the largest number of worshippers hosted by the grand mosque since its opening, official sources say

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  More than 60,000 worshippers attend Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi to mark Laylat Al Qadr. All photos: Wam

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  This is the largest number of worshippers hosted by the grand mosque since its opening, said news agency Wam

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  Laylat Al Qadr — or the Night of Power — has a special significance in Islam. It is one of the odd-numbered nights during the last 10 days of Ramadan in which the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Mohammed

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  Many Muslims are keen to spend the last 10 nights of the holy month in worship, prayer and acts of kindness

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  The reward for any good deed or act of worship conducted on that night is counted as more than 1,000 months of doing it

A record 60,310 Muslims gathered at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on the night of the 27th day of Ramadan to observe Laylat Al Qadr, a significant night in the Islamic faith.

This is the largest number of worshippers hosted by the grand mosque since its opening, said news agency Wam.

At Sheikh Khalifa Grand Mosque in Al Ain, the number of worshippers on the same night reached 23,552, of whom 2,402 prayed al isha and taraweeh, and 21,150 people performed the tahajjud prayer.

The number of worshippers at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in the Emirate of Fujairah reached 5,239, of whom 1,382 performed al isha and taraweeh, and 3,857 were in tahajjud prayers.

In addition to the mosque's interior and external parking spaces in the eastern section next to the Wahat Al Karama, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre has allotted 6,579 parking places to accommodate worshippers, including 1,500 for women and 60 for people with special needs.

What is Laylat Al Qadr?

Laylat Al Qadr — or the Night of Power — is one of the odd-numbered nights during the final 10 days of Ramadan on which the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.

An entire chapter is devoted to the Night of Power in the final part of the Quran, in which it is described as “better than a thousand months” where the angels and the holy spirit Gabriel engulf the Earth.

The exact day of Laylat Al Qadr is not known, but the Prophet Mohammed said it falls in the last 10 nights of the holy month, on an odd-­numbered night.

Many Muslims are keen to spend the final 10 nights of the holy month in worship, prayer and acts of kindness.

What is special about Laylat Al Qadr?

The reward for any good deed or act of worship conducted on that night counts as more than carrying out the same act for 1,000 months.

As the Prophet Mohammed once said after Ramadan had begun: “This month has come to you, and in it there is a night that is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of it is deprived of all goodness, and no one is deprived of its goodness except one who is truly deprived.”

What are Qiyam Al Layl prayers?

The main prayer carried out each evening during Ramadan is the taraweeh. It is an extra prayer that Muslims are advised to carry out at a mosque among fellow worshippers.

Many also perform Qiyam Al Layl — or night prayers — during the last 10 nights. These prayers are often organised after midnight at mosques.

Night prayers are regarded as ideal for asking God for blessings because it is said he is more likely to be listening.