An odd-numbered night in the last ten nights
“We observed I’tikaf with the Messenger of Allah [saws] during the middle ten days of Ramadan. He said, ‘I have been shown Lailat Al-Qadr then I was caused to forget it so seek it in the last ten nights on the odd numbered nights.’”[14]
“Search for the night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.”[15]
“A man saw [in a dream] that Lailat Al-Qadr was the night of the twenty-seventh. The Prophet [saws] said, ‘I see that your dreams indicate the last ten [nights] so seek it in the odd numbered ones thereof.’”[16]
The twenty-first night
“The Messenger of Allah [saws] observed I’tikaf during the first ten days of Ramadan then he observed I’tikaf during the middle ten days in a Turkish tent that had a reed mat over the door. He took hold of the mat and put it in the corner of the tent then he put his head out and spoke to the people who drew close to him. He said, ‘I observed I’tikaf during the first ten days seeking this night then I observed I’tikaf during the middle ten. Then someone came to me and I was told that it is in the last ten nights so whoever among you wants to observe I’tikaf let him do so.’ So the people observed I’tikaf with him. And he said, ‘I was shown that it is an odd-numbered night and that I was prostrating the following morning in mud and water.’ On the morning of the twenty-first when he got up to pray subh it had rained and the masjid had leaked. When he came out after praying subh there was water and mud on his forehead and on the tip of his nose and that was the night of the twenty-first, one of the last ten nights.”[17]
“We were talking about Lailat Al-Qadr so I went to Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri [ra] who was a friend of mine and said, ‘Let’s go out to the palm trees.’ So he came out wearing a Khamisah and I said to him, ‘Did you hear the Messenger of Allah [saws] mention Lailat Al-Qadr?’ He said, ‘Yes we observed I’tikaf with the Messenger of Allah [saws] during the middle ten days of Ramadan and we came out on the morning of the twentieth. The Messenger of Allah [saws] addressed us and said, ‘I was shown Lailat Al-Qadr but I forgot it’ or ‘I was caused to forget it so seek it in the last ten nights on the odd numbered nights. And I saw that I was prostrating in water and mud so whoever was observing I’tikaf with the Messenger of Allah [saws] let him go back.’ So we went back and we did not see any clouds in the sky then a cloud came and it rained until the roof of the masjid which was made of palm branches flowed with water. The iqamah was called for the prayer and I saw that the Messenger of Allah [saws] prostrating in water and mud until I saw the traces of mud on his forehead.”[18]