Connection between Night of Qadr and Imam Mahdi
It is clearly understood from Surah Al-Qadr that the angels descend on the earth every year on the Night of Qadr to manage affairs:
“We revealed the Quran on the Night of Destiny. Would that you knew what the Night of Destiny is! (Worship) on the Night of Destiny is better than (worship) for a thousand months. On this Night, the angels and the spirit descend by the permission of their Lord with His decree (to determine everyone's destiny). This Night is all peace until the break of dawn.” (Verses 1-5 of Surah Al-Qadr.
This issue is also mentioned in Surah Ad-Dukhan: “Ha. Mim. I swear by the illustrious Book, that We have revealed the Quran on a blessed night to warn mankind. On this night, every absolute command coming from Us becomes distinguishable.” (Verses 1-4)
The month of Ramadan is repeated until the Day of Judgment, and consequently, the Night of Qadr also continues until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, the descent of the angels and the spirit is repeated every night of Qadr. The question is: Who do the angels and the spirit, who descend on earth every year on the Night of Qadr, descend on after the Messenger of God (PBUH)?
By reflecting, we realize that there must be a perfect Imam at all times to be the place where the angels and the spirit descend.
Further explanation is that the descent of angels and the spirit, which is inherently a spiritual phenomenon and related to the world of divine order, cannot be an abstract event or without a place of manifestation on earth. The Holy Quran explicitly calls their descent “from every matter,” which indicates the direct connection of this descent with the planning and detailing of the affairs of existence. Such an important matter that shapes the year-long destinies of the world certainly requires a place of trust and a perfect container to receive, protect, and bring these sciences and destinies to the stage of manifestation based on divine expediency.
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In any era, this capacity is realized only in the presence of the Divine Hujjat; because only he has the ability to receive these unseen truths directly and without distortion. Therefore, the continuity of the Night of Qadr throughout history requires the continuity of the existence of the Imam in every era. In the current era, the twelfth Imam, Hazrat Mahdi (AS), is the place of the descent of this divine gift on every Night of Qadr until the time of Zuhur (advent of Savior). This analysis is not only consistent with the appearances of the verses, but also fully consistent with the principle of divine grace and the necessity of continuous guidance of humanity.
In Hadiths, the Messenger of God (PBUH) said to his companions: “Believe in the Night of Qadr, because it is for Ali ibn Abi Talib and his eleven sons after him” (Kamal al-Din, vol. 1, pp. 280-281, h. 3).
The Commander of the Faithful (AS) said to Ibn Abbas: “Indeed, the Night of Qadr exists in every year, and on that night, the decree of the affairs of a year is revealed, and for this matter, there are guardians after the Messenger of God (PBUH).” Ibn Abbas says: I asked: Who are they? He said: “I and eleven people from my lineage, all of whom are Imams and narrators of Hadith…” (ibid., pp. 247-248).
