If insomnia has to be induced, let it be for this night, and this night alone.
Laylatul Qadr could be any of the odd nights in the final third of Ramadan — 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th. Nobody knows for sure, and nobody probably ever will. After all, even the Prophet (SAW) never said anything about which of the odd dates would be Laylatul Qadr. The only consensus is that there is a greater probability of it being on the 27th compared to any of the other odd nights. Which has gone on to make everyone believe that the 27th is in fact the night.
Plus after all, let’s face it, spending all night being awake and praying, every alternate night over a period of 10 days wouldn’t come easy to anybody. We just rely on Allah’s mercy in such cases; for He is the one who can make each night of our lives the equivalent of Laylatul Qadr if He so wishes.
It is this sentiment which has been a constant companion in all these years through Ramadan and Laylatul Qadr. Why one night, why not pray every night, even if you can pray a little but isn’t diligence and persistence better than just tanking up on prayer in just one night? If Allah has to, He will give you all and more than you ask for, regardless of whether it is Laylatul Qadr or not.
After midnight, I took a pot of tea for my father and others who would be at the mosque spending their time reciting the Qur’an and saying prayers. There would have been around 25 people spread across the corners of the mosque. A few were my father’s friends. The rest were teenagers who were living in student hostels in the neighborhood, while preparing for competitive entrance examinations. I offered salaah and stayed back for a while, not sure if I did that only to even out the representation of different age groups.