Short answer
There is no special prayer with a fixed number of rakat or surahs for Laylatul Qadr. You worship as on any night, but more: pray Isha and Fajr in congregation, pray taraweeh and extra nafl, recite Quran, make dhikr and istighfar, and repeat the dua the Prophet ﷺ taught: Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'anni.
Spending the nights of the last ten days, especially the odd nights, in nafl prayer, recitation, dhikr and dua is mustahabb. Any nafl prayer in sets of two or four is valid, and no particular method is sunnah. Gathering people specially to pray these nafl in congregation is makruh in the Hanafi school, apart from taraweeh.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Quran says the Night of Decree is better than a thousand months, and the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever stands in prayer on it with faith and hope of reward is forgiven his past sins. He told us to seek it in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. The four schools agree that there is no fixed special prayer for it: the goal is to fill the night with worship.
A simple plan for each of the last ten nights:
- Pray Isha and Fajr in congregation.
- Pray taraweeh, then extra nafl or tahajjud in sets of two rakat, with long recitation if you can.
- Recite Quran, including Surah al-Qadr and its meaning.
- Make istighfar and dhikr, and give some sadaqah.
- Make dua for yourself, your family and the ummah, in any language.
The dua of the night. Aisha asked what she should say if she found Laylatul Qadr, and the Prophet ﷺ taught her: O Allah, You are pardoning and love to pardon, so pardon me. Repeat it often.
A woman on her period cannot pray or touch the Quran, but she can make dua, dhikr and istighfar, and still earn the night. To find the odd nights where you live, see is tonight Laylatul Qadr; for more on the night, see Laylatul Qadr and Surah al-Qadr.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Qadr 97:3
لَيْلَةُ ٱلْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌۭ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍۢ ﴿٣﴾
The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.
Worship on this night is worth more than a lifetime of worship.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1901
Sahih... من قام ليلة القدر إيمانا واحتسابا غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه ...
"Whoever stands in prayer on Laylatul Qadr with faith and hoping for reward will have his past sins forgiven."
The reward of praying on the night.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2017
Sahih... تحروا ليلة القدر في الوتر من العشر الأواخر من رمضان ...
"Seek Laylatul Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan."
When to look for the night.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3513
Graded sahih... اللهم إنك عفو تحب العفو فاعف عني ...
"O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me."
The dua taught for Laylatul Qadr.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on witr and voluntary prayers, section on reviving the nights. Reviving the last ten nights of Ramadan is recommended, and gathering for it in congregation is disliked.
- Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on voluntary prayers. Reviving the nights is done by prayer, recitation and dhikr, alone.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.