Better than a Thousand Months

Laylatul Qadr is a night that we all look forward to. It’s a time to make the du’aas that are most dear to us, and to exert ourselves in extra worship, like prayer, recitation of the Qur’an, dhikr, and charity.

In the surah we’ve all memorized, Allah tells us about this very special night, which is better than a thousand months:

“Indeed, We sent it [i.e., the Qur’an] down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.” (Qur’an 97:1-5)

How can we pass on this excitement about Laylatul Qadr to our children so that they understand its importance and exert themselves too? Here are some ideas:

• Educate – Laylatul Qadr is the night of Ramadan when the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation from the Qur’an. Our prophet told us to “look for it in the odd nights of the last ten nights” (the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, and 29th). Any good deed is multiplied many times over, and it’s also the night that the yearly decree is written.

• Do the math! – A thousand months divided by 12 months gives us around 83 years! That’s a lifetime of good deeds you can get in just one night!

• Brainstorm – Ask your kids for ideas on what types of good deeds they can do on this night. Can they do some extra prayers on these odd nights? Read extra Qur’an? Make du’aa? Give charity?

• Keep a checklist – Asking your kids to make a checklist with their plans for these nights will give them a sense of accomplishment when they’ve ticked those boxes!

• Duaa list – Writing down our most special du’aas is a great way for both parents and kids to think about what they want to ask Allah for, and it’ll help with not forgetting any of these du’aas on these nights.

• Storytime! – Read Trouble at Taraweeh with your kids. It’s a wonderful story all about Laylatul Qadr!

May we all be among those about whom our prophet spoke in this hadith: “Whoever prays on Laylatul Qadr out of faith and sincerity, shall have all their past sins forgiven” (Bukhari and Muslim).