Laylatul Qadr for Kids
A night worth more than eighty-three years, and why Allah kept it hidden. Explained for children.
There is a night in Ramadan that the Qur'an says is better than a thousand months. A thousand months is more than eighty-three years, which is longer than most people live. One night, worth more than a whole lifetime. Children find that genuinely astonishing, and it is the easiest way in.
What the Qur'an says
Allah gave this night a whole surah, Surat al-Qadr. He says the Qur'an was sent down on the Night of Decree, that it is better than a thousand months, that the angels and the Ruh descend in it by their Lord's permission with every decree, and that it is peace until the break of dawn. Read that surah to a child slowly. It is five short verses, and it does most of the explaining for you.
Why is it hidden?
This is the question every child asks, and the answer is one of the loveliest things in Ramadan. Allah did not tell us exactly which night it is. It is in the last ten, and more likely in the odd nights, but nobody knows for certain. So people look for it across all ten. If you knew the date, you would show up once. Because you do not, you show up again and again. The hiddenness is the gift.
What children can actually do
- Learn the one dua. Aisha, radiyallahu anha, asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, what to say if she found this night, and he taught her: Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fa'fu anni. O Allah, You are Most Forgiving and You love forgiveness, so forgive me. One line. Even a five year old can hold it.
- Stay up a little later than usual. Not all night. Twenty minutes past bedtime on an odd night is an event when you are seven.
- Make a list of things to ask Allah for. Written down, in their own handwriting, in their own words.
- Give something away. Charity on these nights is worth more, and children understand giving far better than they understand staying awake.
Keep the wonder in it
The last ten nights are the right time for the most astonishing stories you have: the sea splitting into a road, a fire commanded to be cool, a newborn speaking in his mother's arms. A child who feels that these nights are different will remember them long after they have forgotten anything you explained. See the 30-night story plan →
Read the full stories
Frequently asked
What is Laylatul Qadr in simple words for a child?+
It is one night in the last ten nights of Ramadan that Allah made better than a thousand months, which is more than eighty-three years. It is the night the Qur'an began to be sent down, and Allah kept which night it is a secret so that we look for it across all ten.
Which night is Laylatul Qadr?+
Nobody knows for certain. It is in the last ten nights of Ramadan and is most often sought in the odd nights, with the 27th mentioned frequently, but the Prophet, peace be upon him, told us to seek it across the last ten rather than fixing on one date.
What dua should children make on Laylatul Qadr?+
The one the Prophet, peace be upon him, taught Aisha: Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fa'fu anni. O Allah, You are Most Forgiving and You love forgiveness, so forgive me. It is short enough for a young child to memorise in one evening.
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