Recognize the value of the Night of Destiny

In Sura Qadr (97:2 & 3) Allah says, And what could make you conceive what it is, that Night of Destiny? The Night of Destiny is better than a thousand months

Laylatul Qadr is a night wherein Allah swt decides our "qadr" – He makes decisions regarding what to grant us to fulfill our full potential.

One way to think about this is to consider that He is asking us to be co-creators in our own destiny by allowing us and inviting us to worship on this Grand Night and ask for what we need in order to live our purpose on this planet. This is a night which is filled with the opportunity to change the story of our lives.

While considering what to ask for (in addition to the health and safety of ourselves, our families and the Ummah) it is worth taking some time to reflect on our purpose in life, how we can fulfill it and what we need to get going. This important reflection will help us in beginning to take responsibility for our lives and become proactive in creating a life that is meaningful and fulfills the purpose for why we are here. It is only once we have a purpose that we can ask for meaning help in fulfilling it.

Here is a short exercise that might help.

Take a few minutes to write out your answers without overthinking them. The process of engaging in these questions and writing them out is very powerful and will greatly help on Laylatul Qadr when we are doing Dua:

▪ 1. What is my number one goal for the coming year? The one thing that will make the greatest positive impact on my life if I work towards it or get it done? This can be goal related to self development/improvement or working towards a project that is meaningful to you.

▪ 2. What are some of the talents and abilities that I have to get started?

▪ 3. What are some of the barriers that I face in this regard? What do I need most help with?

▪ 4. What do I need to do to get started? What is the first step in this direction? This is the probably the most important question. We need to get in motion to fulfill our purpose, the more we think about it without taking action, the less likely it becomes that we will fulfill it.

▪ 5. What sources of support do I have that I can call upon?

▪ 6. What is my greatest stumbling block? How do I get around it?

This short but powerful exercise will make our duas towards our life plan much more meaningful.

Visualizing success
What would your life look like if you had achieved this goal?
Who would notice?
What impact would it make in the world?

Being open to something even better
Once, you have visualized success, pray to Allah that you are open to a different reality for fulfillment of this goal. This is an important step.
Once we start working towards our life plan, it is important to be open to the possibility that the outcome may look different from what we originally planned but it will be so much better. He is involved in fulfilling our life plans and what we ask for and His vision is infinitely vast regarding our potential and what is possible for us, whereas even when we pray, we are limited by own limited view of our potential.

So while it is essential to have a vision for the realization of our goals, it is also important not to be overly attached to exactly what this will look like.

When we intentionally open to the possibility that the realization of our goals may look different that what we are presently considering, it helps us recognize the opportunities and avenues that He puts in our way and allows us to say YES to them.