The Special Words

The Special Words is an Islamic picture book for children aged 4 to 9 about a little girl who cannot fall asleep, until her mother teaches her the short dua the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said before he slept.

It is bedtime, but Laila tosses and turns. She tries to wake Fat Cat, Bertie Birdie and Mr and Mrs Fishy-Wishy to play with her, but they are all resting. Even the moon and the stars look fast asleep. She tries counting sheep, as her friend Sarah told her to, but the fourth sheep crashes into the fence and leaves her wide awake.

So Laila goes to Mama, who tucks her back into bed and tells her one story: about a little girl just like her who could not sleep, until her mother taught her some special words. The words are the dua for sleeping, and when Laila says them, she is soon fast asleep, and sleeps soundly until morning.

The book gives children a gentle, familiar bedtime scene and a short dua they can learn and say every night. It also shows that the Prophet ﷺ taught us many duas, and that children will learn more of them as they grow.

It is written by Lisha Azad and illustrated by Azra Momin, and it is music-free.

It was bedtime, but little Laila tossed and turned in bed. She just could not fall asleep.

So she got up and went over to Fat Cat, who was napping in her basket. "Meow," said Laila, hoping she would wake up and play. But Fat Cat only opened one eye and looked at her sleepily, and she did not look pleased.

Next, Laila went to Bertie Birdie. He was sitting in the corner of his cage with his eyes shut tight. "Chirp, chirp," she squeaked softly, but he did not wake up.

Then she tried the fish tank. Mr and Mrs Fishy-Wishy never slept, she thought, so perhaps they would play with her. "Here, fishy-wishies," she called, gently tapping the glass. But they only looked at her and flapped their fins, resting.

Laila sighed. Everything was quiet and still. She leaned on her windowsill. A full moon lit up the starry sky, but even the moon and stars looked fast asleep.

Her friend Sarah had once told her at school that if you cannot sleep, you should picture sheep jumping over a fence and count them one by one. So Laila closed her eyes and pictured fat, woolly sheep. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep... crash! The fourth sheep fell to the ground with a thud. Now Laila's eyes were wide open and her heart was racing. Counting sheep was no good.

"What do I do now?" she wailed. Then she had an idea: she would go and talk to Mama.

Mama was getting ready for bed, and Baba was already asleep. "I can't sleep, Mama," sobbed Laila. She told her about Fat Cat, Bertie Birdie, the fishy-wishies and the sheep. "Would you please tell me a story to help me sleep?"

Mama smiled. "All right, but just one story." She took Laila back to her room and tucked her in. Then she began.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl just like Laila who could not fall asleep. Every night she tossed and turned. She tried reading, turning off the lights and drawing the curtains tight, but sleep would not come. Then one day she told her mother, and her mother taught her a few special words to help her sleep.

"Do you know what those special words were?" asked Mama. Laila shook her head.

Mama said the words, the short dua the Prophet ﷺ taught us to say before we sleep, and Laila said them after her. "That's an easy dua, Mama!"

"Yes, it is," smiled Mama. "And when the little girl in the story said these special words, she was asleep in no time at all."

"I'm going to say this dua every night from today," said Laila, yawning.

Mama drew the blanket over her. The Prophet ﷺ had taught many more duas, she said, and many ways to sleep easily and deeply, and Laila would learn them as she grew, insha'Allah. She kissed Laila's forehead, and Laila felt her eyes grow heavy. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep, and this time she slept soundly until morning.