As’salaamu Alaikum Shaykh, if I had the intention to pray on the night of laylatul-Qadr but then fell asleep because my 5 month old baby woke up in the middle of the night and I fell asleep trying to settle her. Have I missed out on the reward of laylatul-Qadr?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Allah the Almighty does not allow the reward of those who do good to be lost, and therefore, the reward for your intention will not be lost.

Every person is rewarded according to what they intend, as stated by the Prophet . If you had firmly intended to wake up and pray Qiyaam (the night optional prayer), then you will receive the reward, Allah willing.

An-Nawawi said: “One should intend, when going to sleep, to wake up and pray Qiyaam with a firm intention, so that he gets the reward promised in the following narration that is narrated on the authority of Abu Ad-Dardaa’ who stated that the Prophet said: ‘Whoever goes to bed while intending to wake up and pray during the night, but he oversleeps until the morning, then what he had intended will be recorded for him, and his sleep will be a bounty from his Lord on him.’ (An-Nasaa’i and Ibn Maajah; Al-Albaani classified it as authentic).” [End of quote]

Allah knows best.