A woman discovered she was pregnant.

She had that flutter of excitement, the rush of gratitude, and a secret wish.

Having already raised her younger sister as if she were her own child, she yearned for something different this time.

She wanted a son.

A little boy whose hair she could ruffle, whose tiny hands would someday grow strong, whose voice would deepen with time.

She kept this desire tucked away in her heart, only sharing it with Allah during her prayers.

But mothers-in-law have a supernatural ability to sense these things, don't they?

Hers certainly did.

"I know what you've been praying for," her mother-in-law said one evening, eyes twinkling with mischief.

The woman nearly choked on her tea.

Was she that transparent?

"A boy, right?" the mother-in-law continued, smiling knowingly.

"Well, I've always dreamed of having a granddaughter.

Allah never blessed me with a daughter of my own."

Before the expectant mother could respond, her mother-in-law leaned forward, eyes bright with challenge.

"Let's have a Tahajjud competition. You pray for your boy, I'll pray for my girl. Let's see who Allah listens to more!"

And just like that, the spiritual Olympics began in their household.

Every night, they'd both rise for Tahajjud prayers.

Sometimes the woman would hear her mother-in-law's bedroom door click shut at 3 AM and think, "Oh no, she's getting a head start!"

She'd scramble out of bed, perform wudu, and begin her supplications.

"Ya Allah, please bless us with a healthy baby boy," she'd whisper into the quiet darkness.

Meanwhile, across the hallway, her mother-in-law was no doubt pleading her case for a granddaughter.

Some nights, the woman would even find herself negotiating with Allah. "If You give me a son, I promise to raise him to be a hafiz... and if he somehow turns out to be a girl instead, well... I'll still be grateful.”

The day of their first ultrasound finally arrived.

The woman's husband, blissfully unaware of their spiritual contest, held her hand as the technician moved the wand across her growing belly.

After a few moments of quiet concentration, the technician smiled warmly. "Congratulations! Everything looks good and healthy.

Would you like to know the gender?"

"YES!" Both the expectant mother and her mother-in-law blurted out simultaneously, their voices a little too eager.

The technician glanced between them, slightly confused by their intensity.

The husband just shrugged apologetically.

"Well..." The technician moved the wand again, pausing to study the screen more carefully.

Her eyebrows raised, and a smile spread across her face. "Actually, I have another congratulations for you.

You're having twins!"

The woman and her mother-in-law locked eyes across the room, both momentarily speechless.

Twins? TWINS?

"Is it... are they...?" The expectant mother couldn't even finish the question.

"One boy and one girl," the technician confirmed.

They both burst into laughter that quickly melted into tears.

It was as if Allah had gently patted both their heads and said, "My beloved servants, why compete when I can bless you both?"

There's something truly extraordinary about Tahajjud prayers, those quiet conversations with Allah when the world sleeps and distractions fade away.

But the true miracle isn't just that Allah listens, it's that He always answers us.

Sometimes that means giving us exactly what we requested, sometimes it means protecting us from what wouldn't have been good for us, and sometimes, as in this story, it means blessing us with more than we could have imagined.