Manners of Sleeping and Waking Up

This Dhikr is one of the supplications that are recited in the morning and in the evening, which the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) taught Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "Teach me!" So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) taught him a Dhikr and a supplication that he could recite every morning and every evening. He ordered him to say: O Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth in an unprecedented manner, Who originated them and brought them into existence from non-existence. Knower of what is hidden from the creatures and what is apparent to them, because Allah, the Almighty, knows the present, the past, and the future. Lord of everything and its Possessor, as Allah, the Almighty, is the Lord of everything and the Owner of everything. I testify with my tongue and heart that there is no god but You. Everything worshiped other than Allah is a false deity that has no right to be worshiped, and none has the right to be worshiped but Allah alone, may He be Glorified. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my own self, because the self has evils, as a verse reads: {And I do not acquit myself. Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon whom my Lord has mercy} [Yusuf: 53]. So, if Allah does not protect you from the evils of your own self, then it will harm you and order you to do evil things. If He protects you from its evil, then He has guided you to all goodness. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) concluded his supplication with: and from the evil of the devil and the evil of polytheism to which he calls, or from the evil of his trap which he sets for people through desires, doubts, or other means of temptation. The completion of the supplication is to say: I seek refuge in Allah from committing evil against myself or causing evil to another Muslim. This supplication is what the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) taught Abu Bakr to say in the morning, evening, and before going to bed.

سنن أبي داود، تحقيق: محمد محيي الدين عبد الحميد، المكتبة العصرية، صيدا – بيروت. سلسلة الأحاديث الصحيحة، للألباني، مكتبة المعارف للنشر والتوزيع، الرياض، ط، الأولى، لمكتبة المعارف. رياض الصالحين، للنووي، تحقيق ماهر الفحل، ط، الأولى 1428هـ، دار ابن كثير، دمشق -بيروت. نزهة المتقين، لمجموعة من المؤلفين، مؤسسة الرسالة، ط: الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ. بهجة الناظرين، لسليم الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي، السعودية، ط: الثالثة 1418هـ. جامع الترمذي، تحقيق وتعليق: أحمد محمد شاكر، وآخرون، ط2، شركة مكتبة ومطبعة مصطفى البابي الحلبي ، مصر، 1395هـ. مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل، المحقق: شعيب الأرنؤوط - عادل مرشد وآخرون، إشراف: د عبد الله بن عبد المحسن التركي، مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الأولى، 1421 هـ - 2001 م. دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين، لمحمد علي بن محمد بن علان، ط4، اعتنى بها: خليل مأمون شيحا، دار المعرفة، بيروت، 1425هـ. سلسلة الأحاديث الصحيحة وشيء من فقهها وفوائدها، للألباني، ط1، مكتبة المعارف للنشر والتوزيع، الرياض، 1422هـ.

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) about whether it is permissible for a man to sleep in a state of ritual impurity at the earlier part of the night, after having sexual intercourse with his wife, even if there is no ejaculation, or having a wet dream. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) declared it permissible, provided that this major ritual impurity is lessened with ablution.

تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن البسام، تحقيق: محمد صبحي حلاق، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، الطبعة: العاشرة 1426هـ. تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، الطبعة: الأولى 1426هـ. الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، إسماعيل بن محمد الأنصاري، دار الفكر، دمشق، الطبعة: الأولى 1381هـ. صحيح البخاري، محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري الجعفي، تحقيق: محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، الطبعة: الأولى 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، مسلم بن الحجاج القشيري النيسابوري، تحقيق محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت، الطبعة: 1423هـ.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified some of the Tahārah (ritual purity) rulings including the following: First: Whoever performs ablution must sniff water into the nose by inhaling and then blow it out by exhaling. Second: Whoever wants to clean his private parts from impurities with something other than water, like stones and the like, should do so with an odd number of stones; the least of which is three, and the most of which is what is necessary to fully cleanse the impurities off his body. Third: Whoever wakes up from night sleep should not put his hand in the water vessel to perform ablution until he washes it three times outside the vessel, for he does not know where his hand was during his sleep. It might have been affected by some impurity or the devil might have been meddling with it carrying to it what could either be harmful to man or what could make the water impure.

1. In Wudū’ (ablution), one must make Istinshāq, which is sniffing water into the nose by inhaling, and one must also make Istinthār, which is blowing water out from the nose by exhaling.
2. It is recommended to make Istijmār (clean the private parts from impurities using stones or so) with an odd number of stones.
3. It is prescribed to wash the hands three times after waking up from night sleep.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 43) (162). صحيح مسلم (1/ 233) (278). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، للبسام (ص19). الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (1/ 11).

A house in Madīnah was burnt one night, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) heard about it. So, he informed people that this fire is their enemy if they do not take precautions against its flames and burning effect. Then, he ordered them to put it out before sleeping so as to avoid its outbreak.

دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين، لابن علان، نشر دار الكتاب العربي. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ - 1987م. شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين، نشر: دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، الطبعة: 1426هـ. بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، للهلالي، نشر: دار ابن الجوزي، الطبعة الأولى 1418هـ. صحيح البخاري، للإمام أبي عبدالله محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، عناية محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة، الطبعة الأولى، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، للإمام مسلم بن الحجاج، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبدالباقي، دار عالم الكتب-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. المعجم الوسيط، مكتبة الشروق الدولية، الطبعة الرابعة، 1425هـ.

When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) lay down to sleep, he would rest his head on his right hand and place his right cheek upon it, and he would say: "O Allah" my Lord, "protect me" and guard me against "Your punishment" and torment "on the Day You gather or resurrect Your servants" for reckoning, i.e., the Day of Judgment.

1. The merit of this blessed supplication and the recommendation of reciting it frequently, following the example of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
2. Lying down on the right side is recommended.
3. As-Sindi said: His statement (O Allah, protect me from Your punishment) implies that a wise person should treat sleep as a reminder of death and the resurrection that follows it.
4. Protection from Allah's punishment on the Day of Judgment is through His grace and mercy, by guiding the servant to righteous deeds and by Allah's forgiveness of his sins.
5. Humility of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) before his Almighty Lord and Master.
6. Affirmation of resurrection and the return, and that people will be brought back to their Lord to be held accountable for their deeds. Whoever finds good should praise Allah Almighty, and whoever finds otherwise should blame none but himself, for they are merely the deeds of the servants that Allah keeps count of against them.
7. Keenness of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to elaborate on the conditions of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in his sleep.
8. His statement: "He would place his right hand under his cheek": this was from the Prophet's habit of favoring the right side in all matters, except in cases where there is evidence indicating otherwise.
9. Sleeping on the right side leads to quicker wakefulness, as the heart is less settled in that position, and it is more restful for the heart because it is located on the left side. If a person sleeps on the left side, it may harm the heart due to the body's weight pressing upon it.

سنن الترمذي (5/ 404) (3398). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 533). كنوز رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (17/ 335). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 1001).

Meaning of the Hadīth: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) prohibits his Ummah from sleeping before putting out the fire that they lit.

نزهة المتقين، تأليف: جمعٌ من المشايخ، الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة الأولى: 1397 هـ الطبعة الرابعة عشر 1407 هـ صحيح مسلم، تأليف: مسلم بن الحجاج النيسابوري، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي الناشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت. رياض الصالحين، تأليف : محيي الدين يحيى بن شرف النووي ، تحقيق: د. ماهر بن ياسين الفحل ، الطبعة: الأولى، 1428 هـ صحيح البخاري، تأليف: محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير الناصر، الناشر: دار طوق النجاة الطبعة: الأولى، 1422هـ شرح رياض الصالحين، تأليف: محمد بن صالح العثيمين، الناشر: دار الوطن للنشر، الطبعة: 1426 هـ شرح سنن أبي داود، تأليف: عبد المحسن بن حمد بن عبد المحسن العباد، نسخة الإلكترونية.

It was part of the Prophet's custom that when he went to bed, he would join his palms together and raise them as a supplicant does, and he would blow into them in a mild manner, along with little saliva. Meanwhile, he would recite the three surahs of al-Ikhlās, al-Falaq, and an-Nās. Then, he would wipe with his palms over as much of his body as he could, starting with his head, face, and the front part of his body, repeating this three times.

1. We are recommended to recite Surat al-Ikhlās and the two refuge-seeking surahs of al-Falaq and an-Nās before going to bed and to blow with them into our palms and then wipe over as many parts of our bodies as we can.

صحيح البخاري (6/ 190) (5017)، (7/ 133) (5748)، الكاشف عن حقائق السُّنن (5/1651)، عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري (20/ 35)، التوضيح لشرح الجامع الصحيح ( 24/ 91)، النهاية في غريب الحديث والأثر (ص 929)، شرح سنن أبي داود لابن رسلان (19/268).