Sleeping well: evening habits inspired by the sunna
Ablution, supplications, the right side, screens off and waking for fajr: the bedtime habits the Prophet ﷺ taught, for calmer and more peaceful nights.
Sleep, a blessing and a sign
In Islam, sleep is not wasted time to be reduced to a minimum: it is a blessing that Allah recalls in the Quran.
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ لِبَاسًۭا وَٱلنَّوْمَ سُبَاتًۭا وَجَعَلَ ٱلنَّهَارَ نُشُورًۭا
Et c'est Lui qui vous fit de la nuit un vêtement, du sommeil un repos et qui fit du jour un retour à la vie active.The Prophet ﷺ even corrected those who thought they could draw closer to Allah by depriving themselves of sleep:
حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي مَرْيَمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا حُمَيْدُ بْنُ أَبِي حُمَيْدٍ الطَّوِيلُ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ يَقُولُ جَاءَ ثَلاَثَةُ رَهْطٍ إِلَى بُيُوتِ أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَسْأَلُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَةِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَلَمَّا أُخْبِرُوا كَأَنَّهُمْ تَقَالُّوهَا فَقَالُوا وَأَيْنَ نَحْنُ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَدْ غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ. قَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَمَّا أَنَا فَإِنِّي أُصَلِّي اللَّيْلَ أَبَدًا. وَقَالَ آخَرُ أَنَا أَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ وَلاَ أُفْطِرُ. وَقَالَ آخَرُ أَنَا أَعْتَزِلُ النِّسَاءَ فَلاَ أَتَزَوَّجُ أَبَدًا. فَجَاءَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " أَنْتُمُ الَّذِينَ قُلْتُمْ كَذَا وَكَذَا أَمَا وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأَخْشَاكُمْ لِلَّهِ وَأَتْقَاكُمْ لَهُ، لَكِنِّي أَصُومُ وَأُفْطِرُ، وَأُصَلِّي وَأَرْقُدُ وَأَتَزَوَّجُ النِّسَاءَ، فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي ".
Narrated by Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him)
Three men came to the houses of the Prophet’s wives ﷺ to ask about his worship. When they were told, they found it little and said, “Where are we compared with the Prophet ﷺ, whose past and future sins Allah has forgiven?” One said, “As for me, I will pray all night, forever.” Another said, “I will fast the whole year without a break.” Another said, “I will keep away from women and never marry.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came and said, “Are you the ones who said such and such? By Allah, I am the one among you who fears Allah the most and holds Him in the greatest awe; yet I fast and I break my fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. Whoever turns away from my sunna is not of me.”
With a good intention, resting in order to be in good shape for one’s family, one’s work and one’s prayer becomes itself an act that pleases Allah.
Before going to bed: preparing the night
A good night is prepared from the evening. According to a hadith reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ disliked sleeping before the ‘isha’ prayer, or staying up talking after it. Going to bed early enough is the first secret of a successful wake-up for fajr.
The Prophet ﷺ also recommended, before sleeping, closing the doors, covering the vessels and putting out the lamps (a hadith reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim). Today, the natural equivalent is to turn off the lights and set screens aside:
- put the phone out of reach of the bed, or at least switch it to night mode;
- avoid videos and heated discussions in the last half hour;
- replace scrolling through social media with a few pages of reading or a little Quran;
- keep the bedroom quiet, airy and dark.
Those who fear they will not wake up in the last part of the night can pray the witr, the odd-numbered night prayer, before sleeping. Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet ﷺ advised him to do so, in a hadith reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The bedtime routine, step by step
Here are the practices handed down in authentic hadiths. They take a few minutes and can become the most soothing moment of the day.
Steps
Perform ablution as for prayer.
Dust off the bed with the edge of a garment before lying down.
Recite the Throne Verse, then al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas; blow lightly into the cupped hands and wipe them over the body.
Say “subhan Allah” thirty-three times, “al-hamdu lillah” thirty-three times and “Allahu akbar” thirty-four times.
Lie down on the right side.
Say the bedtime supplication, and make it your last words.
The ablution, the right side and the last words come from this hadith:
حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعْتَمِرٌ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مَنْصُورًا، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عُبَيْدَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ عَازِبٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِذَا أَتَيْتَ مَضْجَعَكَ فَتَوَضَّأْ وَضُوءَكَ لِلصَّلاَةِ، ثُمَّ اضْطَجِعْ عَلَى شِقِّكَ الأَيْمَنِ، وَقُلِ اللَّهُمَّ أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِي إِلَيْكَ، وَفَوَّضْتُ أَمْرِي إِلَيْكَ، وَأَلْجَأْتُ ظَهْرِي إِلَيْكَ، رَغْبَةً وَرَهْبَةً إِلَيْكَ، لاَ مَلْجَأَ وَلاَ مَنْجَا مِنْكَ إِلاَّ إِلَيْكَ، آمَنْتُ بِكِتَابِكَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلْتَ، وَبِنَبِيِّكَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلْتَ. فَإِنْ مُتَّ مُتَّ عَلَى الْفِطْرَةِ، فَاجْعَلْهُنَّ آخِرَ مَا تَقُولُ ". فَقُلْتُ أَسْتَذْكِرُهُنَّ وَبِرَسُولِكَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلْتَ. قَالَ " لاَ، وَبِنَبِيِّكَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلْتَ ".
Narrated by al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib (may Allah be pleased with him)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me: “When you go to your bed, perform ablution as you do for prayer, then lie down on your right side and say: ‘O Allah, I submit my face to You, I entrust my affair to You, I rely on You, out of longing for You and fear of You. There is no refuge and no escape from You except in You. I believe in Your Book which You have revealed and in Your Prophet whom You have sent.’ If you die, you will die upon the fitra: make these your last words.” To memorize them, I repeated them and said, “and in Your Messenger whom You have sent.” He said, “No: and in Your Prophet whom You have sent.”
The recitation of the Throne Verse and the last three surahs before sleeping is reported by al-Bukhari. The practice of dusting off the bed, for its part, comes from this hadith:
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِذَا أَوَى أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ فَلْيَنْفُضْ فِرَاشَهُ بِدَاخِلَةِ إِزَارِهِ، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَدْرِي مَا خَلَفَهُ عَلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ بِاسْمِكَ رَبِّ وَضَعْتُ جَنْبِي، وَبِكَ أَرْفَعُهُ، إِنْ أَمْسَكْتَ نَفْسِي فَارْحَمْهَا، وَإِنْ أَرْسَلْتَهَا فَاحْفَظْهَا بِمَا تَحْفَظُ بِهِ عِبَادَكَ الصَّالِحِينَ ". تَابَعَهُ أَبُو ضَمْرَةَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ زَكَرِيَّاءَ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ. وَقَالَ يَحْيَى وَبِشْرٌ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم. وَرَوَاهُ مَالِكٌ وَابْنُ عَجْلاَنَ عَنْ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم.
Narrated by Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him)
The Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you goes to his bed, let him dust it with the inside of his waist-wrapper, for he does not know what has settled on it after him. Then let him say: ‘In Your name, my Lord, I lay down my side, and by You I raise it. If You take my soul, have mercy on it; and if You send it back, protect it with that by which You protect Your righteous servants.’”
What these supplications say
These words look the night in the face: sleep resembles a small death, from which Allah brings us back every morning. The Quran puts it this way:
ٱللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى ٱلْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَٱلَّتِى لَمْ تَمُتْ فِى مَنَامِهَا ۖ فَيُمْسِكُ ٱلَّتِى قَضَىٰ عَلَيْهَا ٱلْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ ٱلْأُخْرَىٰٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
Allah reçoit les âmes au moment de leur mort ainsi que celles qui ne meurent pas au cours de leur sommeil. Il retient celles à qui Il a décrété la mort, tandis qu'Il renvoie les autres jusqu'à un terme fixé. Il y a certainement là des preuves pour des gens qui réfléchissent.Instead of being anxious, the believer entrusts his soul to Allah before closing his eyes. The glorifications of bedtime also have a beautiful story. Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of the Prophet ﷺ, had hands worn by the millstone and had come to ask him for a servant:
حَدَّثَنَا بَدَلُ بْنُ الْمُحَبَّرِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعْبَةُ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي الْحَكَمُ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ أَبِي لَيْلَى، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيٌّ، أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ ـ عَلَيْهَا السَّلاَمُ ـ اشْتَكَتْ مَا تَلْقَى مِنَ الرَّحَى مِمَّا تَطْحَنُ، فَبَلَغَهَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أُتِيَ بِسَبْىٍ، فَأَتَتْهُ تَسْأَلُهُ خَادِمًا فَلَمْ تُوَافِقْهُ، فَذَكَرَتْ لِعَائِشَةَ، فَجَاءَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَذَكَرَتْ ذَلِكَ عَائِشَةُ لَهُ، فَأَتَانَا وَقَدْ دَخَلْنَا مَضَاجِعَنَا، فَذَهَبْنَا لِنَقُومَ فَقَالَ " عَلَى مَكَانِكُمَا " حَتَّى وَجَدْتُ بَرْدَ قَدَمَيْهِ عَلَى صَدْرِي فَقَالَ " أَلاَ أَدُلُّكُمَا عَلَى خَيْرٍ مِمَّا سَأَلْتُمَاهُ، إِذَا أَخَذْتُمَا مَضَاجِعَكُمَا فَكَبِّرَا اللَّهَ أَرْبَعًا وَثَلاَثِينَ، وَاحْمَدَا ثَلاَثًا وَثَلاَثِينَ، وَسَبِّحَا ثَلاَثًا وَثَلاَثِينَ، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمَا مِمَّا سَأَلْتُمَاهُ ".
Narrated by ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him)
Fatima complained of the hardship the millstone caused her. She learned that some captives had been brought to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and went to ask him for a servant, but did not find him; she told ‘A’isha about it. When the Prophet ﷺ arrived, ‘A’isha told him. He came to us when we were already lying down. We wanted to get up, but he said, “Stay where you are.” I felt the coolness of his feet on my chest. Then he said, “Shall I not show you something better than what you asked of me? When you settle into your beds, say ‘Allahu akbar’ thirty-four times, ‘al-hamdu lillah’ thirty-three times and ‘subhan Allah’ thirty-three times: that is better for you than what you asked of me.”
Waking up for fajr
The dawn prayer is often the hardest. A few simple practices really help:
- go to bed at a regular time that is early enough;
- make the intention, before sleeping, to get up for the prayer;
- place the alarm far from the bed, or set two a few minutes apart;
- help one another as a family: whoever gets up wakes the others gently.
On waking, one says الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ (al-hamdu lillahi-lladhi ahyana ba‘da ma amatana wa ilayhi-n-nushur), “praise be to Allah who gave us life after having made us die, and to Him is the resurrection”: this supplication is reported by al-Bukhari. According to another hadith reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Devil ties three knots at the back of the head of the sleeper; the remembrance of Allah undoes one, ablution another, and prayer the last. Before beginning the ablution, one washes the hands:
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " إِذَا اسْتَيْقَظَ أَحَدُكُمْ مِنْ نَوْمِهِ فَلاَ يَغْمِسْ يَدَهُ فِي وَضُوئِهِ حَتَّى يَغْسِلَهَا ثَلاَثًا فَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لاَ يَدْرِي أَيْنَ بَاتَتْ يَدُهُ " .
Narrated by Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him)
The Prophet ﷺ said: “When one of you wakes from his sleep, let him not dip his hand into the water of his ablution before washing it three times, for none of you knows where his hand spent the night.”
And what if one has slept through despite oneself? One prays as soon as one wakes, without being discouraged: whoever sleeps through a prayer, or forgets it, prays it as soon as he realizes, according to a hadith reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
With children: the evening ritual
Children love rituals. You can offer them the same sequence every evening: brushing teeth, making ablution, reciting the last three surahs together, then a short supplication before turning off the light. The simplest, reported by al-Bukhari, takes only a few words: بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا (bismika-llahumma amutu wa ahya), “in Your name, O Allah, I die and I live.” An authentic story read in a soft voice is a good way to end the day.
Going further
- The supplications before sleeping and on waking in Hisn al-Muslim.
- The chapter on sleep in Riyad as-Salihin.
- Starting the day: Morning and evening supplications.
- Read the Throne Verse before sleeping.
Questions fréquentes
Which supplication should I say before sleeping?
The Prophet ﷺ taught: “O Allah, I submit my face to You, I entrust my affair to You…”, to be said last, lying on the right side. One can also say “bismika rabbi wada‘tu janbi…” or, shorter, “bismika-llahumma amutu wa ahya”. All of them appear in the chapter “before sleeping” of Hisn al-Muslim.
Why sleep on the right side?
It is the position the Prophet ﷺ recommended in the hadith of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib, reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim. It is a sunna, not an obligation: if one changes position during the night, there is no blame.
Must one make ablution before sleeping?
It is recommended by the hadith of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib, but it is not an obligation. Whoever falls asleep without ablution commits no sin; he will make it on waking in order to pray.
How can I wake up for the fajr prayer?
Go to bed early and at a regular time, make the intention to get up, place the alarm far from the bed and help one another as a family. If you have slept through despite yourself, pray as soon as you wake.
Is it permitted to take a nap?
Yes. A short midday nap, called qaylula, was a well-known habit in Medina in the time of the Companions. It is a great help to those who get up early for fajr or the night prayer.
Mots arabes de cet article
- Sunna سنة
- The way of the Prophet ﷺ: his words, his actions and what he approved; also, a recommended act.
- Wudu’ وضوء
- Ablution: the ritual washing of the face, arms, head and feet, performed before prayer and recommended before sleeping.
- Witr وتر
- The odd-numbered night prayer, prayed after ‘isha’ and before dawn, possibly before going to sleep.
- Fitra فطرة
- The pure original nature in which Allah creates human beings; to die upon the fitra is to die in Islam.
- Fajr فجر
- The dawn, and the two-unit prayer performed between dawn and sunrise.
- Qaylula قيلولة
- The short midday nap.
Sources et références
Chaque référence a été contrôlée automatiquement : existence du verset ou du hadith, numérotation sunnah.com, degré d’authenticité selon les savants.
- Coran 25:47Vérifiéquran.com
- Coran 39:42Vérifiéquran.com
- Coran 2:255Vérifiéle Verset du Trône, récité avant de dormirquran.com
- Coran 78:9-10Vérifiéle sommeil comme repos, la nuit comme vêtementquran.com
- Sahîh al-Bukhârî n° 5063Sahîh (authentique) · al-Bukhârî et Muslim (muttafaq ‘alayh)VérifiéVoir sur sunnah.com
- Sahîh al-Bukhârî n° 6311Sahîh (authentique) · al-Bukhârî et Muslim (muttafaq ‘alayh)VérifiéVoir sur sunnah.com
- Sahîh Muslim n° 2710aSahîh (authentique) · Muslim (recueil authentique par consensus)Vérifiéversion de Muslim du hadith d’al-Barâ’ ibn ‘ÂzibVoir sur sunnah.com
- Sahîh al-Bukhârî n° 6320Sahîh (authentique) · al-Bukhârî et Muslim (muttafaq ‘alayh)VérifiéVoir sur sunnah.com
- Sahîh al-Bukhârî n° 3113Sahîh (authentique) · al-Bukhârî et Muslim (muttafaq ‘alayh)VérifiéVoir sur sunnah.com
- Sunan an-Nasâ’î n° 1Sahîh (authentique) · Abû GhuddaVérifiéVoir sur sunnah.com
- Riyâd as-Sâlihîn, chapitre sur ce que l’on dit en se couchant — an-NawawîRéférence bibliographiquesunnah.com
Dans l’application
Cet article est une synthèse pédagogique : il résume des sources vérifiées et ne constitue pas une fatwa. Les détails de pratique peuvent varier selon les écoles. Pour une situation personnelle, consultez une personne qualifiée. Signaler une erreur
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