Etiquettes towards Sleep

IDC Study Circle (Class notes) The Muslim Way www.thewayofthemuslim.wordpress.com Etiquettes towards Sleep Dates delivered: 29/11/11 Info@idc-online.org 1

Introduction The battle of Badr Prophet (peace be upon him) spent 13 years in Makkah, calling his people to Islam, to worship Allah alone. Call was in secret, then in public. o Those who believed in him were tortured, beaten, even killed. o Some fled and migrated to Abyssinia. Da wah in Ta if people rejected, insulted, threw stones at him. Blood stuck to his sandals. Again, back to Makkah and again, tortured, beaten and persecuted. Revelation - Migrate to Madeenah (The hijrah) The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, I saw in a dream that I was migrating from Makkah to a land in which there are date-palms..." (Bukhari) They migrated to Madeenah but the struggle didn t end there. Two years into the hijrah, the enemies of Islam went to battle with the Muslims in Badr. o The Muslim Army: 313 men. 2 horses. 70 camels. Some had swords but no bow and arrows. some had spears but no swords. Many had never battled before. Many were old, weak and starving. o The Mushrikeen Army: 1000 strong. 100 horsemen. A large number of camels. All fully equip with weaponry. Ibn Abbas (radhiallahu anhu) said: "The Muslims felt weak and the Shaytan cast frustration into their hearts. He whispered to them, 'You claim that you are Allah's supporters and that His Messenger is among you! However, the disbelievers have taken over the water resource from you, while you pray needing purity!' Allah blessed the Muslims with two things: (Remember) when He covered you with a slumber as a security from Him, and He caused water (rain) to descend on you from the sky, to clean you thereby and to remove from you the Rijz (whispering, evil-suggestions, etc.) of Shaitan (Satan), and to strengthen your hearts, and make your feet firm thereby. (8:11) "Allah sent down heavy rain allowing the Muslims to drink and use it for purity. Allah also removed Shaytan's whisper and made the sand firm when rain fell on it, and the Muslims walked on the sand along with their animals, until they reached the enemy" [At-Tabaree (13: 423)] First blessing the rain which made it easy for the Muslims to stand firm on the sand. Imagine this night - Tensions were mounting for one of the biggest events in history, the night before the battle that would signify the victory or defeat of Islam. Fearing that the enemy can strike at any time! 2

The night where the Prophet (peace be upon him) stood up in prayer all night, supplicating to Allah: "O Allah! I ask you the fulfillment of Your Covenant and Promise. O Allah! If You wish (to destroy the believers) You will never be worshipped after today." Second blessing - instead of being nervous, worried and unable to sleep, Allah blessed the Muslim army with a sound and refreshing sleep. Peaceful and tranquillity, removing all anxiety and fear from their hearts and mind. This is the Muslim view of sleep a great blessing from Allah. People who suffer from insomnia can t sleep! Affects their whole life. Allah says: "It is out of His Mercy that He has put for you night and day, that you may rest therein (i.e. during the night) and that you may seek of His Bounty (i.e. during the day), and in order that you may be grateful." (28:73) "and we have made your sleep as a thing for rest" (78:9) Point of benefit: Why is the night for sleep? The night is opportunities for evil and harm to take place - crimes? nightclubs? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "When the darkness of night sets in, the devils spread about" (Bukhari) Purpose behind sleep? To rest your body, help it to be refreshed and revived in order to worship Allah! Tweak your intention! A blessing, but also when we are at our most venerable. The moment we truly rely on Allah s protection as we don t have out physical body / weapon to protect ourselves. Sleep and The Soul There is a strong relationship between sleep and the soul because the Prophet (peace be upon him) described sleep as "minor death" and as a result, in it there is pleasurable rest or fear and terror. Also the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Sleep is the twin brother of death. and the people of Jannah do not sleep" (ibn Adiyy) The soul - one of the greatest puzzles! What is our soul?! The Soul (Arabic: Ruh / Nafs - means the same thing and interchangable.) 3

Allah says o Everyone agrees a living person becomes dead when the soul leaves - soul is from the unseen o It is part of us, it is responsible for life. They ask you concerning the soul. Say The soul is of the affair of my Lord and you have not been given of knwoledge except a little" (17:85) meaning we are truly incapable of comprehending the full aspects of the soul. What do know about the soul Has eyes and hands Angel "blows" the soul into the body Angel "pulls it out the body to cause death It "hides and clings to the body to evade angel of death (eyes follow it when it is taken.) It leaves the body at death It has either a good or foul smell The Angels hold it and shroud it It speaks to other souls in heaven. The body dies but the soul does not. When we sleep, the soul departs from our body and is held by Allah, who releases it when we awaken. Allah says: "It is Allah who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep. He keeps those (souls) for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a term appointed. Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply." (39:42) Ibn Abbas - "The souls of the living and of the dead meet during sleep and get acquainted as Allah wills. When they later wish to return to the bodies, Allah keeps with Him the souls of the dead, and sends the souls of the living back to their bodies." So this is temporary minor death. From the many athkaar taught by the Prophet (peace be upon him): O Allah, you created my soul and you take it away. You decide its death and living. If you keep it alive, safeguard it and if you make it die, forgive it. Praise be to Allah who resurrected us after He made us die. 4

Etiquettes before you sleep Do not delay your sleep. Not delay going to sleep after the Isha salaah unless there is some necessity (i.e. studying knowledge, guest or with one s family). Abu Barzah narrated that Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) disliked sleeping before the Isha salaah and talking after it. (Bukhari) It is not recommended to stay awake all night - even for ibadah. Why? o Goes against the sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) Narrated by Anas: "Three people came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to ask about how the Prophet worshipped. When they were told, it was as if they thought it was little and said, 'Where are we in relation to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who has been forgiven his past and future wrong actions?'" He said, "One of them said, 'I will pray all of every night.' Another said, 'I will fast all the time and not break the fast.' The other said, "I will withdraw from women and never marry.' The Messenger of Allah came to them and said, 'Are you the ones who said such-and-such? By Allah, I am the one among you with the most fear and awareness of Allah, but I fast and break the fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. Whoever disdains my sunna is not with me.'" [Agreed upon] Aisha told the Prophet (peace be upon him) about a woman who spent the whole night in worship. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "She does not sleep the whole night?! Take upon yourselves only deeds that you can (consistently) maintain, by Allah, Allah is never bored until you are bored" (Bukhari) (i.e. Allah never stops accepting deeds but you might get bored by your heavy worship) When would the Prophet wake up for worship in the night? The middle of the night or as narrated by A isha: Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) used to sleep in the early part of the night and wake up during its last part (Bukhari) The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the night remains and says: Who will call upon Me, that I may answer Him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness, that I may forgive him? (Bukhari and Muslim) 5

Be in a state of wudhu before going to bed. Al-Bara bin Azib reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) told him "When you go to bed, perform wudhu, the same as the wudhu for salaah" (Bukhari) The benefit: Provided with angels who remain in their company throughout the night, asking Allah to forgive them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "When a person goes to sleep with taharah, an angel stays in his covers. If he wakes up at any time of the night, the angel says, "Oh Allah forgive your servant because he slept with taharah" (Ibn Hibbaan) This does not mean a person may not go to sleep (or invoke Allah) without wudhu or in a state of uncleanliness (janabah) o Aisha: While he was junub, Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) would sometimes sleep without touching any water - until he would later get up and perform ghusl (Abu Dawud) o Permissibility - but better to be in full taharah. Dust off the bed Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: When one of you goes to his bed, let him dust off his bed with the inside of his lower garment, for he does not know what came onto it after he left it. (Bukhari and Muslim) Lying on the right side Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) said to Al-Bara: "When you come to your bed, make wudhu, the same as the wudhu for salaah. Then lie down on your right side (Bukhari) Abu Tharr reported: When the Prophet (peace be upon him) went to bed, he would put his hand under his right cheek (Abu Dawud) Narrations indicate a recommendation to the right side, more specifically, to fall asleep while lying on the right side. However it is permissible to change to the left side afterwards. Jabil bin Samurah said: "I saw Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) reclining on a pillow, lying on his left side. (Abu Dawud) 6

The sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was the right side - so if a person does it, tweaking intention to follow the Messenger (peace be upon him), then they will be rewarded. It is also permissible to lie down or sleep on the back. Abdullah bin Zayd said: "I saw Allah's messenger in the Masjid, lying back, and placing one of his feet over the other" (Bukhari) Impermissible if it exposes ones awrah. (side point: even when sleeping, it is incumbent to keep the awrah covered) Not lying on the stomach Prohibited to sleep face-down on the stomach. Allah dislikes it. Allah hates it. Takhfah ibn Qays al-ghifaari said: When I was lying on my stomach in the mosque just before dawn, a man nudged me with his foot and said: This manner of lying is hated by Allaah. I looked and saw that it was the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: It is the way of lying down (sleeping) of the People of the Fire (Ibn Majah) Exalt/praise the name of Allah highly! A good time to remember Allah. It's a set-time where you can do some dhikr. It provides protection through the night and makes you feel close to Allah. If you're not sleeping on dhikr, then you must've done something wrong before you sleep! Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Whenever a person goes to sleep without exhalting Allah, that will be a source of regret for him on the day of recurrection. and whenever a person sits in a sitting in which he does not exhalt Allah, that will be a source of regret for him on the day of recurrection. (Abu Dawud) Shaytaan tries hard to make us sleep without saying it. Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Shaytan comes to a person when he is ready to sleep and makes him fall asleep before he finishes saying them (the athkar) (Abu Dawud) 7

Before sleeping to read from the Qur an Ayatul Kursi Nothing better! Long hadith where Abu Hurayrah was appointed as a guard for the food collected for zakatul-fitr. One three consecutive nights he cause a seemingly poor person trying to steal the food. He decided he was going to take him to the Prophet (peace be upon him) but the person promised to teach him something very useful if he let him go. Abu Hurayrah agreed and the person told him "When you go to bed, recite Ayatul Kursi. Allah will then set a protector over you, and no devil would approach you until the morning. In the morning Abu Hurayrah told the Prophet (peace be upon him), who told him: Indeed he told you the truth - even though he is a liar. Do you know who you have been speaking to these three nights? That was Shaytaan." (Bukhari) Surah Kafiroon The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: When you go to bed at night, recite "Qul yaa ayyuhal kafirun" and go to sleep while saying the last part of it. That is indeed a freedom from shirk" (Ahmad) Last three surahs The Prophet (peace be upon him) told Uqbah bin Amir: O Uqbah bin Amir, should i not teach you surahs that nothing similar to them was revealed in the Tawrah, Zabur, Ibjeel? They are "Qul huallahu ahad, Qul aoothobl falaq, Qul aoothobi rabb-in-naas". Let not a night come upon you and you fo to bed without reciting them" (Ahmad) Best to repeat these surahs three times, each time bringing hands together, reciting them while breathing into the hands, and then wiping them over the face & body. o Prophet (peace be upon him) did this, even during his final illness. Before sleeping to read from the hadeeth SubhaanAllah x33, Alhamdulillah x33, Allahu Akbar x34. Hadith in which Fatimah asked Allah's messenger (peace be upon him) for a servant to help them in the house, He said, "Shall I direct you to something better than what you have requested? When you go to bed say 'Subhan Allah' thirty-three times, 'Alhamdulillah' thirty three times, and Allahu Akbar' thirty four times, for that is better for you than a servant." (READ ARTICLE ON THE BLOG: DUA BEFORE SLEEPING) 8

During sleep - Waking up in the night. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If one wakes up during the night and says "Whoever wakes up at night and says: 'La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul mulku wa-lahul-hamdu wa-huwa ala kulli shay'in qadir. Wa-subhan allahi wal-hamdu lillahi wa-la ilaha ilallallahu wallahu akbaru, wa-la hawla wa-la quwwata illa billah' and then says: Rabb igfir li - My Lord! Forgive me. Anyone who says this and supplicates, he will be answered, and if he makes wudhu and prays, his prayer will be accepted. [Sahih al-bukhari] What may wake a person during the sleep is nightmares. Dreams and nightmares Dream - vision that a person sees during their sleep. The Prophet (peace be upon him): Dreams are of three types: a dream from Allaah, a dream which causes distress and which comes from the Shaytaan, and a dream which comes from what a person thinks about when he is awake, and he sees it when he is asleep. (Muslim) Some truthful, sublime - granted by Allah, support and reassure the believer, or a warning, reprimanding them for his wrongdoings, etc. The Prophet (peace be upon him): True dreams are one of the forty-six parts of Prophethood. (Bukhari) (Dreams marked the onset of revelation - Bukhari) Such dreams are attributed to Allah - and Allah is the creator of all things - because they are truth and good dreams. Other dreams are false, unpleasant, mix truth with falsehood, frighten people during sleep or even while awake. o Such dreams are whispered by Shaytaan so they are attributed to shaytaan. Allah creates all things, including dreams - so our etiquette towards Allah we attribute all the good things to Him and there is a wisdom and benefit in what may appear or perceived to be evil. and even though shaytaan didn't create dreams, they are attributed to him. (READ ARTICLE ON THE BLOG: WHY IS THERE EVIL IN THE WORLD) Shaytaan plays a role in dreams - attributing bad dreams to shaytaan because: o He initiates bad and hateful thoughts and insinuates them into people's thoughts in dream form. o He likes and approves bad dreams and evil thoughts. o Bad dreams conform to his evil nature. 9

In addition to the terrifying dreams, the absurd are also caused by shaytaan. o Jabir ibn Abdillah: A bedouin came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said "I saw in my dream that my throat was cut and my head fell off and rolled away. I chased after it, retrieved it and put it back in it's place. The Prophet (peace be upon him) smiled and said: "When satan makes fun of you during your sleep, do not tell people about it." (Muslim) Correct etiquette for nightmares Remember that Shaytaan is restricted by Allah's permission and wisdom. So one should turn to Allah when they feel like this: The Prophet (peace be upon him): A good dream is from Allah and a bad dream is from Shaytan. When one of you has a good dream, let him expect good and avoid relating it except to those whome he likes. and when he has a dream and dislikes any part of it, let him seek Allah's protection from its evil and from Shaytaan's evil, let him lightly spir - three times - on his left side and avoid relating it to anyone. Indeed it will then not harm him" (Bukhari) Abu Sa eed al-khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If any one of you sees a dream that he likes, this is from Allaah, so let him praise Allaah for it and talk about it to others. If he sees other than that, a dream that he dislikes, this is from the Shaytaan, so let him seek refuge with Allaah from its evil and not mention it to anyone, for it will not harm him. (Bukhari and Muslim). From the three types of dreams we mentioned o Truthful dreams - inspired by angels from Allah o Terrifying dreams - whisperings of shaytaan o Mixed up - dreamers thoughts, concerns etc. Second and third categories are meaningless because they have no useful interpretations. Good Dreams Should be believed that it is a truthful dream and is a part of prophethood. Kindness from Allah and should increase us in faith. Can even be seen by a nonbeliever or sinner (i.e. King of Egypt & Yusuf's two prison mates.) Pleasant, forewarning, admonishing Nightmares No meanings or interpretations. They are just to frighten, disturb, depress or worry people. Ibn Hajar - "invoking Allah's protection, turning over to the other side and rising for prayer - these may help in warding off the harm that an unpleasant dream has" 10

Even if it was a truthful dream - you've lessened the harm by supplicating to Allah if you follow these steps: o seeking Allah's protection o spitting or blowing on the left side o praying! Etiquettes after sleeping The waking up refers to the fajr salaah. o The shortest, but the hardest salaah! (in my opinion) Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "During your sleep, Satan knots three knots at the back of the head of each of you, and he breathes the following words at each knot, 'The night is, long, so keep on sleeping,' If that person wakes up and celebrates the praises of Allah, then one knot is undone, and when he performs ablution the second knot is undone, and when he prays, all the knots are undone, and he gets up in the morning lively and gay, otherwise he gets up dull and gloomy." (Bukhari) In addition to his knots, Shaytaan makes a person deaf to the call to prayer by urinating in their ear. 'In the presence of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), a man who slept at night until morning was mentioned. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: That is such a man on whose ears- or -on whose ear the Satan urinated. (Bukhari) Fajr Tips! Aishah mentioned, When the Prophet (peace be upon him) would get up for Fajr, he would jump out of his bed. (SEE FACEBOOK GROUP THE MUSLIM WAY FOR GROUP FAJR TIPS: www.facebook.com/groups/thewayofthemuslim/) Point of benefit: (Etiquettes of Masjid) The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: When any one of you has prayed two rak ahs of Fajr, let him lie down on his right side. (Narrated by Abu Dawood) Other points of benefit Sleep invalidates wudhu (the deep sleep) Mu aawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 11

The eye is the string that ties the anal sphincter; when the eyes sleep, the string is loosened. (Ahmad) (NOTE: the isnaad has some weakness but there are corroborating reports that support it, so it is counted as Hasan) Feeling drowsy does not invalidate wudhu because it does not cause loss of awareness. Recommended reading The Dreamer's Handbook : Sleep Etiquette and Dream Interpretation In Light of the Sunnah Muhammad Mustafa al Jibaly ISBN: 1891229109 Publisher: Al-Kitaab and As-Sunnah Publishing (Kitab and Sunnah) 2006 12