Intentions for sleep

  • 1 Sleep is a blessing which Allah, glory be to him, granted to his servants for their comfort and as a pause for their deeds. It is one of his signs and miracles, glory be to him.

    Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ):

    { And of His signs is your sleep by night and day and your seeking of His bounty. Indeed in that are signs for a people who listen. }

    Quran ( 30 : 23 )

  • 2 One shall intend to strengthen his body through sleeping so that he can worship Allah

     Allah made sleep a rest so that one can stand up for performing the prayer. The lack of sleeping results in the inability to worship Allah. Please consider this story

    The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) made a bond of brotherhood between Salman and Abu Ad-Darda. Salman went to visit Abu Ad-Darda, and saw Umm Ad-Darda wearing shabby clothes, So he said:

    'Why are you wearing such shabby clothes?' She said: 'Your brother Abu Ad-Darda has no interest in the world.' So when Abu Ad-Darda arrived, he prepared some food for him (Salman) and said: 'Eat, for I am fasting.' He said: 'I shall not eat until you eat.'" He said: "So he ate. When night came Abu Ad-Darda started to leave and stand (in prayer), but Salman said to him: 'Sleep.' So he slept. Then he went to stand (in prayer) but he said to him: 'Sleep'. So he slept. When the morning (Fajr) came,Salman said: 'Get up now. 'So he got up to perform Salat. Then he (Salman) said: 'Indeed yourself has a right upon you, your Lord has a right upon you, your guest has a right upon you, and your family has a right upon you. So give each the right they are due. The Prophet (  may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ), and that was mentioned to him, so he said: 'Salman has told the truth.'"

    [ Jami` at-Tirmidhi ]


    The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) confirmed the same meaning for `Abdullah bin `Amr ( may Allah be pleased with him ): Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr ( may Allah be pleased with him ):

    Allah's Messenger ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) entered upon me and said, "Have I not been informed that you offer prayer all the night and fast the whole day?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Do not do so; Offer prayer at night and also sleep; Fast for a few days and give up fasting for a few days because your body has a right on you, and your eye has a right on you, and your guest has a right on you, and your wife has a right on you.


  • 3 To rest in order to be able to get up at night, pray Fajr, and continue working the next day

    Without sleep, one cannot get up, so sleep has the same ruling of previously mentioned acts of worship, as the thing without which the acts of worship are not accomplished, takes the same ruling of the same acts of worship.

  • 4 To respond to the command of the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him )

    Abu Hurairah ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported:

    The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said, "A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak one, and both are good. Adhere to that which is beneficial for you. Keep asking Allah for help and do not refrain from it. If you are afflicted in any way, do not say: 'If I had taken this or that step, it would have resulted into such and such,' but say only: 'Allah so determined and did as He willed.' The word 'if' opens the gates of satanic thoughts".

    [ Muslim ].

  • 5 To respond to the command of the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him )

    Abu Hurairah ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported:

    The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said, "A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak one, and both are good. Adhere to that which is beneficial for you. Keep asking Allah for help and do not refrain from it. If you are afflicted in any way, do not say: 'If I had taken this or that step, it would have resulted into such and such,' but say only: 'Allah so determined and did as He willed.' The word 'if' opens the gates of satanic thoughts".

    [ Muslim ].

    Sleeping has many benefits, it rebuilds the body and activates the mind.

  • 6 To abstain from what the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) prohibited

    It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbas that the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him )  said:

    “There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm.”

    Lack of sleep or staying up for long periods of time has a profound effect on a person’s health, making him absent-minded, weak, and pale.

  • 7 To rest and abstain from working for sometime, this is in conformity with the natural disposition

    Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ):

    { And made your sleep [a means for] rest }

    Quran ( 78 : 9 )

  • 8 Renewing the power after laxity, for doing other deeds. This helps the Muslim to improve the righteous deeds, as Allah, glory be to him, loves good deeds, not the inferior deeds even if they

    Allah said ( interpretation of the meaning ):

    {  [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving -  }

    Quran ( 67 : 2 )

  • 9 To apply the Prophetic traditions pertaining to sleeping. This entails obtaining lots of rewards

    Farwah bin Nawfal quoted his father as saying that the Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said to Nawfal (his father):

    Recite (the Surah) 'Say, O you disbelievers Quran 109' and then go to sleep at its end, for it is a declaration of freedom from polytheism.

    [ Sunan Abi Dawud ]


    Abu Hurairah ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported: The Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said,

    "When any of you goes to bed, he should shake off (or dust off) his bedsheet because he does not know what might have fallen on it after he had left it. Then he should recite: 'Bismika Rabbi wada'tu janbi, wa bika arfa'uhu, in amsakta nafsi farhamha, wa in arsaltaha fahfazha bima tahfazu bihi 'ibadakas-salihin [With Your Name, my Rubb, I place my side (upon the bed) and with Your Grace I will raise it up. If You withhold my soul (cause me to die), have mercy on it but if You let it go (let me live), guard it against which You guarded Your pious slaves]."'

    [ Al- Bukhari and Muslim ].


    Anas ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported:

    Whenever the Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) went to his bed, he would say: "Al-hamdu lillah-illadhi at'amana wa saqana, wa kafana wa awana, fakam mimman la kafiya lahu wa la mu'wiya (Praise is due to Allah Who has fed us, provided us drink, satisfied us and gave us protection. Many are those who have no one to provide for them, or give them shelter)."

    [ Muslim ].



    Al-Bara' ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported:

    Whenever we performed Salat behind the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ), we liked to be on his right side so that his face might turn towards us (at the end of the Salat). One day, I heard the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) supplicating, "O my Lord! Shield me from Your Torment on the Day when You will gather (or said, 'resurrect') Your slaves."

    [ Muslim ].


    Abu Hurairah ( May Allah be pleased with him ) reported: Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said,

    "If anyone sits in a gathering where he does not remember Allah, he will bring grief upon himself (on the Day of Resurrection), and he who lies down in a place where he does not remember Allah, will bring grief upon himself (on the Day of Resurrection)."

    [ Abu Dawud ].



  • 10 To have the intention to wake up for the night prayer


    It was narrated from Abu Ad-Darda' that the Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said:

    "Whoever goes to his bed intending to get up and pray qiyam at night, then sleep overwhelms him until morning, will have recorded that which he intended and his sleep is a charity given to him by his Lord, the Mighty and Sublime."

    [ Sunan an-Nasa'I ]

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