50. Sleeping and going to bed

50. Sleeping and going to bed

chapter 575. What to say when you go to bed

1205. Hudhayfa said, “When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, wanted to go to sleep, he said, ‘By Your Name, O Allah, I die and live.’ When he woke up, he said, ‘Praise be to Allah who gave us life after He made us die, and to Him is the gathering.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The hadeeth proves that sleep is a form of death, and that even when we wake up from sleep; our final return is to Allah. Therefore, as we live by His Name, we should conduct our lives according to His dictates.

1206. Anas said, “When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went to bed, he said, ‘Praise be to Allah who has given us food and drink, and given us enough and given us refuge. How many people have neither enough nor refuge!'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1207. Jabir said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not sleep until he had recited, ‘Alif-Lam-Mim. The Sending-down’ (32) and ‘Blessed is the One in whose hand the kingdom is’ (67).'” Abu’z-Zubayr (the transmitter) observed, “They are better than every sura in the Qur’an to the amount of seventy good deeds. Anyone who recites them will have seventy good actions written for him, will be raised seventy degrees by it, and will have seventy errors falls from him.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The statement is only authentically related from Abu az-Zubayr al-Makkee (rahimahullah). However, reading the two chapters before bed is an established Sunnah.

1208. ‘Abdullah said, “Going to sleep during dhikr comes from Shaytan. if you like, you can put it to the test. When one of you goes to bed and wants to go to sleep. he should mention Allah Almighty.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Shaytan is an avowed enemy of man; he tries hard to interrupt and prevent him from giving obedience to Allah the most High. So, one should be conscious while giving remembrance of Allah especially in the evenings after the day’s toil, before going to bed. 1. The formulas will be 150 on the tongue when we say them as mentioned during the five daily obligatory prayers. 2. The hadeeth shows that deeds are rewarded in manifolds. 3. It encourages sitting calmly in the mosque after the obligatory prayers and basically discourages hastily leaving the mosque. 4. The Sunnah is to count the fingers of the right hand during remembrance of Allah the Exalted. If there were any other permissible means, the Prophetﷺ would have practised such. 5. Shaytan is really our enemy; we should be wary of him at all times and seek Allah’s protection from his traps and webs

1209. Jabir said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not go to sleep until he had recited ‘Blessed’ (67) and ‘Alif-Lam-Mim. The Sending-down’ (32).”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1210. Abu Hurayra said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘When one of you goes to bed, he should undo the inside of his lower garment and dust the bed with it. He does not know what has come on his bed since he left it. He should lie down on his right side and say, ‘In Your Name I have laid down on my side. If You take my soul, then have mercy on it. If You release it, then preserve it in the manner in which You preserve the men of right action.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1211. Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib said, “When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went to bed, he laid down on his right side. Then he said, ‘O Allah, I have turned my face to You and I have surrendered my self to You and I have committed my back to You out of fear and desire for You. There is no place of safety or refuge from You except with You. I have believed in Your book which You revealed and Your Prophet whom You sent.’ He said, ‘Whoever says it at night and then dies, dies in fitra (natural state).'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: As for the expression, “alja’tu Zahree ilayk, I have committed my back to you”, it means: I rely on You in all my affairs, so that You help me in what is beneficial to me.

1212. Abu Hurayra said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say when he went to bed, ‘O Allah, Lord of the heavens and the earth, and Lord of all things, Splitter of the grain and seeds, the One who sent down the Torah, the Gospel and the Qur’an! I seek refuge with You from every evil. You take by the forelock. You are the Outward, and there is nothing above You. You are the Inward and there is nothing below You. Pay my debts for me and keep me safe from poverty.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The hadeeth contains points of benefit, including: 1. From the recommended manners of supplication is to ask Allah by His Ruboobiyyah (Lordship). 2. The Taoraah was a revealed book from Allah the Exalted. 3. It shows that from Allah’s Names are: Al-Awwal, al-Aakhir, az-Zaahir and al-Baatin, and gives their meanings. 4. It shows that Allah is above His creatures and is not dependent on them. 5. It encourages seeking refuge from the evils of the soul. 6. It is appropriate to ask Allah for sufficiency and sustenance. 7. It is allowed to seek the means towards lawful earning and settling one’s debts. 8. Poverty leads to great evils; so the Prophetﷺ asked Allah’s protection from poverty. We seek Allah’s protection from poverty.

chapter 576. The excellence of making supplication when going to sleep

1213. See 1211.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: As for the expression, “alja’tu Zahree ilayk, I have committed my back to you”, it means: I rely on You in all my affairs, so that You help me in what is beneficial to me.

1214. Jabir said, “When a man enters his house or goes to bed, an angel and shaytan hasten to him. The angel says, ‘Seal it with good!’ The Shaytan says, ‘Seal it with evil.’ If he praises Allah and remembers Him, he chases the shaytan away and spends the night with him guarding him. When he wakes up, the angel and shaytan hasten to him and say the same thing. If he mentions Allah and says, ‘Praise be to Allah, who keeps firm hold of the heavens and earth, preventing them from vanishing away. And if they vanished no one could then keep hold of them. Certainly He is Most Forbearing, Ever-Forgiving.’ (35:41) Praise be to Allah who holds back the sky preventing it from falling on the earth, except by His permission. Allah is All-Compassionate to mankind, Most Merciful ‘ (22:63) If he dies, he dies a martyr, If he gets up and prays, he prays in virtue.'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 577. Placing one’s hand under his cheek

1215. Al-Bara’ said, “When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, wanted to go to sleep, he put his hand under his right cheek and said, ‘O Allah, protect me from Your punishment on the Day you raise up Your slaves.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: It demonstrates the following etiquettes of sleeping: lying on the right side, placing the right hand under the right cheek and supplicating. As for the various formulas, one could say any of them or combine them. The supplications before sleep remind about death and resurrection. We ask Allah’s protection from His wrath. While commenting on this narration, Imam Al-Albaanee (rahimahullah) said, “As for the addition: ‘three times’, it is Munkar (strange) or Shaadh (irregular)…”

chapter 578. Chapter

1216. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “If a Muslim man persists in two actions, he will enter the Garden. They are easy, but those who do them are few.’ He was asked, ‘What are they, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ He said, ‘That you say “Allahu akbar” ten times, “al-hamdu lillah” ten times, and “Subhana’llah” ten times after every prayer. That is 150 on the tongue and 1500 in the balance.’ I saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, counting them with his hand. Then he said, ‘When you go to bed, you should say, “Subhana’llah”, “al-hamdu lillah”, and “Allahu akbar” . That is 100 on the tongue and 1000 in the balance. Who among you can do 2500 bad actions morning and night?’ He was asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, how is it that they are not counted?’ He said, ‘Shaytan comes to one of you while he is praying and reminds him of something he has to do such-and-such and such-and-such, so he does not remember to do it.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The formulas will be 150 on the tongue when we say them as mentioned during the five daily obligatory prayers. 2. The hadeeth shows that deeds are rewarded in manifolds. 3. It encourages sitting calmly in the mosque after the obligatory prayers and basically discourages hastily leaving the mosque. 4. The Sunnah is to count the fingers of the right hand during remembrance of Allah the Exalted. If there were any other permissible means, the Prophetﷺ would have practised such. 5. Shaytan is really our enemy; we should be wary of him at all times and seek Allah’s protection from his traps and webs.

chapter 579. When someone gets up from his bed and then goes back to it, he should dust it

1217. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When one of you goes to bed, he should dust his bed with the inside of his lower garment. he should say, ‘In the Name of Allah.’ He does not know what might have come on it after he left it. If he wants to lie down, he should lie down on his right side and say, ‘Glory be to You, my Lord, I have laid down on my side by You and I raise it up by You. If you take my soul, then forgive it. If you release it, then guard over it as You guard over Your righteous slaves.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

chapter 580. What to say when you wake up in the night

1218. Rabi’a ibn Ka’b related, “I used to spend the night at the door of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and I would give him his wudu’ water.” He said, “After a long period of the night had passed, I heard him say, ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him,’ and I heard him say after a long period of the night had passed, ‘Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: It encourages saying these formulas when one wakes up during the night.

chapter 581. Someone who goes to sleep with grease on his hand

1219. Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever goes to sleep with grease on his hand before washing it off and is afflicted by something should not blame anyone except himself.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Since he was negligent about cleaning his hands properly after food, he should only blame himself for the repercussions of his negligence.

1220. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Anyone who spends the night with grease on his hand and is afflicted by something should not blame anyone but himself.”
Commentary: As No. 1219, from Abū Hurayra, with a different isnād.

chapter 582. Putting lamps out

1221. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Lock the doors, tie the water-skins, turn over the vessels, cover the vessels, and put out the lamps. Shaytan does not open a locked door, nor untie a water-skin, nor uncover a vessel. A mouse can cause a house to burn down with its inhabitants inside it.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1222. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “A mouse came and began to drag the wick. The slavegirl moved to stop it. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Leave it.’ The mouse brought the wick and put it on the mat where he was sitting. It burned a hole in it the size of a dirham. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘When you go to sleep, put out the lights. Shaytan guides things like this and then they burn you.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Apparently, since the mouse would drag the wick and set the house ablaze, the Prophetﷺ prohibited going to sleep while the fire burns either from the wick or anything like it. Thus, the order to put out fire in a room before going to sleep may not be related to present-day electric lamps if the possibility of electric surges that cause appliances to catch fire is remote.

1223. Abu Sa’id said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, woke up one night and found that a mouse had taken the wick and climbed onto the roof with it to burn the house down over them. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, cursed it and it became lawful to kill it in the Haram.”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 583. A fire should not be left burning in the house when people go to sleep

1224. Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Do not leave the fire burning in your house when you go to sleep.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1225. ‘Umar said, “Fire is an enemy, so beware of it.” He used to go around an put out the fires of his family before he went to sleep at night.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1226. Ibn ‘Umar heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, “Do not leave a fire burning in your houses. It is an enemy.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1227. Abu Musa said, “A house in Madina burned down with its inhabitants during the night. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was informed about that and said, ‘Fire is your enemy. When you go to sleep, put out the fires.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Apparently, since the mouse would drag the wick and set the house ablaze, the Prophetﷺ prohibited going to sleep while the fire burns either from the wick or anything like it. Thus, the order to put out fire in a room before going to sleep may not be related to present-day electric lamps if the possibility of electric surges that cause appliances to catch fire is remote.

chapter 584. Seeing the Blessing of Rain

1228. Abu Mulayka related that when it rained, Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Slavegirl! Bring out my saddle and bring my garment. Allah says, ‘We sent down blessed water from the sky. ‘ (50:9)”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Imam An-Nawawee (الله رحمه (explained, “It forms an evidence for the view of our scholars that it is recommended during the first rain to expose other than our Awrah (parts of the body prohibited to be seen by other people) so that the rain touches it. It also proves that when the subordinate sees something from the superior which he does not know, he should ask him so as to know it, act upon it and teach others too.” The hadeeth also encourages craving for whatever is good and beneficial. It is evidence for the fact Allah the Mighty and Sublime is above His creatures.

chapter 585. Hanging up a whip in the room

1229. Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded that whips be hung up in houses.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The narration exhorts towards teaching and enforcing Islamic morals in the household. The whip would indicate that discipline will be ensured at all times within the limits of the Sharee’ah. In a similar narration collected by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad it says, “Do not leave them without the whip by way of discipline. Make them be conscious of Allah.” (Ahmad)

chapter 586. Locking the door at night

1230. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Beware of conversing after the night is still. None of you knows what creatures Allah will send, so lock your doors, tie up the water-skins, cover vessels and put out the lamps.”
Grade: Hasan (Sound)
Commentary: As regards the word, “as-Samar”, translated here as ‘conversing’, Imam Al-Albaanee (rahimahullah) clarified that the correct word is rather, as-Sayr, ‘walking around’ as the context shows and as is indicated in other versions of the hadeeth. See hadeeth no. 1233. However, the point of reference in this hadeeth vis-a-vis the chapter heading is that the doors of the house must be shut up before bed

chapter 587. Bringing children inside when evening falls

1231. Jabir reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Keep children in until the evening has completely fallen. That time is the hour when the shaytans come out.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)