The Door To A Peaceful Night: Supplications For Sleep From The Prophet’s Tongue

That moment when we lay our heads on the pillow, with all the fatigue of the day settled upon our shoulders, is not just a moment of rest, but also a moment of surrender. After a long day, we release ourselves into the silence of the night and the infinite mercy of our Lord. But is it possible to make these precious moments more meaningful, more peaceful, and more secure?

Absolutely. Our guide, the Sultan of Hearts, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), has left us a priceless legacy of supplications that act as a spiritual shield and soothe our souls before we sleep, just as he did for every moment of life. These supplications are not merely words; they are a refuge, a submission, and the most sincere expression of our devotion to Him.

Tonight, as we lie in our beds, let’s follow in the footsteps of the Prophet to turn our night into light and our sleep into tranquility.

The First Supplication Upon Getting Into Bed

When the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) went to bed, he would turn onto his right side, place his right hand under his right cheek, and as the first whisper of the night, he would say these words. This is akin to breathing one’s last breath of the day in His name and intending to take the first breath of a new day, again, in His name.

بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ أَحْيَا وَأَمُوتُ

Transliteration: Bismika, Allāhumma amūtu wa aḥyā.

Meaning: In Your name, O Allah, I die (sleep) and I live (wake up).

One Who Performs Ablution And Goes To Bed Enters Paradise

In another piece of advice, our Prophet (pbuh) emphasizes the importance of spiritual purification. He gives the glad tidings that one who performs ablution (wudu), as if for prayer, before going to bed and then recites the following supplication will die upon faith if they pass away that night. This prayer should be the last words of the night, the final plea of the heart.

اللَّهُمَّ أسْلَمْتُ نَفْسِي إلَيْكَ، ووَجَّهْتُ وجْهِي إلَيْكَ، وفَوَّضْتُ أمْرِي إلَيْكَ، وأَلْجَأْتُ ظَهْرِي إلَيْكَ، رَغْبَةً ورَهْبَةً إلَيْكَ، لا مَلْجَأَ ولا مَنْجا مِنْكَ إلَّا إلَيْكَ، آمَنْتُ بكِتابِكَ الذي أنْزَلْتَ، وبِنَبِيِّكَ الذي أرْسَلْتَ¹

Transliteration: Allāhumma aslamtu nafsī ilayk, wa wajjahtu wajhī ilayk, wa fawwaḍtu amrī ilayk, wa alja’tu ẓahrī ilayk, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilayk, lā malja’a wa lā manjā minka illā ilayk. Āmantu bi-kitābikal-ladhī anzalt, wa bi-nabiyyikal-ladhī arsalt.

Meaning: O Allah! I have submitted myself to You, I have turned my face to You, I have entrusted my affairs to You, and I have relied on You for support, in hope and fear of You. There is no refuge and no escape from You except to You. I have believed in Your Book that You have revealed and in Your Prophet that You have sent.

The Nightly Remembrance: A Spiritual Treasure Recited 33 Times

Before sleep, it is possible to purify the heart and rest the soul not only with supplication but also with the remembrance of Allah (dhikr). The Prophet mentioned the virtue of reciting the following three phrases 33 times each when we go to our beds or retire to rest:

• 33 times “Subḥānallāh” (Glory is to Allah)
• 33 times “Alḥamdulillāh” (Praise is to Allah)
• 33 times “Allāhu Akbar” (Allah is the Greatest)

This remembrance is the sweetest way to occupy our tongues and hearts with the most beautiful words as we take account of our day.

A Supplication For Protection Narrated By Bukhari And Muslim

Just as our Prophet taught us to be cautious in our daily lives, he also teaches us both material and spiritual precaution when going to sleep. He advises us to dust our beds with the edge of our clothes before getting in, as we do not know what may have entered it after we left, and then he recommends we recite the following supplication:

بِاسْمِكَ رَبِّ وَضَعْتُ جَنْبِي وَبِكَ أَرْفَعُهُ إِنْ أَمْسَكْتَ نَفْسِي فَارْحَمْهَا وَإِنْ أَرْسَلْتَهَا فَاحْفَظْهَا بِمَا تَحْفَظُ بِهِ عِبَادَكَ الصَّالِحِينَ

Transliteration: Bismika Rabbī, waḍaʿtu janbī, wa bika arfaʿuh, in amsakta nafsī farḥamhā, wa in arsaltahā faḥfaẓhā bimā taḥfaẓu bihi ʿibādakaṣ-ṣāliḥīn.

Meaning: In Your name, my Lord, I lay my side down, and in Your name, I raise it. If You take my soul, then have mercy on it, and if You release it, then protect it with that which You protect Your righteous servants!

The Protective Chapters And The Prophet’s Personal Dua

According to narrations, when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) went to bed, he would recite Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah Al-Falaq, and Surah An-Nas (known collectively as Al-Mu’awwidhat), blow into his palms, and then wipe his hands over as much of his body as he could reach. This is a spiritual armor he taught us, protecting against all kinds of evil.

Furthermore, when he wanted to sleep, he would place his right hand under his cheek and supplicate:

اللَّهُمَّ قِني عَذَابَكَ يَوْمَ تَبْعَثُ عِبَادَكَ

Transliteration: Allāhumma qinī ʿadhābaka yawma tabʿathu ʿibādak.

Meaning: O Allah! Protect me from Your punishment on the day You resurrect Your servants.

The Supplication Of Gratitude Upon Waking

After spending the night under the infinite protection of our Lord, starting the new day with praise to Him is the first door to the day’s blessings. Upon waking from sleep, one should say:

الْـحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أمَاتَنَا وإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

Transliteration: Alḥamdu lillāhil-ladhī aḥyānā baʿda mā amātanā wa ilayhin-nushūr.

Meaning: All praise is for Allah who gave us life after having taken it from us (in sleep) and unto Him is the resurrection.

Final Word

As we can see, the state of sleep, in which we spend a third of our lives, is a precious opportunity that can be consciously transformed into worship and spiritual purification. These supplications and remembrances, which take only a few minutes, not only make our nights peaceful but also bring us closer to our Lord. Tonight, how about reviving this beautiful tradition (Sunnah) of the Prophet to turn your night into light and your morning into goodness?

May Allah make your night blessed, your sleep peaceful, and your morning auspicious.

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Bibliography

• Al-Bukhārī, Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl. al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ. Riyadh: Darussalam, 1997.
• Muslim, ibn al-Ḥajjāj. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. Beirut: Dār Ibn Ḥazm, 2003.
• Al-Tirmidhī, Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā. Sunan al-Tirmidhī. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1994.
• Al-Ghazālī, Abū Ḥāmid. Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn (The Revival of the Religious Sciences). Cairo: Dār al-Ḥadīth, 2004. (Can be consulted for supplementary information on the wisdom of spirituality and supplications.)