3 supplications
Duas When Waking Up
The first words of the day are a word of thanks: Allah returned our soul after sleep, which the Qur’an calls the “lesser death” (39:42).
Praise be to Allah who gave us life
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ
Al-hamdu lillahil-ladhi ahyana ba‘da ma amatana wa ilayhin-nushur.
Praise be to Allah who gave us life after He caused us to die, and to Him is the resurrection.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari
On waking during the night
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي
La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir. Al-hamdu lillah, wa subhanallah, wa la ilaha illallah, wallahu akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. Allahummaghfir li.
None has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone… Praise be to Allah, glory be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah. O Allah, forgive me. Whoever says it and then prays, his prayer is accepted.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari
After a bad dream×3
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
A‘udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim.
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the accursed. Spit lightly to the left three times, seek refuge from Shaytan and from the evil of the dream, turn onto the other side, and do not tell anyone about it: it will not harm you.
Source: Sahih Muslim
The Sunnah on waking up
- Wipe the traces of sleep from your face with your hands and say the dua of waking.
- Clean your teeth: when the Prophet ﷺ got up at night he cleaned his mouth with the siwak (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
- Wash your hands three times before putting them into a vessel, “for none of you knows where his hand spent the night” (Muslim).
- Rinse your nose three times when you make wudu, as the Prophet ﷺ advised on waking (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
- If you wake at night, recite the last ten verses of Surah Al ‘Imran (3:190-200), as the Prophet ﷺ did (al-Bukhari).
Satan ties three knots at the back of the head of a sleeper: one is undone when he remembers Allah, the second when he makes wudu and the third when he prays, and he wakes up lively and in good spirits (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
Meaning of the waking du‘a
“Praise be to Allah who gave us life after He had caused us to die, and to Him is the resurrection.” Sleep is called a minor death in the Qur’an: “Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die during their sleep” (39:42). Each morning is therefore a new life granted by Allah, and the believer begins it with praise and with the reminder of the final return to Him.
For dreams, the Prophet ﷺ taught: a good dream is from Allah, so praise Him and tell it only to those you love; a bad dream is from Satan, so spit lightly to the left three times, seek refuge in Allah from its evil, turn onto the other side and tell nobody, and it will not harm you (al-Bukhari, Muslim).
The benefit of remembrance on waking
Whoever begins the day by remembering Allah has one of Satan’s three knots undone; with wudu the second is undone, and with prayer the third, so he wakes up lively and in good spirits (al-Bukhari, Muslim). Make praise of Allah the first words on your tongue each day, before your hand reaches for the phone or the worries of the day take hold.
Practical tips for the first minutes of the day
- Keep a glass of water and your siwak or toothbrush near the bed.
- Say the waking du‘a before reaching for your phone.
- Set the alarm early enough to pray Fajr calmly, not in a rush.
- If you wake at night, make one short du‘a before going back to sleep: it is a time of answers.
- Teach children the waking du‘a by saying it aloud with them every morning.
Duas When Waking Up: questions and answers
What should I do if I wake up at night and cannot sleep?
Remember Allah with the du‘a of waking at night; the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever says it and then asks forgiveness or makes du‘a is answered, and if he makes wudu and prays, his prayer is accepted (al-Bukhari).
Should I tell people about a bad dream?
No. Do not tell it or interpret it; seek refuge in Allah and change your side.