8 supplications
Duas Before Sleeping
The Prophet ﷺ never went to sleep without remembering Allah. These are the authentic adhkar for bedtime, to be said lying on the right side after making wudu, as he advised al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib.
The three Quls into the palms×3
يَجْمَعُ كَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ يَنْفُثُ فِيهِمَا فَيَقْرَأُ: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ، وَقُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ، وَقُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ، ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا مَا اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ
Qul huwallahu ahad · Qul a‘udhu bi-rabbil-falaq · Qul a‘udhu bi-rabbin-nas
Every night the Prophet ﷺ joined his palms, blew into them, recited al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and al-Nas, then wiped as much of his body as he could, starting with his head and face, three times.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari
Ayat al-Kursi
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
Allahu la ilaha illa huwal-hayyul-qayyum, la ta’khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm, lahu ma fis-samawati wa ma fil-ard, man dhal-ladhi yashfa‘u ‘indahu illa bi-idhnih, ya‘lamu ma bayna aydihim wa ma khalfahum, wa la yuhituna bi-shay’im-min ‘ilmihi illa bima sha’, wasi‘a kursiyyuhus-samawati wal-ard, wa la ya’uduhu hifdhuhuma, wa huwal-‘aliyyul-‘adhim.
Allah — there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth… His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Most Great. Whoever recites it in the morning is protected until the evening, and whoever recites it in the evening is protected until the morning.
Source: Qur’an 2:255; al-Mustadrak of al-Hakim
The last two verses of Surat al-Baqarah
آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ … رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ ۖ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا ۚ أَنْتَ مَوْلَانَا فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
Amanar-rasulu bima unzila ilayhi min rabbihi wal-mu’minun … rabbana wa la tuhammilna ma la taqata lana bih, wa‘fu ‘anna waghfir lana warhamna, anta mawlana fansurna ‘alal-qawmil-kafirin.
The Messenger believes in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers… Our Lord, do not burden us with what we cannot bear; pardon us, forgive us and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people. Whoever recites them at night, they will suffice him.
Source: Qur’an 2:285-286; Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim
Tasbih, tahmid and takbir
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ (33)، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ (33)، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ (34)
Subhanallah (33), al-hamdu lillah (33), Allahu akbar (34).
Glory be to Allah 33 times, praise be to Allah 33 times, Allah is the Greatest 34 times. Taught to Fatimah and ‘Ali instead of a servant: “it is better for you than a servant.”
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim
In Your name, my Lord, I lie down
بِاسْمِكَ رَبِّي وَضَعْتُ جَنْبِي، وَبِكَ أَرْفَعُهُ، فَإِنْ أَمْسَكْتَ نَفْسِي فَارْحَمْهَا، وَإِنْ أَرْسَلْتَهَا فَاحْفَظْهَا بِمَا تَحْفَظُ بِهِ عِبَادَكَ الصَّالِحِينَ
Bismika rabbi wada‘tu janbi, wa bika arfa‘uh, fa-in amsakta nafsi farhamha, wa in arsaltaha fahfadhha bima tahfadhu bihi ‘ibadakas-salihin.
In Your name, my Lord, I lay down my side, and by You I raise it. If You take my soul, have mercy on it, and if You send it back, protect it as You protect Your righteous servants.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim
Protect me from Your punishment×3
اللَّهُمَّ قِنِي عَذَابَكَ يَوْمَ تَبْعَثُ عِبَادَكَ
Allahumma qini ‘adhabaka yawma tab‘athu ‘ibadak.
O Allah, protect me from Your punishment on the Day You resurrect Your servants. Said with the right hand under the cheek.
Source: Sunan Abi Dawud; Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi
I have submitted myself to You
اللَّهُمَّ أَسْلَمْتُ نَفْسِي إِلَيْكَ، وَفَوَّضْتُ أَمْرِي إِلَيْكَ، وَوَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِي إِلَيْكَ، وَأَلْجَأْتُ ظَهْرِي إِلَيْكَ، رَغْبَةً وَرَهْبَةً إِلَيْكَ، لَا مَلْجَأَ وَلَا مَنْجَا مِنْكَ إِلَّا إِلَيْكَ، آمَنْتُ بِكِتَابِكَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلْتَ، وَبِنَبِيِّكَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلْتَ
Allahumma aslamtu nafsi ilayk, wa fawwadtu amri ilayk, wa wajjahtu wajhi ilayk, wa alja’tu dhahri ilayk, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilayk, la malja’a wa la manja minka illa ilayk, amantu bi-kitabikal-ladhi anzalt, wa bi-nabiyyikal-ladhi arsalt.
O Allah, I have submitted myself to You, entrusted my affairs to You, turned my face to You and relied completely on You, out of hope and fear of You. There is no refuge and no escape from You except to You. I believe in Your Book which You revealed and in Your Prophet whom You sent. “If you die that night, you die upon the fitrah”; make it the last thing you say.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim
In Your name I die and live
بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا
Bismika Allahumma amutu wa ahya.
In Your name, O Allah, I die and I live.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari
The Sunnah before sleeping
The Prophet ﷺ advised: “When you go to bed, make wudu as for prayer, then lie on your right side” and say the du‘a of surrender; “if you die that night, you die upon the fitrah” (al-Bukhari, Muslim). He also blew into his cupped hands after reciting the three Quls and wiped them over his body three times (al-Bukhari).
Meaning of the du‘a of surrender
“O Allah, I have submitted my soul to You” means I hand it over to You to do with as You will; “I have entrusted my affairs to You” means I rely on You in all that concerns me; “I have leaned my back on You” means I depend on You as a person leans on what supports his back. The Muslim ends his day in complete surrender to Allah.
Duas Before Sleeping: questions and answers
Why is the tasbih before sleep so important?
When Fatimah asked for a servant, the Prophet ﷺ taught her and ‘Ali to say SubhanAllah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu akbar 34 times before sleeping, and said it was better for them than a servant (al-Bukhari, Muslim).