The ten rules of sleep (Islam)

(Excerpts from ‘The Revival of the Religious Sciences’)
Imam Ghazali was a great Muslim medieval scholar who have left behind a goldfield of Islamic knowledge.

His book “The Revival of the Religious Sciences” (Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn) is widely regarded as the greatest work of Muslim spirituality, and is perhaps the most read work in the Muslim world, after the Qur’an.

Inside the book of ‘The Revival of The Religious Science’ there is a section called the ‘book of worship” where the Imam taps into an in-depth of knowledge that surrounds various acts of worship in Islam.

He says sleeping is regarded as an act of worship if certain conditions and rules are followed.

Imam Ghazali listed the following rules that are to be strictly followed if one wants to convert his sleep into an act of worship.

1. Ablution

The prophet (peace be upon him) said when a man sleeps with ablution, his soul is hung up in the throne and his dreams become true. If he sleeps without ablution, his soul cannot reach there and he cannot see dreams which are true.

2. Teeth cleaning

The prophet (peace be upon him) used to clean his teeth many times at night especially when he awoke from sleep.

He (SAW) said “If a man goes to bed with the intention that he would pray at night and his two eyes prevail upon him and he sleeps till dawn, whatever he intended is written for him and his sleep is a gift from Allah as it were.

3. Written will

Sleep at night keeping a written wasiat near your head as it is no wonder to meet with death during sleep. This was a practice of honourable Muslim scholars.

4. Seek forgiveness

Sleep with a sound mind after making Tawbah for all sins and seek forgiveness for all Muslims.

Don’t pollute your mind by oppressing any man and don’t be firm in committing a sin after waking from sleep. The prophet (peace be upon him) said “If a man goes to bed with the intention of doing no oppression, hatred and envy his sins are forgiven.”

5. Don’t sleep on a soft bed

Don’t sleep in soft bed and your bed should be middle kind.  This was meant to discourage too much comfort.

6. Don’t allow sleep to overtake you

Don’t sleep till it overtakes you. The prophet and his companions used to sleep little at night.

The prophet   said “ Don’t take too much trouble at night.”  One time the prophet was asked “a certain person prays at night, when sleep prevails over him, he keeps himself hanging with a rope” the prophet prohibited him from that and He  said “When it becomes easy to you at night pray, when sleep becomes strong sleep”.

7. Facing Ka’aba

Sleep while you are facing Ka’aba. It is like keeping a dead body in grave, keeping the face towards the Ka’aba.

8. Invocation

Invoke at the time of sleep and say: “O Lord, I keep my side in Thy name and shall raise It up in Thy name-  upto the end.” Recite special verses of the Quran such as Ayatul Kursi, Falaq, Nas, Ikhlas and other recommended invocations.

9. Remembrance of Allah

Remember Allah at the time of sleep. Sleep is a kind of death and rising is a kind of resurrection.

Allah takes souls at the time of their death and the souls of those who do not die in their sleep. He is who causes you to die at night.

As a man who is awake sees things which he does not see in sleep, so also a sleeping man sees things which his mind cannot conceive in wakeful state.

Sleep is the period between life and death as Barzakh is period between this world and the next.

The wise Luqman told his son: “O dear Son, if you doubt about death, don’t sleep, as you sleep so you will die. If you doubt about resurrection, don’t be awake, as you wake up after sleep, so you will wake up after your death.”

Aisha (RA) reported that “ When the prophet went to bed, he used to place his head upon his right hand, think himself dead and say : “O Allah, Lord of seven heavens and Lord of the great Throne,  Our Lord and the Lord of all things and their owner”

10. Dua after waking up

When the prophet woke up from sleep he used to recite the following.

“There is no God, but Allah, The Single, The Almighty, Lord of heavens and earth and what the Mighty, The Forgiving is therein,”

After rising, always remember Allah. This is the sign of love. When you stand up after raising from sleep, recite: “All praise is for Allah who has given us life after He has made us dead and to Him is the resurrection”

Source: Imam Ghazali (Excerpts from ‘The Revival of the Religious Sciences’)