Sleep is the process of restoring the body after a long period of activity. Sleep in Islam is not only limited to refreshing the body, but sleep can turn into worship if the intention is good, even more so if we follow the etiquette and recite dua before going to sleep. For this reason, we try to share dua before sleep in this article, so continue to follow the article to finish.
Islam is the perfect religion that regulates its adherents to the manner of sleeping and waking up, so that there are dua before sleeping and there are dua after sleeping or prayers for wake up.
Wudu Before Sleeping
The day is created by Allah as a time to make a living and night life is made as a time to rest and give thanks for all the favors that have been received from Allah. Before we sleep there is a dua that is necessary and important for us to read, this prayer reminds us of death, so our sleep seems to be a preparation for death, because death is the secret of God. In addition to remembering death, sleeping dua is also one of the ways that our death (if we die while sleeping) husnul khatimah.
So, for Muslims, reciting dua before going to bed is not only worship but also has high religious value.
In addition to reciting dua before going to sleep there are other things that are quite important to do. This is one of the ways of sleeping, wudu or purification from a small hadas, the goal is that we sleep in a holy state so that whatever happens in our sleep is holy and close to Allah. Rasulullah SAW said:
مَنْ بَاتَ طَاهِرًا، بَاتَ فِي شِعَارِهِ مَلَكٌ، فَلَمْ يَسْتَيْقِظْ إِلَّا قَالَ الْمَلَكُ: اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِعَبْدِكَ فُلَانٍ، فَإِنَّهُ بَاتَ طَاهِرًا
Meaning: Anyone who sleeps in a holy state, and angels stay in his clothes. Do not wake someone from his sleep unless the angel has prayed to him by saying “O God, forgive your slave, because he actually sleeps in a holy state.
Reciting Dua Before Sleep
Prayer before going to sleep there are many versions and we can read any of them. Among the prayers that are read when going to sleep are:
بِسْمِكَ اللّهُمَّ اَحْيَا وَ بِسْمِكَ اَمُوْتُ
“By your name O God, I live and by your name I die”
The Meaning behind Dua before Sleeping
Reciting dua before going to sleep, there are at least three meanings contained therein:
1. Sleep is like death
In a hadith, Rasulullah SAW explained that sleep is like death
“Sleep is a friend of death.” (Narrated by Baihaqi, Thabrani and Bazzar).
Why sleep is likened to the Prophet like death, because when sleeping someone no longer feels anything through the five senses, but only heart rate, breath and other physical aspects are still alive. So, suitable analogy is like sleeping dead.
Also see: The Best Dua After Salah
Regarding sleep as death, in the Koran Allah also explains, that Allah holds people’s souls when they die and when they sleep, and Allah holds the souls of those who have died and releases those who have not yet died. The following is the sound of the verse.
In Surat al-Zumar verse 42, Allah says as follows:
اَللّٰہُ یَتَوَفَّی الۡاَنۡفُسَ حِیۡنَ مَوۡتِہَا وَ الَّتِیۡ لَمۡ تَمُتۡ فِیۡ مَنَامِہَا ۚ فَیُمۡسِکُ الَّتِیۡ قَضٰی عَلَیۡہَا الۡمَوۡتَ وَ یُرۡسِلُ الۡاُخۡرٰۤی اِلٰۤی اَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّی
“Allah holds the soul (person) when he dies and (holds) the soul (person) who has not died in his sleep; then He endures (the person) He has ordained his death and He releases other souls until the appointed time … “, (Surah Az-Zumar verse 42).
From the above verse it is explained that God holds (controls) the souls and holds them back when they die, and releases them when they are not dead. That is why we are pronounced to recite du’a after sleeping or wake up dua. A believer always praises Allah through the wake-up prayer, because Allah has released his soul and gives the opportunity to return to doing good deeds and can again praise Him.
Waking up in the morning, when the Fajr starts by reading the prayer wake up and taking wudu ‘for the midnight prayer (if not yet Fajr) and perform the sunnat Qabliyah Fajr prayer and continue by performing the Fajr prayer in congregation. That is one form of our gratitude after we are given life again by Allah by releasing our souls when we wake up.
There is also a likeness, sleep is like a kite flying into the sky where the rope is held by someone and the broken kite will not come back again. That’s the parable that sleep is the same as death, so before going to sleep we circumcise for wudu and recite dua before sleep.
2. When sleeping we are invited to remember death
Our sleep is a form of our appreciation of death, because before sleep we live. But in sleep, our five senses are temporarily shut down by Allah. This is a form of appreciation of believers who can take lessons about sleep.
So let us sleep in good condition, that is after carrying out obligations, and good deeds including the sleep prayer. Sleep is an example of death taught by God to His servants to be a lesson in welcoming this life.
3. Surrender to the owner of life and death
The meaning of prayer before going to sleep is to surrender to Allah SWT while sleeping, we cannot control our sleep, cannot control what happens in our sleep, everything is controlled by Allah SWT. By reciting dua before going to sleep, we have resigned ourselves that our life and death are solely because of Allah’s almighty power.
Whatever happens in our sleep, we can not determine at all, even the title of our dreams we can not determine and we can not choose. Message from the meaning of this du’a, we should realize that we are weak as in our sleep. So, throw away feelings of envy, arrogance, takabbur, or feeling strong and everything. All forms of majazi abilities that exist in humans will be lost, vanished all.
Also read: Dua for Marriage Soon
Dua before going to bed to ask for protection
When in sleep, we do nothing the same as when we do not sleep everything in Allah arrangement. So in this sleep we need protection from God from all things that are not good, because these things can happen.
True, we are creatures always need to guard from khaliq (Allah), even one of the beautiful names of Allah or asmaul husna is al-Hafizh which means to guard. Moreover in sleep, we do not have any strength even do not realize anything that happens.
Under these conditions, if there is an animal that wants to do evil to us, if there is a mosquito that wants to bite us, there are people who want to do evil to us, what can we do? Can not do anything other than God’s help.
Rasulullah Muhammad SAW is an Apostle who is very fond of his people, he taught that we recite the dua of salvation from distress in our sleep. In a hadith from A’ishah, a’ishah said:
كَانَ إِذَا أخَذَ مَضْجَعَهُ نَفَثَ في يَدَيْهِ ، وَقَرَأَ بالمُعَوِّذَاتِ ، ومَسَحَ بِهِمَا جَسَدَهُ . مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ
Meaning: When he (Rasulullah SAW) wanted to sleep, he blew his breath into his two hands and recited Al-Mu’awwidzaat ’and rubbed them with both hands on his entire body (Bukhari hadith – Muslim)
When Rasulullah SAW was about to go to sleep, he read two surah in the Koran, both of these are Makkiyah surah: al-Mu’awwizaat. The meaning of almu’awwizaat are two Surah which begin with “protection” namely “قل اعوذ”. These two Surah are al-Falaq and al-Nas. Then rubbed the two hands that had been read the surah on his entire holy body.
Besides reciting sura al-Falaq and an-Nas, before recite dua before sleep, we are also encouraged to recite the ayat qursi before going to sleep. The purpose of reciting the verse of kursi is to ask Allah for protection. Below we see the recitation of verses Kursi in Arabic, Latin and tis meaning.
اللهُ لَا إِلَهَ 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
“Allaahu laa ilaaha illaa huwal hayyul qayyuum, laa ta’khudzuhuu sinatuw walaa naum. Lahuu maa fissamaawaati wa maa fil ardli man dzal ladzii yasyfa’u ‘indahuu illaa biidznih, ya’lamu maa baina aidiihim wamaa khalfahum wa laa yuhiithuuna bisyai’im min ‘ilmihii illaa bimaa syaa’ wasi’a kursiyyuhus-samaawaati wal ardla walaa ya uuduhuu hifdhuhumaa wahuwal ‘aliyyul ‘adhiim.”
“Allah, there is no true God to worship, except Him who lives eternally and continues to take care of (His creatures). Who is not sleepy and also does not sleep. He belongs to all that is in the heavens and on earth. No one can provide help without His permission.”
Istighfar, Ask Allah’s Forgiveness before Sleep
In addition to reciting dua before sleep, we are also circumcision istighafar. This is asking forgiveness from Allah SWT before going to sleep. As in the hadith of Abu Sa’id al-Khudhri, where Rasulullah SAW recommends his ummah to ask for forgiveness of Allah everywhere, especially when going to sleep. This is the form of forgiveness.
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيَّ الْقَيُّومَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْه
Meaning: “I demand forgiveness from Allah the Almighty, the Essence of which there is no god but He, the All-Living, the All-Self, and I repent to Him”.
Night in the silence of the night, quiet and comfortable are the best times to ask for God’s forgiveness, the best time to be closer to God by praising Him, asking for forgiveness from all the mistakes, neglect, and sins throughout the day that has passed.
Reciting Tasbih, Tahmid and Takbir
Furthermore, Muslims are also encouraged to recite prayer beads, tahmid and takbir 33 times each. Then add the tahlil once, namely: لا اله الا الله محمد الرسول الله صلم so that it is even 100X.
That is the etiquette of sleep, dua before sleeping to accompany our sleep. Hopefully we are all able to practice it so that our sleep is worth worship in the sight of Allah, and if we die, then our death, we expect husnul khatimah, that is, people die in the state of the pleasure of Allah SWT.