Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
Sleeping is one of the great signs of Allāh that indicates Allāh’s Oneness, Perfect Power and Arrangement of this Universe. It is a mercy from Allāh to His slaves and one of His favours. Allāh said: {And of His signs are your sleep by night and day and your seeking of His bounty. Indeed in that are signs for a people who listen.}[293] {And out of His mercy He made for you the night and the day that you may rest therein and [by day] seek from His bounty and [that] perhaps you will be grateful.}[294]
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
Know that he (peace be upon him) used to sleep at the beginning of the night, wake up in the second half of the night and then cleanse his teeth with a siwāk, perform ablution and pray until a sixth of the night remained. Then, he would sleep or talk with his wives until Fajr. He (peace be upon him) would sleep with a light stomach and on his right side, remembering Allāh until he fell into the state of sleep.
254. Al-Barā’ ibn al-‘Āzīb narrated: “When the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to lie down on his bed, he would put his right hand under his right cheek, and recite, ‘O Allāh, save me from Your Punishment on the Day of Judgment.’” [295]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This hadīth provides us with three etiquettes related to sleep:
1. Lie down on the right side.
2. Put the right hand under the right cheek.
3. Supplicate: “O Allāh, save me from Your Punishment on the Day of Resurrection.”
Al-Bajūrī said,
The Prophet (peace be upon him) recited this supplication, despite his high rank and infallibility, to show humility before Allāh and to give Him His due right as the Lord of mankind. He (peace be upon him) recited such so that his nation would follow his example. [Reciting this du’a] ensures that the words of remembrance of Allāh are the last words uttered before sleeping. Furthermore, the words of this specific du’a are said to seek protection from one’s shortcomings that necessitate punishment as it is possible that the individual may never wake up from his sleep. The mention of the Day of Resurrection indicates that death is the twin of sleep and waking up is similar to the state of resurrection. This is why he (peace be upon him) used to say after waking up, “All praise be to Allāh Who restored life into us after He took our souls, and to Him we shall be resurrected,” as shall be mentioned later in the book.
255. ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas’ūd narrated the same but with the end of the supplication as: “On the Day where You will gather your slaves.” [296]
256. Hudhaifah narrated: “When the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to lie down on his bed, he would say, ‘O Allāh! On [the remembrance of] Your Name, I die and I live.’ Then upon waking he would say, ‘All praise be to Allāh Who restored life into us after He took our souls, and to Him we shall be resurrected.’” [297]
Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī said,
“I die and I live”: The reason sleeping is resembled to death is because a person loses control over all their senses just like it is the case in death. Also, a life can be described as such when it is spent in good deeds and obedience; otherwise the disobedient spends his life as a dead person.
Praising Allāh for life is because this is from the most important blessings as it distinguishes the human from the non-human and whereby one comes to learn about Allāh and His worship.
The last part of the supplication recited after waking up is to remind us that just as we awake to life at the cessation of sleep, there will be resurrection after death and then people will be judged.
The wisdom behind reciting these supplications is so the last deed of the day consists of the remembrance of Allāh and the first deed a statement of monotheism and taqwa. This reminds the person that it is important to be conscious of Allāh and His Grandeur throughout the day and not to utter anything unless it is good.
257. Aisha narrated: “Every night before the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) slept upon his bed he would join his hands, lightly blow into them and recite the last three sūrahs of the Qur’ān (i.e. Sūrah al-Ikhlās, Sūrah al-Falaq, and Sūrah al-Nās). He would then wipe his hands over whatever parts of his body he could. He began with the head and face, and then the front part of his body. He did so thrice.” [298]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
The regular practice of this indicates the keenness of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to do so, to the extent that he ordered Aisha to do so on his behalf during his sickness whereof he died.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) passed his hands over wherever he could reach to attain the blessings of the ayāt as this protects the person from the devil and other harmful things.
It is important that a person understands and contemplates the meanings of these ayāt by reading the tafsīr of Ibn Kathīr or the tafsīr of al-Sa’di, for example. This is because the person who recites them while understanding their meaning is not like the one who recites them without this knowledge.
258. ‘Abdullāh ibn Abbās narrated: “Once the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) slept and began to blow. It was the nature of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) that he blew when he slept. Bilal came and gave the call for the prayer. The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) awakened and offered the prayer without performing the ablution.” This hadith has a detailed story behind it. [299]
Al-Bajūrī said,
Blowing is a sign of deep sleep and knowing that it was the nature of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him), we know that blowing while sleeping is not something that is dispraised.
The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) did not perform ablution though he entered a state of deep sleep. This is an exclusive quality of his due to his heart always remaining awake (i.e. conscious) as he stated in the hadith, “We Prophets, the eyes close in sleep whilst the hearts remain awake.”[300]
The detailed story of this hadīth will be mentioned in the chapter detailing his worship.
259. Anas ibn Mālik narrated: “When the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) would lie down on his bed, he would say, ‘All praise is for Allāh, Who fed us and gave us drink, and Who is sufficient for us, and has sheltered us, for how many have none to suffice them or shelter them!’” [301]
Alī al-Qārī said,
The Prophet (peace be upon him) praised Allāh for providing food and drink before he slept because without these, one’s life cannot be sustained, and because sleeping occurs after one eats and drinks (i.e. it is difficult to sleep when one is hungry and thus easier to sleep when one has eaten and drunk).
Al-Mudhhir describes Allāh’s sufficiency as meaning that He averts the harm of people and facilitates for one shelter. So all praise be to Allāh for making us from amongst the protected for there are many people who Allāh does not protect against the harm of evil people and they are left to fend for themselves against the evil, and thus the vile people overcome them. Likewise, there are many people bereft of shelter and so He left them to be harmed by the elements.
Al-Nawawī said,
The meaning of the last part of the supplication means that many people have no one to have mercy on them, to be compassionate with them and many have no shelter to stay in.
260. Abū Qatādah narrated: “When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was journeying and stopped for rest and there was enough time in the night, he slept on his right side. However, if he stopped close to the time of the morning, he would lift his right arm, put his head upon it and sleep.” [302]
Abdul Razzaq al-Badr said,
This shows the concern he had for performing the prayer of Fajr as sleeping in that position would make it difficult for the person to enter the state of deep sleep.