12. If your eyes open during the night, recite the following masnoon dua and thereafter you may make dua to Allah Ta‘ala. Insha-Allah, your dua will be accepted.
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرْ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ وَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ
There is none worthy of worship besides Allah Ta‘ala alone. He has no partner. To Him alone belongs the kingdom, to Him alone belongs all praise and He has complete control over everything. All praise is due to Allah Ta‘ala, and glory be to Allah Ta‘ala, and there is none worthy of worship besides Allah Ta‘ala, and Allah Ta‘ala is the greatest, and there is no ability (to refrain from sin) and no strength (to carry out righteous deeds) except through Allah Ta‘ala. O Allah Ta‘ala! Forgive me! [3]
One may also recite the following dua:
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ اللّٰهُمَّ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِذَنْبِيْ وَأَسْأَلُكَ رَحْمَتَكَ اَللّٰهُمَّ زِدْنِيْ عِلْمًا وَلَا تُزِغْ قَلْبِيْ بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَيْتَنِيْ وَهَبْ لِيْ مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ
There is none worthy of worship besides You! Glory be to You! O Allah Ta‘ala! I beg Your forgiveness for my sins, and I beg of You Your mercy! O Allah Ta‘ala! Increase me in knowledge, and do not allow my heart to go astray after You have guided me, and bless me from Your side with special mercy, indeed You alone are the Giver (of all blessings and bounties)! [4]
13. Do not sleep in areas which people use as a walkway (e.g. in a corridor or in an entrance) as this will inconvenience them and may become a means of you being injured or hurt. [5]
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “When travelling through green pastures, then give the animal its due right (through stopping at different places in order to allow the animal to graze). When travelling through dry land at the time of drought, then complete the journey quickly (i.e. do not delay your journey by stopping at different places so that it does not become difficult upon the animal). During the journey, if you have to stop over to spend the night at a certain place, then ensure that you do not camp in the middle of the road as the road is the right of the animals (of the travellers travelling on the road), and the residing place of insects and poisonous creatures at night (which can cause you harm).” [6]
14. If you see a good dream, then recite Alhamdulillah. You may relate the dream to someone who is knowledgeable in the field of dream interpretation or to someone who is your well-wisher. [7]
Hazrat Abu Sa’eed Khudri (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “If anyone of you sees a good dream that pleases him, then he should regard such a dream to be from the side of Allah Ta‘ala. Therefore, he should praise Allah Ta‘ala and he may mention it (to someone who is knowledgeable in the science of dreams or to someone who is his well-wisher). However, if one sees a bad dream, then he should regard such a dream to be from the side of Shaitaan, and he should seek the protection of Allah Ta‘ala from its evil and he should not mention such a dream to anyone, as the evil of such a dream will not cause him any harm.” [8]
15. If you see a bad dream then imitate the action of spitting on your left side thrice and recite the following dua thrice. Thereafter, you should change your sleeping position. It is better to also make wudhu and perform some salaah. You should not mention the bad dream which you have seen to anyone.
أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ
Hazrat Jaabir (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “When one sees a bad dream, then he should imitate the action of spitting on his left side thrice, and thereafter seek the protection of Allah Ta‘ala thrice from Shaitaan, and he should change his sleeping position.” (In another narration of Saheeh Muslim, it is mentioned that one should make wudhu and perform some salaah.) [9]
16. It is mustahab to take a siesta (qailoolah) in the afternoon, as this will assist you to wake up for Tahajjud. [10]
Hazrat Ibnu Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) reports that Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Take assistance to fast during the day by partaking of sehri, and take assistance to stand during the night for Tahajjud by making qailoolah (siesta).” [11]
17. Ensure that you perform some salaah, engage in zikr or carry out any good deed before sleeping so that if your death is written for that night, your last action will be a righteous and pious action. Ensure that you do not carry out any sin or evil deed before sleeping. [12]
Hazrat Jaabir (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “When a person retires to bed, an angel and a Shaitaan both come to him. The angel makes dua for him saying, ‘May your end be upon good,’ and the Shaitaan says, ‘May your end be upon evil.’ If he remembers Allah Ta‘ala and thereafter falls off to sleep, the angel spends the night protecting him and safeguarding him from any type of evil.” [13]
[1] ويكره النوم في أول النهار وفيما بين المغرب والعشاء (الفتاوى الهندية 5/ 376)
وقال الطحاوي إنما كره النوم قبلها لمن خشى عليه فوت وقتها أو فوت الجماعة فيها، وأما من وكل لنفسه من يوقظه في وقتها فمباح له النوم (تبيين الحقائق 1/84)
[2] صحيح البخاري، الرقم: 568
[3] صحيح البخاري، الرقم: 1154
[4] سنن أبي داود، الرقم: 5061، وقال الحافظ في نتائج الأفكار (1/118): هذا حديث حسن
[5] عن سهل بن معاذ بن أنس الجهني عن أبيه قال: غزوت مع نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم غزوة كذا وكذا فضيق الناس المنازل وقطعوا الطريق فبعث نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مناديا ينادي في الناس أن من ضيق منزلا أو قطع طريقا فلا جهاد له (سنن أبي داود، الرقم: 2629، وقال العلامة المنذري رحمه الله: سهل بن معاذ ضعيف وفيه أيضا إسماعيل بن عياش وفيه مقال)
[6] صحيح مسلم، الرقم: 1926
[7] عن أبي هريرة قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم :لم يبق من النبوة إلا المبشرات قالوا : وما المبشرات ؟ قال : الرؤيا الصالحة (صحيح البخارى، الرقم: 6990)
عن أبي رزين العقيلي قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم رؤيا جزء من أربعين جزءا من النبوة وهي على رجل طائر ما لم يتحدث بها فإذا تحدث بها سقطت قال واحسبه قال ولا يحدث بها إلا لبييا أو حبيبا (سنن الترمذي، الرقم: 2278)
[8] صحيح البخارى، الرقم: 6985
[9] صحيح مسلم، الرقم: 2262، 2263
[10] وتستحب القيلولة وذلك بين المنجلين قال عليه الصلاة والسلام قيلوا فإن الشيطان لا يقيل (الاختيار لتعليل المختار 4/168)
ويستحب التنعم بنوم القيلولة لقوله عليه السلام قيلوا فإن الشياطين لا تقيل كذا في الغياثية (الفتاوى الهندية 5/376)
[11] سنن ابن ماجة، الرقم: 1693، وقال العلامة البوصيري في مصباح الزجاجة (الرقم: 619): هذا إسناد فيه زمعة بن صالح وهو ضعيف
[12] يذكر الله تعالى في حالة النوم بالتهليل والتحميد والتسبيح حتى يذهب به النوم فإن النائم يبعث على ما بات عليه والميت على ما مات عليه ويقوم من مقامه قبل الصبح (الفتاوى الهندية 5/376)
[13] مسند أبي يعلي الموصلي، الرقم: 1791، وقال المنذري في الترغيب والترهيب (الرقم: 892): إسناده صحيح