All praise belong to Allah SWT who has create the night and days, giving us time to rest our tiring body from work during the day. A human body has certain limits after doing hard work. That is why we need to recharge the energy to prepare for the next day.
However, after waking up from sleep, instead of feeling refreshed we often feel more tired and our bodies are all aching. Maybe the way we sleep is far from Rasulullah (SAW) sunnah.
Surely there is no certain rules for sleeping in Islam, but the Prophet had his own way for sleeping, including the rituals to do before going to sleep. So this is the Sunnah the Prophet had done before sleep:
1. Go to Sleep Early
Rasulullah (SAW) used to go to sleep as soon as he finished Isha’ prayer if he didn’t have any important affairs. By going to sleep early, we will also waking up early in the third half of the night for Tahajjud prayers. It is also important for health, as going to sleep early is good for liver and spinal cord. As we sleep early, the liver has longer time to neutralize the poisonous things inside our bodies.
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2. Avoid Sleeping After Fajr
One good reasons why we should go to sleep early so we don’t go back to sleep after Fajr. Early in the morning is a good time to get ready to work and struggling for a living. But Islam also have tolerance, to those who have stayed all night for work is allowed to go back to sleep after Fajr. It shouldn’t be made as habit either, because if we sleep after Fajr, we will missed out many blessings brought down by the Angels.
3. Sleep On Your Right Side
Rasulullah (SAW) himself suggested us Muslims to sleep on our right side. It surprisingly beneficial for the health, as sleeping on the right side minimize the risk of heart disease, good for the flank many other important parts of the body.
The suggestion of sleeping on the right side is not merely because right is more prominent but also for some good health reasons. By sleeping on the right side, the important organs would not be overlapped by another organs that might cause some unwanted health problems.
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4. Sleep in the Dark Light
Another thing Rasulullah (SAW) suggests is going to sleep under the dark lights. People used to think that it’s for safety reasons, but it actually benefiting for health. Sleeping in the dark is good for the immune system and improve the body defense to to many disease. The immune system would be more optimally created in a low light condition. While sleeping in the bright light triggering the growth of cancer cells.
5. Not Facing Downward When Sleeping
Rasulullah (SAW) had once met a guy who is sleeping with facing downward, and warned him not to do so because it’s a sleeping position in Jahannam Hell. Again, avoiding sleeping with facing downward is beneficial for health, as it’s dangerous for the brain and heart, two of the most important parts in the body. It impeding the oxygen flows to both of them.
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6. Not Sleeping with Spreading Hands and Foot
The best position to sleep is indeed by facing the right side. Even sleeping with spreading our hand and foot is considered not good in Islam. It may cause problem to the back spine because all the weights are concentrated on that.
Moreover, sleeping in that position causing us to breathe from the mouth, which increasing the risks of respiratory disease. Breathing from the mouth is not good for health, because there are no filters for the air that coming through, and all the dust and dirt are going down to the lungs.
7. Straightening the Back and Bend the Foot a Little
Rasulullah always had one position in sleeping: straightening the back and bent his foot a little. This position has its own beneficial for the health, it makes all of our muscles to relax. By bending the foot a little we are giving the stomach muscle to rest and relaxed. So when we wake up the next day, we would feel more refreshed, reenergized, and healthier.
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8. Placing the Right Hand Under the Right Cheeks
Placing the right hand under the right cheeks prevent us form having cramps at neck. Because the wrong position in sleep leads to muscle pain that could last for days. If we are unable to maintain our health, then our daily lives would be disturbed and we can do everything normally.
Sunnah Before Going to Sleep
- Washing teeth before going to sleep is important, because it’s good for health reason. It prevents bacteria from growing up inside our mouth overnight.
- Take wudu’ before sleep to purify ourselves, and the Angels would stay with us through the night asking for Allah’s forgiveness for us.
- Do dhikr before sleep to protect us from Shaytaan and guarded by His Angels. Recite the last three Surah in Quran and Ayatul Kursy.
- Do the Witr prayer after Isha’ and before going to sleep if we afraid to miss the Tahajjud prayer. By doing the Witr prayer earlier we have close the prayer for the day.
- Read the Dua according the Sunnah from the Prophet (SAW) before going to sleep.
- Clean the bed three times by hitting it with your blanket. The purpose is to get rid the trace of Shaytaan on it.
- Sleep under the intention to wake up in the middle of the night for Tahajjud prayer. Even if we missed it, the Angels have written that intention as if we performed the prayer.
So those are the rules of sleeping in Islam according to what the Prophet (SAW) had done in the past. After following all those sunnah, may we have more quality in sleep and gaining healthier body afterwards.