The 365 · Sunnah · Day 312 · Sleep
Duʿāʾ on Turning Over in Sleep
The hadith
«مَنْ تَعَارَّ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَقَالَ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي، أَوْ دَعَا، اسْتُجِيبَ لَهُ، فَإِنْ تَوَضَّأَ وَصَلَّى قُبِلَتْ صَلَاتُهُ».
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Whoever wakes up during the night (or turns over) and says: Lā ilāha illā Allāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr; al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa subhān Allāh, wa lā ilāha illā Allāh, wa Allāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh; then says: Allāhumma ighfir lī, or supplicates, he will be answered; if he performs wudu and prays, his prayer will be accepted.' (Bukhari 1154)
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ sade: 'Den som vaknar på natten (eller vänder sig) och säger: Lā ilāha illā Allāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr; al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa subhān Allāh, wa lā ilāha illā Allāh, wa Allāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh; sedan säger: Allāhumma ighfir lī, eller ber, ska han bli besvarad; om han utför wudu och ber ska hans bön accepteras.' (Bukhari 1154)
Bukhari 1154
The story
ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit narrated this hadith from the Prophet ﷺ. The Companions practiced it through their nights, especially the older ones whose sleep was lighter. The waking-in-the-night became, for them, a station of supplication; what we call 'insomnia' became their duʿāʾ hour.
Why it's here
Even half-asleep, even in the middle of the night, even just turning over, the believer has a moment of contact with Allah. The Prophet ﷺ named the words for that moment: the tāwīd of monarchy, the four tasbīḥāt (al-ḥamd, subhān, lā ilāha, akbar), the surrender of capacity (lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata). Then a duʿāʾ of your choosing, and Allah promises acceptance.
Try it today
When you turn over in your sleep, or wake briefly in the night, say silently: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr. Al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa subḥān Allāh, wa lā ilāha illā Allāh, wa Allāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh.' Then make your duʿāʾ. The promise: it will be answered.
In your day
Many believers wake several times in the night to check phones. The Sunnah replaces this with dhikr. Even thirty seconds in the middle of the night, said with this rhythm, is a guaranteed accepted duʿāʾ. The night's interruptions become night's secrets.
A reflection to carry
The Sunnah elevates even unconscious moments. When you turn in sleep, you turn toward Allah. He hears at three in the morning what He hears at noon.
Read the longer reflection
There is a tenderness in this hadith. The Prophet ﷺ knew that believers wake briefly during the night, half-conscious, sometimes uneasy. He did not say: 'fall back asleep.' He gave us the words to occupy that moment. The muʾmin in the middle of the night, turning over, half-aware, can in thirty seconds achieve what others fail to achieve in their fully conscious duʿāʾs during the day. The reason is the night itself; the reason is the moment of vulnerability; the reason is that Allah loves to be remembered when no one else would expect it. Your insomnia, by this Sunnah, becomes ibadah. Your turning becomes tawajjuh. May our nights be dhikr-filled, and may our half-awake moments be filled with Allah's Names.
Sources: Sahih Bukhari. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
Subscribe, free