The 365 · Sunnah · Day 318 · Sleep
Qaylūlah (the Midday Nap)
The hadith
«قِيلُوا فَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَا تَقِيلُ». وَعَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَقِيلُ بِعْدَ الْجُمُعَةِ.
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Take a midday rest, for shayatin do not rest at midday.' (al-Ṭabarānī al-Awsaṭ 5022). And Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: 'The Prophet ﷺ used to nap after the Jumuʿah prayer.' (Bukhari 939)
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ sade: 'Ta en middagsvila, ty djavlarna vilar inte mitt på dagen.' (al-Ṭabarānī al-Awsaṭ 5022). Och Anas (må Allah vara nöjd med honom) berättade: 'Profeten ﷺ brukade vila efter Jumuʿah-bönen.' (Bukhari 939)
Bukhari 939; al-Tabarani 5022
The story
The Companions of Madīnah would nap between the end of the morning's work and the dhūhr prayer. They would gather to eat lunch with the Prophet ﷺ, take a short rest, then pray dhūhr together. The pattern produced an Ummah that worked hard, ate together, rested briefly, and prayed in jamāʿah.
Why it's here
Qaylūlah is the brief midday rest, traditionally before Ẓuhr or after. The Prophet ﷺ practiced it; the Companions practiced it; it has health benefits and spiritual ones. The hadith jokes that even shayṭān does not nap, implying that the believer who rests reclaims daytime alertness for ibadah.
Try it today
If possible, take 15-30 minutes of rest in the midday (between dhūhr time and ʿaṣr time, or just before Ẓuhr). Even closing the eyes briefly, without full sleep, counts. The intent is what makes it Sunnah: rest 'so that I am better at worship.'
In your day
The 'power nap' is contemporary science's vindication of an ancient Sunnah. A 20-minute nap improves alertness, memory, and mood. The believer takes the nap with niyyah, turning a productivity tactic into worship.
A reflection to carry
Productivity culture treats rest as weakness. The Sunnah treats it as worship. A nap with the right niyyah is preparation for the afternoon's ibadah.
Read the longer reflection
Qaylūlah is one of the most undervalued Sunnahs in modern life. We treat sleep as either a luxury or a sin; the Sunnah treats it as a tool. The Prophet ﷺ rested briefly in the heat of the day, restoring his body and mind for the afternoon. He did not push through fatigue out of false piety; he honored the body Allah gave him. The Companions followed suit. The hadith about shayṭān not napping is a quiet humor: the disobedient never rest; the believer rests deliberately to be more effective in obedience. May we recover this Sunnah, and may our brief midday rests become small refreshings that ripple into our Ẓuhr, ʿAṣr, and the work between them.
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.
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