Nighttime Remembrances
It is important to note that Muslims are encouraged to pray to Allah at any time, whether through prescribed prayers or spontaneous expressions. Below are some of the essential prayers that Muslims may recite before sleeping:
Quranic Verses for Before Sleep
Among the verses from the Holy Quran that a Muslim may recite before sleep are:
- Surah Al-Ikhlas: “Say, He is Allah, One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.”
- Surah Al-Falaq: “Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak from the evil of that which He created and from the evil of darkness when it settles and from the evil of the blowers in knots and from the evil of an envious when he envies,” recited three times.
- Surah An-Nas: “Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the retreating whisperer – who whispers in the breasts of mankind – of jinn and mankind,” recited three times.
- Ayat Al-Kursi: “Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.”
- The last verses of Surah Al-Baqarah: “The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’ And they said, ‘We hear and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord. To You is the final destination.’ Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or made a mistake. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.”
- Surah Al-Mulk and Surah As-Sajda.
Prescribed Remembrances Before Sleep
Before retiring for the night, a Muslim may recite the following remembrances:
- “Glory be to You, O Allah. My Lord, I lay my side down to sleep. If You hold my soul, forgive it; and if You release it, protect it as You protect Your righteous servants.”
- “O Allah, protect me from Your torment on the Day You gather Your servants.”
- “O Allah, You created my soul, and You take it. To You belongs its death and its life. If You keep it alive, protect it; and if You cause it to die, forgive it. O Allah, I ask You for wellness.”
- “O Allah, I have submitted my soul to You, entrusted my affairs to You, directed my face toward You, and sought refuge with You in both hope and fear. There is no refuge nor safety from You except in You. I believe in Your Book that You have revealed and in Your Prophet whom You have sent.”
- “O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, Lord of all things and Their Sovereign. I bear witness that there is no deity except You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my soul and from the evil of the devil and his partnership, and lest I should wrong myself or bring upon a Muslim that which is evil.”
- “O Allah, Lord of the heavens and the earth and Lord of the mighty throne, our Lord and Lord of all things, Splitter of the grain and the seed, Revelator of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’an, I seek refuge in You from the evil of everything You have taken by the forelock. O Allah, You are the First; nothing came before You. You are the Last; nothing comes after You. You are the Most High; nothing is above You. You are the Most Near; nothing is below You. Clear us of our debts, and enrich us from poverty.”
- “O Allah, grant me the blessing of my hearing and my sight, and make them inheritors of me. Help me against those who wrong me, and exact vengeance from them.”
- “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from the burden of debt, and from the overpowering of men.”