Sleep

Sleep is one the gift from god. We should be grateful with His gift. With sleep, we get rest and wake up with fresh body and mind. So we can continue our life efficiently. Some people sleep to relax, reduce tense when under pressure.

Just imagine how difficult your life will be when you cannot sleep. How lucky we are when can sleep comfortably in our room with working heater in comfy bed and under thick duvet while other just simply cannot sleep due to insomnia or they have other commitment such as doctors on call, builders working 24 hours against the clock, students struggling finishing coursework or people in the middle of war, flood, earthquake etc.

Sleep also is a test. We sometimes can not resist the temptation to sleep when it is cool, rainy and dark. Ustaz Hasrizal once said sleep is the easiest way to shorten your life. Initially, during the first time I heard him said that, I agreed with him but I didn't really appreciate it. I don't really understand the meaning, the value of not sleeping too much. But few weeks ago, I began to understand it better. I was forced to stay up late to finish my coursework or sometimes I just slept early and woke up early. I found that it was very wonderful experience because I feel the day become longer. I spent more time to do a lot of things rather just sleeping for a very long time and wake up feeling guilty.

Before I end I would like to share a hadith. Thanks to Almie for telling me about this hadith.

Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 21, Number 243:
Narrated Abu Huraira

Allah's Apostle said, "Satan puts three knots at the back of the head of any of you if he is asleep. On every knot he reads and exhales the following words, 'The night is long, so stay asleep.' When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; and when one performs ablution, the second knot is undone, and when one prays the third knot is undone and one gets up energetic with a good heart in the morning; otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous heart."

Here are few adab from Riyad as-Salihin » On the adab of sleep and lying down

127. Chapter: On the adab of sleep and lying down

814. Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib said, "When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to retire to his bed, he would lie on his right side and then say, 'O Allah, I surrender my soul to You and I turn my face to You and I entrust my affair to You and I seek Your support with hope and fear of You. There is no refuge from You but to You. I have believed in Your Book which You sent down and Your Prophet whom You sent.'" [al-Bukhari]

815. al-Bara' ibn 'Azib reported: 'The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to me, 'Whenever you go to bed, do wudu' as you do wudu' for the prayer and then lie down on your right side. Then say...'" and he mentioned the rest of it and in it is, "Make that the last of the words that you utter." [Agreed upon]

816. 'A'isha said, "The Prophet , may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray eleven rak'ats at night. When it was dawn, he would pray two quick rak'ats and then lie on his right side until the mu'adhdhin came and gave the adhan." [Agreed upon]

817. Hudhayfa said, "When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went to bed at night, he placed his hand under his cheek and then said, 'O Allah, in Your name I die and live.' When he woke up, he said, 'Praise be to Allah who has brought me to life after He made me die and to Him is the gathering.'" [al-Bukhari]

818. Ya'ish ibn Tikhfa al-Ghifari said, "My father said, 'Once while I was lying on my stomach in the mosque, a man moved me with his foot and said, "This is a position which Allah hates."'" He said, "I looked up and it was the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." [Abu Dawud]

819. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who sits for any length of time without mentioning Allah Almighty, will be diminished by Allah Almighty through it, and whoever lies down for any time without mentioning Allah Almighty, will be diminished by Allah Almighty through it." [Abu Dawud]