Allah, the Exalted, says: “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and day are signs for those of understanding–who remember Allah while standing, sitting and [lying] on their sides” (Qur’an, 3:190-191).

The moments right before you fall sleep are beautifully serene. Everything is still and quiet (hopefully), and all you have amidst the darkness is the radiance of your thoughts and reflections. You might even find the best ideas coming to mind in that relaxed, peaceful state. If you get into bed when you’re exhausted, though, your brain shuts down before you know it, and you don’t remember thinking of anything—even of Allah. The same would apply if you fall asleep while you’re doing something, like watching TV or reading a book.

Think about how you fall asleep every night. What occupies your time right before you fall asleep? If you consider the amount of dhikr (remembrance of Allah) that the Prophet ﷺ did before going to sleep, you’d find that it’s much easier to implement when you consciously choose to go to bed before you feel super tired. More importantly, you’d sleep in a state of dhikr while feeling the meanings in your heart and reflecting upon them, rather than mumbling them mindlessly as you pass out.

Do you know what adhkār (singular of dhikr) to say before going to sleep? I included some for you below, along with their related etiquettes or benefit. These and more can be found in Fortress of the Muslim (on makedua.com), or in Riyāḍ Al-Salihīn.  Try to keep a reference of these by your bedside, and learn one a week, or even one a day if you can. Start with the easier and shorter ones, and then move on to the longer ones. Practice saying them on a nightly basis, and soon enough, you will know (and feel) them by heart insha’Allah.

From the Qur’an:

1. Ayat al-Kursi (Qur’an, 2:255).

Benefit: Whoever reads Ayat al-Kursi when (s)he lies down to sleep will have protection from Allah, and Satan will not come near him/(her) until morning. [Bukhari]

1. The Last Two Ayas of Surat al-Baqarah (Qur’an, 2:285-286).

Benefit: These two ayat will be sufficient for anyone who recites them before sleeping. [Bukhari & Muslim]

1. The Last Three Chapters of the Qur’an (112, 113, and 114).

Etiquette: When going to bed every night, the Prophet ﷺ would cup his hands together, blown into them, and recite the last three chapters of the Qur’an. Then, he would wipe over his entire body (as much as possible) with his hands, beginning with his head and face, and then the rest of his body. He would do this three times. [Bukhari & Muslim]

Other Adhkār and Supplications:

1. “Bismik-Allāhumma amūtu wa ahyā.”

With Your Name, O Allah, I expire and return to life. [Bukhari]

2. “Allāhumma qinī ʿadhābak yawma tabʿathu ʿibādak” (three times).

O Allah, protect me from Your punishment on the day You resurrect Your servants. [Tirmidhi]

3. SubhānAllah (33 times), Alhamdu lillah (33 times), and Allāhu Akbar (34 times).

Exalted is Allah, All Praise is to Allah, and Allah is the Greatest.  [Bukhari & Muslim]

4. “Alhamdu lillāhi’l-lathī atʿamanā wa saqānā wa kafānā wa āawānā fakam mimman lā kāfiya lahu wa lā mu’wī.” 

All praise is to Allah, Who fed us and gave us to drink, and Who is sufficient for us and has sheltered us — for how many have none to suffice them or shelter them. [Muslim]

5. “Bismika rabbī wadaʿtu jambī wabika arfaʿuh fa’in amsakta nafsī farḥamhā wa’in arsaltahā faḥfadh-hā bimā taḥfadhu bihi ʿibādaka’l-sālihīn.”

In Your name my Lord, I lie down and in Your name I rise, so if You take my soul then have mercy upon it, and if You return my soul then protect it in the way You (protect) Your righteous servants. [Bukhari & Muslim]

6. “Allāhumma aslamtu nafsī ilayk, wafawwaḍtu amrī ilayk, wawajjahtu wajhī ilayk, wa’alja’tu dhahrī ilayk, raghbatan warahbatan ilayk, la malja’a walā manjā minka illā ilayk, āmantu bikitābika’l-lathī anzalta wabinabiyyika’l-lathī arsalt.”

‘O Allah, I submit my soul to You, and I entrust my affair to You, and I turn my face towards You, and I totally rely on You, in hope and fear of You. Verily, there is no refuge nor safe haven from You except with You. I believe in Your Book that You revealed, and in Your Prophet whom You sent.’

Etiquette & Benefit: The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘If you take to your bed, then perform ablution as you would for prayer, lie down on your right side, and then say [the supplication above]. Then, if you die, you will die upon the fitrah (natural disposition)—and make these (words) the last of what you say (before sleeping).’ [Bukhari & Muslim]

A flat tire! Subhan’Allah (glory be to God). She immediately thought of the dua`a’ (supplication) that the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) had taught to the ummah (Muslim community) for times of difficulty: “If a servant of Allah is afflicted with a misfortune and says: ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un, Allahumma ajirni fi musibati wa akhlif li khairan minha‘ (Verily we belong to Allah and truly to Him shall we return. O Allah! Protect me in this calamity that has befallen me and replace it with something better), Allah will accept his prayer, grant him reward for his affliction, and replace it with something better.” ((Muslim)) And so she made this dua`a’, knowing full well she had been the one to cause the misfortune to happen in the first place, but hoping that Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) would bless her in some way because of it.

She then sat there, after having called for help, dazed and wondering why this had happened. Why was that bus stopped where it had been stopped? Why was it meant for her to be on this specific road at this specific time, when she usually would never have been in that place, at that time? Why didn’t she wait and go around the bus, instead of turning through a parking lot? She began to contemplate the verse, “And whatever strikes you of disaster—it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much” (Qur’an, 42:30). And finally, perhaps—perhaps—this happened because something better should happen. There had to have been a reason for this situation. But what was the reason? Where was the wisdom?

After some time, her husband came, changed the flat with a spare, and directed her to go to a specific tire company to take advantage of a warranty. This tire company was much further out, in a city which she had never traversed due to its distance and decentralized location. Upon reaching the company and waiting for her tire to be fixed, she realized she needed to pray dhuhr (the afternoon prayer) and wondered if there was a masjid nearby. Mapping it, she found one only a few miles away, so as soon as her car was ready, she was headed for the mosque.

There was only one other car parked in the parking lot. Having never been to this masjid before, she searched for an entrance and walked in. There, she found an older man sitting at a table. She greeted him and as he looked up, she asked if he could point out the direction of the prayer area.

He looked at her, almost in a daze. “Aren’t you… Aren’t you that woman who spoke at the conference recently?” She confirmed as he continued, “What brings you here?” He realized she had come to pray and pointed out the direction of the prayer hall. After she had finished her salah (prayer), she headed back towards the entrance to leave. He beckoned her, “Would you mind waiting just a moment?”

He then explained that while she was speaking at the conference, he was listening to her and thinking about the future generation. He was thinking about young adults and the way they need someone to connect with them. He began to think our cultural and age gap as parents sometimes makes it difficult to convey the message of Islam in a way which is culturally relevant to their lives. If only I could somehow come in contact with this woman. Perhaps she could speak to the up-and-coming generation. But Allah—how? How will I come to connect with her? “And now,” he finished, “Here you are. Subhan’Allah.”

At that moment, the woman realized that perhaps the flat tire she had experienced—perhaps the bus with its emergency lights, the miscalculated curb, the need to go to a specific tire company so far away from her own locality—had all taken place so that she could be there, in that place, in that moment of time, where she would be connected to a person who was seeking to call youth back to Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala.

The woman stared at the man, incredulous at the situation. Subhan’Allah, she thought. Maybe this simple man, a man without a hugely outward “Islamic” appearance, a man who sat humbly in the masjid, was someone near to Allah (swt), dear to Allah (swt)—so much so that Allah (swt) would create a situation where the person this man was seeking to speak with came to his door.

It reminded the woman of the story of Imam Ahmad and the Baker. Imam Ahmad radi Allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) once was traveling and needed to stay somewhere overnight. When he went to the masjid, the guard (not recognizing Imam Ahmad) denied him entrance. Imam Ahmad (ra) tried numerous times, but the guard did not accept his requests. Frustrated, Imam Ahmad (ra) resolved to spend the night in the masjid yard. The guard became furious and dragged him away, despite the old age and frailty of Imam Ahmad (ra).

A baker, whose shop was nearby, watched this scene and took pity on Imam Ahmad (ra), also not knowing who he was. The Baker thought of the man who needed a place to stay as a simple traveler without lodging. He invited the Imam to stay with him for the night. While there, Imam Ahmad noticed that the baker continually made istighfar (asking for Allah’s forgiveness) while working, and in the morning, the Imam eagerly asked his host about the latter’s continual seeking of forgiveness. The Baker said it had become second nature to him, and Imam Ahmad (ra) then asked whether the man had experienced any reward from this practice.

The Baker answered, “By Allah! No dua`a’ I made except that it was answered but one.” “And what is that dua`a’?” asked Imam Ahmed. “To be able to see the famed Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal!”

Imam Ahmad (ra) interjected, “I am Ahmad ibn Hanbal!” He then went on to add, “By Allah! I was dragged to your place so that you can have your dua`a’ (prayer) come true.” ((Summarized from Al Jumuah magazine, vol 19, issue 7.))

Perhaps this man, just like the Baker, was not some conference speaker, not some widely famed Imam, not some enormous Islamic activist, but someone who was sincere in their relationship with Allah (swt), and so Allah (swt) blessed them with acceptance and the answering of their passing wishes and dua`a’.

Days later, she continued to contemplate her encounter. Subhan’Allah, she kept thinking, everything for a reason. Sometimes, “bad” things happen to “good” people. But sometimes, those “bad” things are truly only outward moments of difficulty in comparison to the good Allah (swt) has in store and is preparing for that person to experience, when the time and moment are right.

As Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahu Allah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “When Allah tests you, it is never to destroy you. Whenever He removes something from your possession, it is only to empty your hands for an even better gift.”

What is stopping us from working to become of those who are beloved to Allah (swt)?