Guidelines of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning sleep

 

I want to know how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to sleep. Did he sleep on a bed or on the floor? Did he used to recite a specific du’aa’ when he wanted to sleep?

Praise
be to Allaah.  

 

The Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to sleep sometimes
on a mattress, sometimes on a leather mat, sometimes on a mat made of
palm leaves, sometimes on the floor, sometimes on a bed, sometimes on
the sand, and sometimes on a black cloak. 

‘Abbaad ibn Tameem said, narrating from his paternal
uncles: I saw the Messenger of Allaah

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) lying on his back in the
mosque, putting one leg on top of the other. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
475; Muslim, 2100). 

His mattress was made of leather stuffed with palm fibres,
and he had a coarse woollen cloth that he would fold over twice and
sleep on. 

The point is that he slept on a mattress and covered
himself with a blanket. He said to his wives: “Jibreel never came to
me whilst I was under the blanket of any one of you apart from ‘Aa’ishah.”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3775). 

His pillow was also leather stuffed with palm fibres. 

When he went to bed to sleep, he would say: “Allaahumma
bismika ahyaa wa amoot (O Allaah, in Your name I live and die).”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7394). 

He used to put his hands together and blow into them,
then recite Qul Huwa Allaahu ahad, Qul a’oodhu bi Rabb il-Falaq
and Qul a’oodhu bi Rabb il-Naas [i.e., the last three soorahs
of the Qur’aan), then he would wipe his hands over as much of his body
as he could, starting with his head and face, and the front part of
his body. He would do that three times. 

He used to sleep on his right side, putting his right
hand under his right cheek, then he would say: “Allaahumma qini ‘adhaabaka
yawma tab’ath ‘ibaadaka (O Allaah, protect me from Your punishment
on the Day You resurrect Your slaves).” 

And when he went to bed he used to say: “Al-hamdu
Lillaah alladhi at’amanaa wa saqaanaa wa kafaanaa wa aawanaa fakam mimman
laa kaafi lahu wa laa mu’wi (All praise is for Allaah, 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).” This was
narrated by Muslim, who also narrated that he used to say when he went
to bed: 

“Allaahumma Rabb al-samawaati
wa’l-ard wa Rabb al-‘arsh il-‘azeem, Rabbaanaa wa Rabba kulli shay’in,
Faaliq al-habb wa’l-nawa wa munzil al-Tawraati wa’l-Injeeli wa’l-Furqaan,
a’oodhu bika min sharri kulli shay’in anta aakhidhun bi naasiyatihi.
Allaahumma anta al-awwal fa laysa qablaka shay’un, wa anta al-aakhir
fa laysa ba’daka shay’un, wa anta al-zaahir fa laysa fawqaka shay’un
wa anta al-baatin fa laysa doonaka shay’un. Iqdi ‘annaa al-dayna wa
aghninaa min al-faqri (O Allaah, Lord of the
seven heavens and the exalted Throne, our Lord and Lord of all things,
splitter of the seed and the date-stone, Revealer of the Tawraat and
the Injeel and the Furqaan [Qur’aan], I seek refuge in You from the
evil of all things You shall seize by the forelock [have total mastery
over]. O Allaah, You are the First so there is nothing before You, and
You are the Last so there is nothing after You. You are al-Zaahir [the
greatest and highest] so there is nothing above You, and You are al-Baatin
[aware of the subtlest secrets] so there is nothing closer than You.
Settle our debt for us and spare us from poverty).” (Narrated by Muslim) 

When he woke up from sleep he would say: “Al-hamdu
Lillaah alladhi ahyaana ba’d ma amaatana wa ilayhi al-nushoor (Praise
be to Allaah Who has brought us back to life after causing us to die,
and unto Him is the resurrection).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6312).
Then he would clean his teeth using the miswaak, and recite the last
ten aayahs from Soorat Aal ‘Imraan, from the verse (interpretation of
the meaning):  

“Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth…”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:190-200] 

And he would say: “Allaahumma laka al-hamd anta noor
al-samawaati wa’l-ard wa man fihinna, wa laka al-hamd anta qayyim ul-samaawaati
wa’l-ard wa man fihinna, wa laka al-hamd anta al-haqq wa wa’duka al-haqq
wa liqaa’uka haqq wa’l-jannatu haqq wa’l-naaru haqq wa’l-nabiyoona haqq
wa Muhammadun haqq wa’l-saa’atu haqq. Allaahumma laka aslamtu wa bika
aamantu wa ‘alayka tawakkaltu wa ilayka anabtu wa bika khaasamtu wa
ilayka haakamtu faghfir li ma qaddamutu wa ma akhartu wa ma asrartu
wa ma a’lantu anta ilaahi laa ilaaha illa anta (O Allaah, to You
be praise, You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone
in them. To You be praise, You are the Sustainer of the heavens and
the earth and everyone in them. To You be praise, You are the Truth
(al-Haqq), Your promise is true, the meeting with You is true, Paradise
is true, Hell is true, the Prophets are true, Muhammad is true 
and the Hour is true. O Allaah, to You I submit myself, in You I believe,
in You I put my trust, to You I repent, by Your help I strive (against
Your enemies) and to You I refer for judgement, so forgive me my past
and future sins, what I do in secret and what I do openly. You are my
God and there is no god but You).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1120). 

He used to sleep during the first part of the night and
get up to pray during the last part. Sometimes he would stay up late
to deal with the interests of the Muslims. His eyes slept but his heart
did not. When he slept, they would not wake him up; he would be the
one to wake up. 

When he stopped to rest at night during a journey, he
would lie down on his right side, and if he stopped to rest just before
dawn he would prop his head up on his forearm, resting it in his palm.
This was narrated by al-Tirmidhi. 

His sleep was of the best length and it was the most
beneficial of sleep. The doctors say that it is one-third of the night
and day, namely eight hours.