Islam is beyond just a religion. It is the way of life.
Just like how it can guide us through a blessed day of hustle, it can also lead us to a restful night’s sleep full of remembrance.
Because for Muslims, sleep doesn’t stop at being a means to recuperate. When we go to bed, our soul temporarily leaves our body, a situation that closely resembles the moment when the soul finally leaves this world to enter Barzakh.
This intentional resemblance is made by Allah Al-Hakeem (The Most Wise) to remind us of the undeniable ending of our life in this dunya.
Unfortunately, because we always wake up the next day, we tend to dismiss the possibility that we might as well pass away in our sleep.
Then, sleeping becomes a void routine instead of an act of worship.
Say, “Death from which you flee is sure to catch up with you.
Surah Al-Jumu’ah 62:8
Then you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible,
and He will inform you of what you used to do.”
Now that we understand how close we are to death when we close our eyes, let’s not remain amongst those who are ignorant of the value of this blessing and make the most out of it.
When we go to sleep tonight, let us begin by purifying our soul.
Ask Allah (s.w.t.) for forgiveness and make the intention to not repeat the sin we fell into today. At the same time, we should forgive others for any wrong they did to us.
Should this be the night we finally leave this world, let our departure be one unburdened by sin and free from resentment.
Another nighttime routine that Islam teaches us is to recite the 3 qul. Considering our vulnerable state, these surah (Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, and An-Nas) serve as our spiritual shield and protection.
Indeed, there’s no protector greater than Al-Hafidh (The Preserver), whose guardianship sustains everything in existence from harm.
Moreover, we should also honour our body by protecting it despite being unconscious.
When we sleep, we are advised to sleep on our right side.
This position has been proven to be beneficial from the scientific standpoint, in which it prevents us from pressing against our heart, located at the left side of our chest.
A step further that we can take is to lie down facing the qiblah, similar to how the janazah is positioned in the lahad. Lying this way allows us to visualise ourselves in death, therefore further reinforcing the resemblance of sleep to it.
Sleep is the brother of death.
Mishkat al-Masabih 5654
Sleep is a mercy from Allah (s.w.t.) that we often take for granted, but it need not continuously be that way.
More than a way of resting, sleep is a daily reminder of His ownership over our soul and mercy every morning we wake up again.
While we train ourselves to be mindful and surrender to His decree, we must also make the most out of the opportunity given to us so that we live a life that welcomes His pleasure.
Ultimately, any regret we have would be useless after we die.
Wallahu’alam.