Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah
Imam Ahmad reported that Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) said, “The
Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) passed by a man who was lying on
his stomach, so he poked him with his leg and said, ‘This is a posture that
Allah the Mighty and Majestic does not like.’” It was also reported by Ibn
Hibban in his Sahih, and there are many other hadiths in the major
collections that support this.
Because of this, it is mentioned in Imam al-Barkawi’s manual on the path of
taqwa, al-Tariqa al-Muhammadiyya:
“And it is disliked to lie on one’s stomach without an excuse..”
Imam al-Khadimi added in his commentary:
“Sleeping on one’s back is the sleep of the prophets, who contemplate the
creation of the heavens and earth [f: when without a roof on their heads]; sleep
on the right side is the sleep of scholars and worshippers; sleep on the left is
the sleep of kings to digest food; and sleeping on one’s face is the sleep of
devils and the unbelievers.” ( al-Bariqa al-Mahmudiyya fi Sharh al-Tariqa
al-Muhammadiyya, 4: 177)
In the Fatawa al-Hindiyya, a brilliant collection of relied upon
positions within the Hanafi school, gathered by a committee of scholars
commissioned by the righteous Moghul emperor, Aurangzeb, it is stated that,
“It is recommended to take advantage of the afternoon nap (qaylula), for the
Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said, “Take afternoon naps, for
the devils do not take afternoon naps,” as mentioned in al-Ghayathiyya…
It is recommended for one to sleep in a state of ritual purity, and to lie on
one’s right side, facing the qibla for a while [f: at least, and then, if it is
difficult to fall asleep on one’s right] then one may sleep on one’s left side
[f: without it being considered sub-optimal], as mentioned in
al-Sirajiyya.
It is disliked to sleep early in the morning, and between maghrib and isha
[f: because it would normally lead to one missing isha in congregation,
otherwise, it is not disliked though still better not to do]. It has been
mentioned in some works that no sleep was more beloved to Sayyiduna Ali (Allah
be pleased with him) than sleep [right] after isha before the last of the night.
One’s sleep should be on a bed that is mid-way between being soft and hard [f:
as this prevents excessively deep sleep that could make one miss prayer or
tahajjud, while being reasonably comfortable]. One should take one’s right hand
as a pillow under one’s cheek. One should bring to mind that one will be
[similarly] placed in the grave, lying on one’s side, alone with nothing but
one’s works… If one is full and fears stomach pain, it is not wrong to place a
pillow under one’s stomach and to sleep on it.
One should make remembrance of Allah (dhikr) when going to sleep, saying the
tahlil (‘la ilaha illa Allah’), tahmid (‘alhamdu lillah’) and
tasbih (‘subhan Allah’) [f: after having recited the specific Prophetic
invocations recommended before sleep] until sleep overcomes one, for the sleeper
is resurrected according to how he fell asleep and the one who dies according to
the state he died in.
One should get up before fajr, for the earth complains to Allah from the
ghusl of the adulterer, and from blood unlawfully spilled on it, and from sleep
after fajr time [comes in].
One should wake up making remembrance of Allah [f: the best of which are the
specific Prophetic invocations], and with a firm resolve to have taqwa from that
which Allah has prohibited, and determined not to wrong any of Allah’s servants,
as mentioned in al-Ghara’ib. "[ al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 5: 376]
Among the sunnas of waking are:
1. To say ‘La Ilaha illa Allah’, then ‘Alhamdulillah’ three times, then
Alhamdulillahi alladhi ahyana ba`da ma amatana wa ilayhi an-nushur (All
praise is to Allah who gave us life after death, and to Him is the final
return). [Bukhari, Abu Dawud, and others]
2. It is good to rub the face and eyes with both hands, to get rid of
the effects of sleep, as mentioned in Shama’il al-Tirmidhi
3. It is recommended to brush one’s teeth, ideally using a tooth-stick
(miswak), because of hadiths to this effect in Ahmad’s Musnad in in Abu
Dawud’s Sunan.
And all good, in this world and the next, may be found in following the way
of the Beloved of Allah (upon him be the best of blessings and most perfect of
peace). And all success is from Allah.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani.
