The Prophet’s Way in Sleep and Wakefulness
The Prophet’s Way in Sleep and Wakefulness
The person who thinks of the prophet’s way in sleep and wakefulness, he will make certain that it is the most moderate and fit to the body, organs and forces. The prophet used to sleep at the beginning of the night, then he gets up at the beginning of the second half of night to brush his teeth, make ablution “Wudou” and pray what Allah wanted. Thus, the body, the organs and other forces take their part of sleep and rest and movement (exercises) with great reward. This method is the best one concerning the health of the heart and the body and the boon of the earthly life and the Hereafter.
He did not sleep more than his body required and did not prevent himself from the necessary sleep. The prophet practiced this perfectly-sleeping when need- on his right side remembering Allah until the sleep seizes him. He did not sleep while his stomach was full of food and beverage. He did not stick his side too much to the earth and did not lie on high beds. His bed was made of leather filled with fibers. He used to put his head on the pillow and he sometimes put his hand under his cheek.Here we are going to mention some kinds of sleeping:The useful and the harmful
Kinds of Sleep
Sleeping is a physical state of the body which is usually followed by the centralization of the instinctive heat and the forces in the interior of the body for rest. Sleeping is of two kinds: the natural and the non-natural ones.In the natural sleep, the psychological forces, which are the ones of sensation and voluntary movements, restrain their action causing the cease of the body movement. In doing so, the body relaxes causing the combination of humidites and steams- which are usually dissolved by the body movement in the brain the source of these forces. Thus, it becomes anesthetic and relaxes. This is the natural sleeping.The non-natural sleeping is caused accidentally or morbidly. So, either the humidities control the brain completely in a way that the awakening can’t disperse them or a large amount of humid vaporous- as in case of surfeit by food or beverage- bums the brain making it relaxed and anesthetized. Thus, the psychological forces restrain their action in order to cause sleep.
Advantages of Sleep
Sleep has two advantageous properties:
The first one is the quietness and rest of the limbs after toiling work. Thus, the sleep comforts the sensation from fatigue caused during the wakefulness in order to dissipate the faintness and weariness.
The second one is the digestion of the diet and maturity of humors for the instinctive heat-during sleep- centralizes in the body’s interior helping in digestion and maturity. For this reason, the sleeper’s exterior feels cold and needs to be covered.The most beneficial sleep is to lie on the right-side so that the food settles well in the stomach for it is more inclined to the left. Then, the sleeper should lie on his left-side for a short time in order to increase the speed of digestion by this inclination of the stomach to the liver. After that, the sleeper should He steadily on his right-side so that the food descends quickly to the stomach. Thus, sleeping should be, at the beginning and the end, on the right-side for the repeatness of sleep on the left side is harmful to the heart for the materials pour on it because of the organs inclination.The worst sleep is the one on the back, but to lie on the back, for a rest without sleeping, is not harmful.But the worst of all ways of sleeping is the one while the person lying face down. In Al-"Musnad" and Ibn Maja’s “Sunan”, Abi Umama narrates that the Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed by a man sleeping in the mosque lying face down, the prophet warned him with his foot saying: stand up or sit, sleeping in this way is hellish”
The Patient’s sleep
Hypocrates mentioned in his book entitled “At-Taqdima” (the gift): “The patient’s sleep, laying down face with a habit he used to when he was healthy, indicates confusion in his mind and pain in certain parts of his abdomen”.
Explicators of this book said: This happens to him because he opposes the healthy habit and follows the sick one without known or unknown reason”.
The Moderate Sleep
The moderate sleep enables the action of the natural forces and comforts the psychological forces and strengthens the essence of its carrier to a degree that it may prevent the decomposition of flatulency.
The Day Sleep
Sleeping during the day is bad for it causes the humid diseases and the calamities. It also distorts the color, causes the splenities, relaxes the nerves and weakens the desire except in summer during the meridian of the day.To sleep at the beginning of the day is bad but the worst is to sleep at the end of the day after the afternoon. Abdul-lah bin Abbas saw one of his children sleeping at the beginning of the day he said to him “wake up, do you sleep at hour during which the goods are distributed?”
Kinds of Sleep
It was said :” that the day sleeping is of three kinds:The decencies sleeping which is the sleep of the meridian and this way was adopted by the prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.The second one is the one of stupidity which is the sleep during the forenoon. It diverts from the earthly life and the Hereafter.The last one is that of foolishness which is the sleeping in the afternoon, one of our ancestors said”’ The person who sleeps in the afternoon should not blame except himself if his mind is stolen”.A poet said:” The forenoon sleep causes insanity to the man where as afternoon sleep engenders madness”.
The Morning Sleep
The morning sleep obstructs the welfare for it happens at a time when creature ask for their goods as it the time of distributing the means of living. Thus, sleeping without a reason or necessity, although it is very harmful, causes the relaxation of the body, deterioration of the excrements that should be dissipated by movement and brings about damages, lassitude and faintness. If it occurs before evacuation movement, exercises or inserting something into the stomach, it then causes the incurable disease that engenders many diseases.
Sleep in the Sun
Sleeping in the sun stimulates the latent infection.Also, to sleep putting half of you in the sun and half of you in the shadow is harmful. Abou Dawoud narrated in his “Sunan” from Abi Hurayra that the prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: If one of you were sleeping in the open air and the shadow covered half of his body and the sunshine covered the other half, he should leave the place”.Ibn Maja in his “Sunan” narrated from hadith of Burayda binAl-Husayb that the prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, “prevented from sitting between the shade and the sun”. This hadith indicates the prohibitance of sleeping in the two.
The Invocation Of Pre-Sleep
In the two “As-Sahih” Al-Bara’a bin ‘Azeb narrates that the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “When you go to bed, perform saying: O Lord, I entrust myself to You, direct my face to You, entrust my concern to You and I lean my back on You willingly and apprehensively. There is neither a escape from You nor a shelter but with You. I believe in Your Book that You revealed and in Your Prophet that You sent”. These words should be the last words you say before sleeping so, if you die at this night, your death will be in the state of God’s natural handiwork.In Al-Bukhari’s “ Sahih” A’isha narrates “ that when the Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, performed the “Sunan” (Supererogatory deeds) of dawn prayer (Salat) he would sleep on his right-side”.
The Wisdom Of Sleep on Right-Side
It was said: that the wisdom intended in sleeping on the right side is that the sleeper should not sleep soundly because the heart inclines to the left-side; so when one sleeps on his right side, the heart should require its position on the left side. In doing so, the heart prevents from sleeping soundly that leads to a still sleep and this, in turn, causes missing the interests of the earthly life and the Hereafter
Since sleep is the brother of death so it is impossible for the Eternal Living the Praised to sleep and the inhabitants of Paradise do not sleep either. The sleeper needs a guardian to preserve his soul from the deadly elements and to protect his body from the blights as well.
Allah the Exalted, who created him, is the only one Who can do this responsibility. For this reason, the Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, taught the sleeper to say the words of entrust, of resorting to Him, of desire for Him and apprehension of him in order to implore God with His perfectness to preserve his soul and his body. He also guided him to remember the belief in Allah and to sleep believing in, for the words of faith should be the last ones for fear that a person may die during his sleep. If words of faith were the last ones, they would help him to enter Paradise.
The Prophets guidance, even during sleep, included the interests of heart, body and soul during sleep, wakefulness in this life and the hereafter. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon the one who granted his nation the whole boon.
The statement “I entrust myself to You “ indicates that I surrendered my soul to You just as the slave yields to his master. “I direct my face to You” implies the proceeding completely to Allah, the sincerity of intention and will to Him and the admission of obedience and humility to Him. God the Exalted said:
فَإنْ حَآجُّوكَ فَقُلْ أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلّهِ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِ وَقُل لِّلَّذِينَ أُوْتُواْ الْكِتَابَ وَالأُمِّيِّينَ أَأَسْلَمْتُمْ فَإِنْ أَسْلَمُواْ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَواْ وَّإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلاَغُ وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ
So if they dispute with you (Muhammad SAW) say: “I have submitted myself to Allâh (in Islâm), and (so have) those who follow me...” (Aali Imran 3:20)
Here, the face is mentioned because it is the noblest in man and it contains the center of senses. This idea also includes the aim of the statement “ O Lord of people, to Whom face and deeds are turned”. The “ entrust of one’s affair to Him “ means that actions depend on the will of Allah the Praised. This implies the quietness of heart, content with what He decides and chooses for him by what he cherishes and satisfies.Entrust to Him is one of the most honorable kinds of slavery to Allah that does not enclose any defect and it is the situation of the chosen people. This fact contradicts with those who believe in other than this. “Leaning one’s back on Allah the Praised” implies the strong dependence on Him, trust in Him and entrust to Him for the one who depends on steady pillar does not fear falling.
