“When the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) went to his mattress, he would say: ‘O Allah, in Your Name I shall die and live,’ and when he woke up, he would say:‘Praise be to Allah, who has revived us after He caused us to die, and to Him is the resurrection!'”
The Sleeping Of Rasoolullah
From Ash-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah, Hadith Reference: Ash-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah 255
The Nighttime Supplication
When retiring to sleep, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would declare: "O Allah, in Your Name I shall die and live." This profound statement acknowledges that both sleep (the minor death) and awakening are entirely within Allah's control. The scholar Imam al-Nawawi explains that this supplication affirms complete reliance upon Allah, recognizing sleep as a form of death from which only Allah can grant revival.
The Morning Awakening
Upon waking, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would proclaim: "Praise be to Allah, who has revived us after He caused us to die, and to Him is the resurrection!" This expression of gratitude acknowledges Allah's mercy in restoring consciousness. Classical commentators note that this formula connects the minor resurrection from sleep with the greater resurrection on Judgment Day, keeping the reality of the afterlife ever-present in the believer's consciousness.
Spiritual Significance
Ibn al-Qayyim elucidates that these two supplications frame sleep as a complete cycle of death and resurrection, training the soul to remember its ultimate return to Allah. The nighttime invocation prepares the soul for potential death during sleep, while the morning declaration cultivates gratitude for the gift of another day of life. This practice transforms the mundane act of sleeping into an act of worship and spiritual awareness.