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...when going to sleep and upon awakening...
What to say when going to sleep and upon awakening
Hadhrat Huthaifah, (radiallahu anhu), and Hadhrat Abu Dharr, (radiallahu anhu) state that the Prophet (sallallahu aleyhi wa sallam) supplicated on going to sleep at night:
((باسمك اللهم أحيا وأموت))
“In your name, O Allah, I live and die,”
And when he awoke he would supplicate:
((الحمد لله الذي أحيانا بعد ما أماتنا واليه النشور))
“All praise is to Allah who granted us life after he caused us to die, and to Him is the return.” (Bukhari)
The interpretation (of the hadith): An-Nawawi – Rahimahullah – said in the chapter “What is to be said when one goes to sleep and upon waking up.” From the blessings of Allah upon us, he legislated for us supplications (Dhikr) to say when we retire to sleep, upon waking up, when we begin to eat and drink, and when we finish. Even when we enter the toilet and when we dress.
All this is due so that our time can be built upon the Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah, and had Allah not legislated that for us it would have been a Bidah (innovation). However Allah legislated this for us so that His blessing upon us may be increased by implementing such actions.
-So from the Hadith that an-Nawawi mentioned from Huthaifah, and Abi Dharr (radiallahu anhumaa) that when the Prophet, sallalahu aleyhi wa sallam, went to go to his bed and wished to sleep he would say: ((باسمك اللهم أحيا وأموت))
“In your name, O Allah, I live and die,”
Because it is Allah who gives life to the dead, for He is The Giver of life, He gives life to whoever He wills. And He is The One who causes death. He grants death to whoever He wills, hence you say;
((باسمك اللهم أحيا وأموت))
“In your name, O Allah, I live and die,”
Meaning, I die upon Your Name, and I will be raised upon Your Name. And this Dhikr (remembrance) is fitting to say when going to sleep because sleep is death, however it is the lesser death, as Allah says:
((وهو الذي يتوفاكم بالليل ويعلم ما جرحتم بالنهار ثم يبعثكم فيه)) (الانعام 60)
“It is He who Who takes your souls by night (when you are asleep), and has knowledge of all that you have done by day, then He raises (wakes) you up again that a term appointed (your life period) be fulfilled.”
And He also says:
وقال تعالى: (الله يتوف الأنفس حين موتها والتي لم تمت في منامها)) (الزمر 42)
“It is allah who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep.”
And it is because of this, that if the Prophet woke up, he would say,
((الحمد لله الذي أحيانا بعد ما أماتنا واليه النشور))
“All praise is to Allah who granted us life after He caused us to die, and to Him is the return.”
So you praise Allah who gave you life after death and you remember that the Nushoor (resurrection) - meaning the resurrection from the grave- will be to Allah, (hence, by saying this) you remember your return from the greater death (i.e the resurrection), by remembering your return from the lesser death.
And this Dhikr (remembrance) shows the great wisdom of sleep which Allah has caused it so that it gives the body the rest it needs from what has passed and helps it to be active for what is to come. And that the person who supplicates this also remembers the Hereafter. You remember when you will raise from your grave, alive, to Allah.
-And this strengthens your faith in the resurrection and having faith in your resurrection is an important matter. Had not the individual believed that he will be resurrected and be rewarded/punished for what he did, he would not work/strive, and it is because of this we find that Allah compares in many places in the Quran faith in the Last day with the faith in Him.
As he says:
((يؤمنون بالله واليوم الاخر))
“They believe in Allah and the last day.”And many ayahs regarding this.
Anyway, the important thing is that if you go to sleep that you say ((باسمك اللهم أحيا وأموت)) “In your name, Oh Allah, I live and die) and when you wake up you say,
((الحمد لله الذي أحيانا بعد ما أماتنا واليه النشور))
All praise is to Allah who granted us life after He caused us to die, and to Him is the return.
Source: Sharh Riyad us-Saliheen, By Shiekh Saalih ibn Uthymeen.