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DUA AT BEDTIME AND AT THE TIME OF WAKING UP

Seven in number, the supplicatory prayers at bedtime and at waking are as follows:

First: Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said: Whoever repeats the following doxology (zikr) three times before going to bed, will be released of his sins as exactly as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him:

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِىْ عَلَا فَقَهَرَ

All praise be to Allah Who has exalted, thus dominated.

وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِىْ بَطَنَ فَخَبَرَ

All praise be to Allah Who has been immanent, thus known all things.

وَالْحَمْدُلِلّٰهِ الَّذِىْ مَلَكَ فَقَدَرَ

All praise be to Allah Who has owned all things, thus had power over them all.

وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِىْ يُحْيِىْ الْمَوْتىَ

All praise be to Allah Who gives life to the dead,

وَ يُمِيْتُ الْاَحْيَاۤءَ

causes the living to die,

وَ هُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ۔

and He has power over all things.

Shaykh al-Saduq has also reported the same tradition.

The author of Uddat al-Da’i has added that Imam al-Sadiq (‘a), having declared this saying, commented, “This is the least praise one may say to the Lord.”

However, according to this narration, the third phrase replaces the second.

Second: Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) has mentioned that whenever the Holy Prophet (s) went to sleep, he would recite Ayah al-Kursi and then say the following statement:

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ

In the Name of Allah.

اٰمَنْتُ بِاللّٰهِ

I believe in Allah

وَ كَفَرْتُ بِالطَّاغُوْتِ

and disavow the false deity.

اَللّٰهُمَّ احْفَظْنِىْ فِىْ مَنَامِىْ وَ فِىْ يَقَظَتِىْ۔

O Allah, (please) safeguard me in my sleep and in my waking.

Third: Al-Mufazzal ibn ‘Umar reported the following: Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) said to me: If possible, you should not go to bed at night before you pray for the protection of the following eleven items. However, you can use them whenever you wish:

اَعُوْذُ بِعِزَّةِ اللّٰهِ

I pray the protection of Allah’s almightiness,

وَ اَعُوْذُ بِقُدْرَةِ اللّٰهِ

I pray the protection of Allah’s omnipotence,

وَ اَعُوْذُ بِجَلَالِ اللّٰهِ

I pray the protection of Allah’s majesty,

وَ اَعُوْذُ بِسُلْطَانِ اللّٰهِ

I pray the protection of Allah’s authority,

وَ اَعُوْذُ بِجَمَالِ اللّٰهِ

I pray the protection of Allah’s beauty,

وَ اَعُوْذُ بِدَفْعِ اللّٰهِ

I pray the protection of Allah’s defense,

وَ اَعُوْذُ بِمَنْعِ اللّٰهِ

I pray the protection of Allah’s guard,

وَ اَعُوْذُ بِجَمْعِ اللّٰهِ

I pray the protection of Allah’s wholeness,

وَ اَعُوْذُ بِمُلْكِ اللّٰهِ

I pray the protection of Allah’s control,

وَ اَعُوْذُ بِوَجْهِ اللّٰهِ

I pray the protection of Allah’s face,

وَ اَعُوْذُ بِرَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ

and I pray the protection of Allah’s Messenger,

صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ اٰلِهٖ

may Allah bless him and his Household,

مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ وَ بَرَءَ وَ ذَرَءَ۔

against the evil of whatever He has created, originated, and made.

Fourth: Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “Whoever repeats Surah al-Tawhid (No. 112) one hundred times before he goes to sleep, Almighty Allah will forgive him the sins of fifty years.”

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is also reported to have said, “Whoever recites Surah al-Kafirun (No. 109) and Surah al-Tawhid before he goes to sleep etc.”

Fifth: Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) reported the Holy Prophet (s) as saying: Whoever intends to offer any amount of night worship, may say the following words before he goes to sleep. If he does, Almighty Allah will order an angel to awaken him at the very time he intends to wake up:

اَللّٰهُمَّ لَاتُؤْمِنِّىْ مَكْرَكَ

O Allah, (please) do not make me feel secure against Your plans,

وَلَاتُنْسِنِىْ ذِكْرَكَ

do not make me forget remembrance of You,

وَلَا تَجْعَلْنِىْ مِنَ الْغَافِلِيْنَ

and do not include me with the inattentive ones.

اَقُوْمُ سَاعَةَ كَذَا وَ كَذَا۔

I may wake up at...

The time at which one intends to wake up may be mentioned now.

Sixth: Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said: When one of you wakes up at night, he may say the following doxology (zikr). If he does, Almighty Allah will say, “My servant has said the truth and has thanked Me.”

سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ رَبِّ النَّبِيْيِّنَ

All glory be to Allah the Lord of the prophets,

وَ اِلٰهِ الْمُرْسَلِيْنَ

the God of the messengers,

وَ رَبِّ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِيْنَ

and the Lord of the enfeebled ones.

وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِىْ يُحْيِى الْمَوْتٰى

All praise be to Allah Who gives life to the dead

وَ هُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّشَىْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ

and He has power over all things.

Seventh: ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj has reported that Imam al-Sadiq (‘a), whenever he woke up at the last hours of night, would raise his voice with this supplicatory prayer so that the people of his house would hear him:

اَللّٰهُمَّ اَعِنِّىْ عَلٰى هَوْلِ الْمُطَّلَعِ

O Allah, help me stand the horror of the after-death scene,

وَ وَسِّعْ عَلَىَّ ضِيْقَ الْمَضْجَعِ

expand for me the narrow abode,

وَارْزُقْنِىْ خَيْرَ مَا قَبْلَ الْمَوْتِ

provide me with the welfare of what is before death,

وَارْزُقْنِىْ خَيْرَ مَا بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ۔

and provide me with the welfare of what is after death.