The first thing to do with eyes that open to a new life each morning is to praise Allah.
On waking in the morning the Prophet (peace be upon him) would say, "Alhamdulillahilladhi ahyana ba'da ma amatana wa ilayhin-nushur" — "Praise be to Allah who gave us life after death, and to Him is the return." Every new morning is in truth a new opportunity given to us by Allah.
What does the hadith say?
حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شَيْبَانُ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ رِبْعِيِّ بْنِ حِرَاشٍ، عَنْ خَرَشَةَ بْنِ الْحُرِّ، عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ، قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا أَخَذَ مَضْجَعَهُ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ قَالَ " بِاسْمِكَ نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا، فَإِذَا اسْتَيْقَظَ قَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ ".
Narrated Abu Dharr:When the Prophet (ﷺ) went to bed at night, he used to say: "Bismika namutu wa nahya." And when he got up in the morning, he used to say, "Al hamdu li l-lahi al-ladhi ahyana ba'da ma amatana, wa ilaihi-nnushur
Text: Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 7395. Grade: sahih (hadiths in al-Bukhari and Muslim are accepted as sahih).
What is the hadith source of this sunnah?
This sunnah rests on the following hadith. The reference gives the collection, chapter and number where the hadith appears.
- al-Bukhari, Book of Divine Unity, 13 (hadith no. 7395)
How this page was prepared: sources and verification method.
More sunnahs in Sleep Etiquette
As a table with references: Sleep Etiquette sunnahs.
- Lying on the Right Side: Lying on the right side with the right hand under the cheek is a sunnah of sleep.
- Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas Before Sleep: Reciting Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas before sleep is a beautiful part of the sunnah.
- Shaking Out the Bed: Shaking out the bed before sleeping is a sunnah of caution that the Prophet advised.
- Waking for Tahajjud: Waking from sleep for the night prayer is the deepest form of nearness to Allah.
- Qaylulah — The Midday Rest: A short sleep after the noon prayer is the sunnah that gives strength for night worship.