“If You Feel Sleepy, Don’t Go to Sleep Too Quickly”
Say:
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ، سُبْحَانَ اللهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ.
“There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone, without any partner. To Him belongs all sovereignty and all praise, and He has power over all things. There is no power and no strength except through Allah. Glory be to Allah, all praise belongs to Allah, there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and Allah is the Greatest.”
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Note: This is a translated article written and shared by the original author here : https://www.facebook.com/share/p/184RJTvzc3/
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Its benefit: Before going to sleep, one’s sins will be forgiven, even if they are as numerous as the foam of the sea.
— KH. Maimoen Zubair رحمه الله
• لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ
“There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.”
A Muslim acknowledges that Allah alone is worthy of worship, the One upon whom we depend, and the One who possesses absolute power.
• وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ
“He is Alone; He has no partner.”
This means that we devote our worship purely to Allah and do not associate any partner with Him.
• لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ
“To Him belongs all sovereignty, and to Him belongs all praise.”
Everything, in reality, is under Allah’s power and authority. Therefore, whether a believer is receiving blessings or facing difficulties, they continue to praise Allah.
• وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
“And He has power over all things.”
Nothing is difficult for Allah.
• لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ
“There is no power and no strength except through Allah.”
This teaches us tawakkul—placing our trust in Allah. We continue to make an effort, while recognizing that our ability to do good and to refrain from evil is ultimately through Allah’s help.
• سُبْحَانَ اللهِ
“Glory be to Allah.”
• وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
“All praise belongs to Allah.”
• وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ
“There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.”
• وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ
“Allah is the Greatest.”
Thus, this series of dhikr brings together tawhid, tasbih, tahmid, takbir, tawakkul, and acknowledgement of Allah’s power and authority.
🌊 Is it true that sins are forgiven even if they are as numerous as the foam of the sea?
The meaning does indeed have a basis in authentic hadith, but it is important to distinguish between the particular wording of the dhikr shown in the post and the hadith that establishes the virtue of certain forms of dhikr.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
مَنْ قَالَ: لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، فِي يَوْمٍ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ، كَانَتْ لَهُ عَدْلَ عَشْرِ رِقَابٍ، وَكُتِبَتْ لَهُ مِائَةُ حَسَنَةٍ، وَمُحِيَتْ عَنْهُ مِائَةُ سَيِّئَةٍ...
“Whoever says: Laa ilaaha illallaahu wahdahu laa syariika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘alaa kulli shay’in qadiir, one hundred times in a day, will have the reward of freeing ten slaves, one hundred good deeds will be recorded for him, and one hundred sins will be erased from him…”
(Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
There is also an authentic hadith:
مَنْ قَالَ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ حُطَّتْ خَطَايَاهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مِثْلَ زَبَدِ الْبَحْرِ
“Whoever says ‘Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi’ one hundred times, his sins will be erased, even if they are like the foam of the sea.”
Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
It is this hadith that very clearly mentions زَبَدِ الْبَحْرِ — the foam of the sea.
⚠️ But there is one point that needs clarification
We should not understand the statement to mean:
“Simply recite this dhikr once before going to sleep, and then all sins—including major sins—will automatically and certainly be erased.”
Such an understanding is too absolute.
The virtue of dhikr is indeed immense. However, major sins have their own specific rulings, and when a person has committed a sin that requires repentance, they should sincerely repent to Allah.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.’”
Qur’an, Surah az-Zumar 39:53
Allah سبحانه وتعالى also says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا
“O you who believe, repent to Allah with sincere repentance.”
Qur’an, Surah at-Tahrim 66:8
Therefore, dhikr + repentance + abandoning sin + not returning to the sin is a beautiful path for a believer.
🌙 Why is it especially good to do this before sleeping?
The time before going to sleep is an excellent time for muhasabah—self-reflection and taking account of oneself.
During the day, we may have:
- said things that were unnecessary,
- hurt someone’s feelings,
- looked at something we should not have looked at,
- become heedless of Allah,
- become angry,
- felt envy,
- or made other mistakes.
So before closing our eyes, rather than thinking only:
“What time do I need to wake up tomorrow?”
take a moment to ask:
“If Allah were to call me tonight, would I be ready to meet Him?”
Then recite dhikr and istighfar, ask Allah for forgiveness, and surrender yourself to Him.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
وَالذَّاكِرِينَ اللهَ كَثِيرًا وَالذَّاكِرَاتِ أَعَدَّ اللهُ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
“And the men who remember Allah often and the women who remember Allah often—Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward.”
Qur’an, Surah al-Ahzab 33:35
❤️ In conclusion
Do not let sleepiness become the end of your day without remembering Allah.
If you have been given the opportunity to keep your eyes open, close your day with dhikr.
If you made many mistakes throughout the day, close it with istighfar.
If you have many problems, close it with tawakkul.
If you have received many blessings, close it with gratitude.
Because we never know whether we will be given the opportunity to open our eyes again tomorrow morning.
Sleeping while remembering Allah is far more beautiful than sleeping after spending the entire day heedless of Him.
اللَّهُمَّ اخْتِمْ لَنَا بِالْحُسْنَى، وَاجْعَلْ آخِرَ كَلَامِنَا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ
“O Allah, grant us a good ending, and make the last words we utter in this world: Laa ilaaha illallaah.”
