The dua before sleeping

The story

Raiha will not get into bed because the room is dark and the shadows seem to be looking at her, while Noor the cat snores on the rug without a care. Yusuf shows her the bedtime secret: Bismillah, dust off the bed, lie on the right side with a hand under the cheek, and the dua, and Mama explains what the words mean. Baba tells her that Allah never sleeps, and He is always watching over us, so the dark is nothing to fear, and the next morning Raiha is the first in the house to say Alhamdulillah.

What your child learned

• Before bed we say Bismillah, dust off the bed with the edge of our clothes, lie on our right side with a hand under our cheek, and say Bismika Allahumma amutu wa ahya.
• The dua means: in Your name, O Allah, I die and I live. Sleep is like a little rest, and Allah wakes us up again in the morning.
• Allah never sleeps, and He is always watching over us. That is why the dark is nothing to fear.
• When we wake we thank Allah with the waking dua. A small child can start with its first word, Alhamdulillah.

Talk about it at dinner

• Which side do we lie on before we sleep, and where does our hand go?
• Why was Raiha not scared of the dark any more?
• What was the first thing Raiha said when she woke up?

Try this week

Do the whole bedtime routine together every night this week: Bismillah, dust off the bed, right side, hand under the cheek, then the dua. In the morning, let your child be the first one to say Alhamdulillah.

Print and do

Where it comes from

The teaching in this episode rests on these sources. The links open quran.com and sunnah.com, where you can read each one in Arabic and English.

• The dua before sleeping and on waking: Sahih al-Bukhari 6312
• The same duas: Sahih al-Bukhari 6324
• Sleeping on the right side: Bukhari 247
• Dusting the bed and saying Bismillah: Bukhari 6320
• He does not slumber nor sleep (Ayat al-Kursi): Quran 2:255
• Sleep as a sign and rest from Allah: Quran 30:23
• The same: Quran 78:9

In this episode

1. 0:00 Welcome
2. 0:03 The shadows
3. 0:49 The bedtime secret
4. 2:11 Allah never sleeps
5. 3:17 Say it with me
6. 4:08 Noor's nap
7. 4:43 Yusuf forgets
8. 5:11 The lamp
9. 5:52 Good morning
10. 6:27 The Sleepy Dua Song
11. 6:58 Quiz
12. 7:42 Sing along

From the same episode

• The Sleepy Dua Song, the song on its own with the words on screen (from Sunday 15 November).
• Wudu, the Bedtime Dua and the Thirsty Dog! Three Episodes, a longer sitting (from Sunday 22 November).

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