Guide · Night Routine

Before sleep adhkar: the complete Sunnah night routine.

The Zikar Team · 11 min read · Published 12 May 2026

Sleep is a minor death — the Prophet ﷺ taught us specific phrases to say when we lie down, what to recite if we wake in the night, and how to greet the morning when we open our eyes. This guide gathers the complete before-sleep adhkar in the correct sequence, with Arabic, transliteration, meaning, and a 5-minute routine you can start tonight.

Why the sleep adhkar matters differently

The morning and evening adhkar are about beginning and closing the day in remembrance. The sleep adhkar is something more intimate — it's about entrusting yourself to Allah as you lose consciousness. The Prophet ﷺ was consistent and specific about this routine in a way that is striking even by the standard of other adhkar.

Multiple companions narrated the sleep routine. The consistency across narrations is notable: certain phrases appear in nearly every version. This guide follows the compilation from Hisn al-Muslim, cross-referenced with the primary Hadith collections.

The complete before-sleep routine

Step 1 — Dust off the bed, three times

Before lying down, the Prophet ﷺ would take the edge of his lower garment and dust the bed three times, saying:

بِاسْمِكَ رَبِّي وَضَعْتُ جَنْبِي، وَبِكَ أَرْفَعُهُ، فَإِنْ أَمْسَكْتَ نَفْسِي فَارْحَمْهَا، وَإِنْ أَرْسَلْتَهَا فَاحْفَظْهَا بِمَا تَحْفَظُ بِهِ عِبَادَكَ الصَّالِحِينَ "In Your name, my Lord, I lay down my side, and with Your name I raise it. If You take my soul, have mercy on it, and if You release it, protect it as You protect Your righteous servants." — Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim

Step 2 — Ayat al-Kursi, once

Recite Ayat al-Kursi (Quran 2:255) before sleeping. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever recites it when going to sleep, Allah will send a guardian over him and no shaytan will come near him until morning." (Sahih al-Bukhari.)

Step 3 — The three Quls, three times each

Recite Surah al-Ikhlas, Surah al-Falaq, and Surah an-Nas — each three times. Then cup your hands, blow into them, and pass them over your face and what you can reach of your body. This was the consistent practice of the Prophet ﷺ when going to sleep.

سُورَةُ الْإِخْلَاصِ · سُورَةُ الْفَلَقِ · سُورَةُ النَّاسِ Surah al-Ikhlas · Surah al-Falaq · Surah an-Nas — recited 3× each — Sahih al-Bukhari, narrated by A'isha (RA)

Step 4 — Tasbih Fatima: 33-33-34

The Prophet ﷺ told Fatimah (RA) and Ali (RA) to say SubhanAllah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 34 times before sleeping. He said: "This is better for you than a servant." (Sahih al-Bukhari.)

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ (33×) · الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ (33×) · اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ (34×) SubhanAllah (33×) · Alhamdulillah (33×) · Allahu Akbar (34×) — Sahih al-Bukhari, narrated by Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)

Step 5 — The last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever recites the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice him." (Sahih al-Bukhari.) Scholars differ on what "suffice" means — protection from evil, from needing to pray qiyam, or both. All three interpretations have support.

Step 6 — Dua al-Manam (the sleep supplication)

اللَّهُمَّ بِاسْمِكَ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا "O Allah, with Your name I die and I live." — Sahih al-Bukhari

Said immediately before closing the eyes. The corresponding dua upon waking is:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ "All praise is for Allah who gave us life after causing us to die, and to Him is the resurrection." — Sahih al-Bukhari

🌙 The 5-minute bedtime routine

Dust bed 3× with the dua (30 seconds)
Ayat al-Kursi — 1× (45 seconds)
Three Quls — 3× each (90 seconds)
Tasbih Fatima: SubhanAllah 33, Alhamdulillah 33, Allahu Akbar 34 (90 seconds)
Last two verses of al-Baqarah — 1× (30 seconds)
Bismika amutu wa ahya — 1× (5 seconds)

Total: ~5 minutes. Replace the phone scroll you were going to do anyway.

What to do if you wake in the night

If you wake in the night and cannot sleep, the Prophet ﷺ taught:

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ "There is no god but Allah alone with no partner; to Him belongs the dominion and praise, and He is over all things capable. Glory be to Allah; all praise is for Allah; there is no god but Allah; Allah is Greatest; there is no power or might except with Allah." — Sahih al-Bukhari

Then make dua — because the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever wakes at night and says this, and then asks, his supplication will be answered." (Sahih al-Bukhari.)

The deeper meaning: sleep as surrender

The classical scholars noted something about the sleep adhkar that is worth sitting with. Every phrase in this sequence involves either entrusting yourself to Allah, seeking protection from Allah, or praising Allah. Nothing is asked for except in the protective frame of His names and attributes. Sleep — the nightly rehearsal of death — becomes a practice of complete surrender. The one who goes to sleep with these phrases on their tongue has, in a very real sense, submitted the night to Allah.

Download the full PDF

We've prepared a beautifully formatted PDF of the complete before-sleep adhkar — Arabic with harakat, transliteration, English, and sources. Free to download, free to print, free to share.

↓ Get the Before Sleep Adhkar PDF