Islamic way of sleeping
Sunnah means the way of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). It includes everything he said, did, and approved of. We know the Sunnah from the statements called Hadiths that have been handed down from the Companions of the Prophet.
Islamic Law is taken from the Qur’an and Sunnah. The Sunnah in this sense both explains the Qur’an, and also gives additional rules and guidance. The Qur’an in many places tells us to obey the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and thus it is wrong—as some deviant sects claim—that the Qur’an is sufficient and that we do not need the Sunnah.
According to Islamic jurists, the Sunnah is second to fard. Fard means something is obligatory and it must be done; to neglect it without any excuse is a sin. The Sunnah is divided into confirmed (Sunnah mu’akkadah) and optional (Sunnah ghair mu’akkadah). The confirmed Sunnah also should not be neglected, though it is not as important as the fard. The optional Sunnah is recommended, but if someone neglects it, there is no sin or blame on that person.Here are some Hadith from Riyad As Saaleheen that shows the Islamic way of sleeping...
Sleeping
1. On the right hand side - The Prophet said: “When any one of you goes to bed, let him clear his bed by hitting it with his garment, for he does not know what may have come onto it. Then let him lie down on his right side…” [Saheeh al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim]. Sleeping on the right causes the liver to purify the blood, it facilitates the movement of the blood.
2. siesta - This short nap gives relief to the vital organs of the body like heart and brain.
814. Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib said, "When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to retire to his bed, he would lie on his right side and then say, 'O Allah, I surrender my soul to You and I turn my face to You and I entrust my affair to You and I seek Your support with hope and fear of You. There is no refuge from You but to You. I have believed in Your Book which You sent down and Your Prophet whom You sent.'" [al-Bukhari]
815. al-Bara' ibn 'Azib reported: 'The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to me, 'Whenever you go to bed, do wudu' as you do wudu' for the prayer and then lie down on your right side. Then say...'" and he mentioned the rest of it and in it is, "Make that the last of the words that you utter." [Agreed upon]
816. 'A'isha said, "The Prophet , may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray eleven rak'ats at night. When it was dawn, he would pray two quick rak'ats and then lie on his right side until the mu'adhdhin came and gave the adhan." [Agreed upon]
818. Ya'ish ibn Tikhfa al-Ghifari said, "My father said, 'Once while I was lying on my stomach in the mosque, a man moved me with his foot and said, "This is a position which Allah hates."'" He said, "I looked up and it was the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." [Abu Dawud]
