Arabic Text
عن أبي عمارة البراء بن عازب رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:
«يا فلان إذا أويت إلى فراشك فقل: اللهم أسلمت نفسي إليك، ووجهت وجهي إليك، وفوضت أمري إليك، وألجأت ظهري إليك، رغبة ورهبة إليك، لا ملجأ ولا منجى منك إلا إليك، آمنت بكتابك الذي أنزلت، ونبيك الذي أرسلت. فإنك إن متَّ من ليلتك متَّ على الفطرة، وإن أصبحت أصبت خيرًا».
متفق عليه.
وفي رواية أخرى:
«إذا أتيت مضجعك فتوضأ وضوءك للصلاة، ثم اضطجع على شقك الأيمن، وقل: وذكر نحوه، ثم قال: واجعلهن آخر ما تقول».
1. Connection to the Chapter
This hadith belongs under اليقين والتوكل because it turns the private act of going to sleep into a renewal of surrender to Allah. Sleep is a moment when human control disappears, so the believer is taught to place himself in Allah’s care before power leaves his limbs. That is the deepest shape of tawakkul: handing over the self when one can no longer hold on to anything.
The chapter is about hearts that rest in Allah with certainty. This du‘a gathers that certainty in one place: the heart, the face, the back, the hope, the fear, the book, and the Messenger. Nothing is left outside submission.
2. Key Words Meaning
أويت إلى فراشك — when you come to your bed; the moment of retreat from the day into rest.
أسلمت نفسي إليك — I have surrendered my soul to You; I give myself wholly to Allah.
وجهت وجهي إليك — I have turned my face to You; my direction, purpose, and inward attention are for Allah.
فوضت أمري إليك — I have entrusted my affair to You; I leave my outcomes to Allah.
ألجأت ظهري إليك — I have leaned my back upon You; You are my support when I can no longer stand.
رغبة ورهبة — in hope and in fear; the believer comes to Allah with desire for His mercy and fear of His judgment.
لا ملجأ ولا منجى منك إلا إليك — there is no refuge and no escape from You except to You; only Allah can shelter from Allah.
على الفطرة — upon the natural, sound disposition of Islam and surrender.
3. Hadith Lessons
The first lesson is that tawakkul should not remain a daytime concept. It belongs even to the hour when a person lies down and loses control over wakefulness, movement, and awareness. If the servant dies after such a night, he dies with the last state of his heart being surrender to Allah.
The second lesson is that faith is renewed through repeated return. Every night becomes a small rehearsal for death. The believer places himself under Allah’s care, and by doing so, he strengthens the meaning of submission in his soul.
The third lesson is that the du‘a is comprehensive. It does not speak only of trust, but also of belief in the Book and the Messenger. That matters because certainty is not a vague feeling. It is tied to revelation.
The fourth lesson is that outward manners support inward meaning. The second narration mentions wuḍū’, sleeping on the right side, and making these words the last thing spoken. The body is taught to participate in surrender, so that the heart is not alone in worship.
4. Special Reflections
This hadith is one of the most beautiful acts of spiritual closure in Islam. The day ends not with noise, distraction, or unresolved anxiety, but with a complete return to Allah. A person may spend the day burdened by work, conflict, desire, and pressure, but at night he comes back to the place where he is no longer self-made and self-protected.
The line لا ملجأ ولا منجى منك إلا إليك is especially deep. It teaches that even fear is answered by Allah. You do not flee from Him to safety; you flee to Him for safety. That is the paradox of certainty: the One whose justice you fear is also the One whose mercy you seek.
This also quietly trains the believer against modern restlessness. Many people go to bed carrying unfinished thoughts, silent fears, and the burden of tomorrow. The Prophet ﷺ teaches a cleaner ending: place the affair back where it belongs.
5. Three Questions to Close With
- When I lie down at night, do I actually surrender my life to Allah, or only my body to sleep?
- Is the last thing in my heart hope and fear directed to Allah, or unfinished anxiety?
- If death came in my sleep, would my final state be one of retreat from Allah or return to Him?