The author advised students to start the day by waking up early in the morning and praying the Fajr prayer. Then he guided what one has to do step by step. Finally, the author says what one needs to do before going to bed and after sleeping.
The given advices are:
1. Do not sleep unless you fall asleep
2. Always say Dhikr before sleep
3. Make Wudu before going to bed even if you are sleeping with your wife/husband.
4. Do Dua for yourself and others at midnight
5. Do Tahajjud prayer at night
You need to know that four things prevent you from waking up in the middle of the night for Tahajjud prayers. They are:
1. Paying attention to this world and ignoring the horrors of the Hereafter
2. Engaging in worldly and idle talks during the day
3. Overburdening the body with hard work and becoming tired and exhausted.
4. Eating too much
In addition to these four, it is said that disobeying Allah at night may prevent him from waking up at night for Tahajjud.
Also you need to know that four facts help you wake up for Tahajjud at night.
1. Renewing Wudu after Isha prayer
2. Reciting Dhikr and Tasbeeh before sunset
3. Engaging in Dhikr, Quran recitation and other forms of Ibada between Magrib prayer and Isha prayer
4. Not speaking idle talks after reciting Dhikr and Quran.
Sleep can turn in to a kind of Ibadah when a person set the intention in his heart that he wants to sleep to strengthen himself so that he can perform worship to Allah such as by reciting al-Quran, Dhikr, learning and others.
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ، أَنّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ : ” طَهِّرُوا هَذِهِ الأَجْسَادَ طَهَّرَكُمُ اللَّهُ ، فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَبِيتُ طَاهِرًا إِلا بَاتَ مَعَهُ فِي شِعَارِهِ مَلَكٌ ، لا يَنْقَلِبُ سَاعَةً مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِلا ، قَالَ : اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِعَبْدِكَ فَإِنَّهُ بَاتَ طَاهِرًا “[1]
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas t reports that Rasulullah (r) said: “Purify your bodies, Allah will purify you, for verily any person who sleeps in a condition of purity will indeed have an angel spending the night by his side and whenever he turns over at any moment during the night the angel says, ‘O Allah forgive your servant for verily he has spent the night in the state of purity.”