When you wish to go to bed, you must prepare yourself for meeting death. You must be in a state of ceremonial purity, repent from sinning, evacuate your heart from worldly affairs, bring to mind the end of your lifetime and the time when you will lie alone in your grave without having anyone to entertain you, put your last will under your pillow, and determine to wake up for offering the Night Prayer, which is the pride of the true faithful believer and its adornment in this world as well as the Hereafter. Before sleeping, you may recite Surah al-Tawheed, Surah al-Takathur, and Ayah al-Kursi. You may also repeat the following doxology (zikr) three times:
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِىْ عَلَافَقَهَرَ
All praise be to Allah Who has been exalted; so, He dominates (all things).
وَالْحَمْدُلِلّٰهِ الَّذِىْ بَطَنَ فَخَبَرَ
All praise be to Allah Who has been inward; so, He knew (all things).
وَالْحَمْدُلِلّٰهِ الَّذِىْ مَلَكَ فَقَدَرَ
All praise be to Allah Who has possessed (all things); so, He has power (over all things).
وَالْحَمْدُلِلّٰهِ الَّذِىْ يُحْيِى الْمَوْتىٰ
All praise be to Allah Who restores to life the dead,
وَيُمِيْتُ الْاَحْيَاۤءَ
causes the alive to die,
وَ هُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ۔
and has power over all things.
You may then say Tasbih al-Zahra’ and sleep on your right side, just like the dead in their graves. About sleeping like the moribund, our mentor Shaykh al-Nuri has said in his book of Dar al-Salam, “We could not find any report or tradition recommending so except something mentioned by al-Ghazzali. Of course, accuracy lies in opposing him.”
If you intend to wake up for offering the Night Prayer or another thing but you fear lest sleep overcomes you, you may recite the last holy verse of Surah al-Kahf (No. 18):
قُلْ اِنَّمَا اَ نَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ
Say: I am only a mortal like you;
يُوْحىٰ اِلَىَّ اَنَّمَا اِلٰهُكُمْ اِلٰهٌ وَّاحِدٌ
it is revealed to me that your god is one God;
فَمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُوْ لِقَاۤءَ رَبِّهٖ
therefore, whoever hopes to meet his Lord,
فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا
he should do good deeds,
وَلَايُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهٖ اَحَدًا۔
and not join any one in the service of his Lord.
Imam al-Sadiq(a.s.) is reported to have said that whoever recites this holy verse at sleeping will certainly wake up at the very time he wants.
