اَلْـحَمْدُ لِلهِ الّـذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَـنَا، وَإِلَـيْهِ النُّشُورُ
Al-Ham-du lil-lā-hil-la-dhee Ah-yā-nā Ba’-da-mā A-mā-ta-nā wa i-lay-hin-Nu-shoor. (All Praise belongs to Allāh, Who gave us life after He caused us to die, and unto Him is the resurrection [back to life].)
From among the great words of remembrance which the Noble Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) used to recite consistently at the time of sleeping and at the time of awakening from sleep is what is narrated by al-Bukhāree: ‘Whenever the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) intended to sleep he would say: “In Your Name, O Allāh, I die and I live.” And whenever he awakened from his sleep he said: “All praise belongs to Allāh, Who gave us Life after He caused us to die, and unto Him is the resurrection.” Explanation of the Hadeeth: As for his saying (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam): “Al-Ham-du lil-lā-hil-ladhee Ah-yā-nā Ba’-da-mā A-mā-ta-nā…” (All Praise belongs to Allāh, Who gave us life after He caused us to die…) It entails praising Allāh for this great blessing and immense gift, i.e., the return of life after taking it away, referring to awakening after sleep. It is well-known that when a human being is asleep he is shut down or suspended from seeking the benefits of life and, more importantly, he is unable to perform acts of worship. Hence, when he awakens, that which prevented him (from worldly and religious actions) is removed, so he praises Allāh, the Majestic, the Most High, for giving him this favor, and he thanks Him for this gift and generosity. From the great benefits of sleep is that it reminds the human being of death, which is the inevitable end of every human being, the destination of every living being, except the Ever-Living Who will never die. Similarly, in the awakening from sleep is a proof of the power of Allāh, the One Free from imperfections, to resurrect the physical bodies after their death, and return life to them after the souls have been taken. For this reason, at the time of awakening from sleep the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: “All Praise belongs to Allāh, Who gave us life after He caused us to die, and unto Him is the resurrection (Nu-shoor).” As for his saying (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam): “…wa i-lai-hin-nu-shoor” (…and unto Him is the resurrection [back to life]). An-nu-shoor refers to when the human being will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection and be given life after having been caused to die. Hence, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) calls to our attention – [by mentioning the return of the awake state after the state of sleeping, which is a type of death, as mentioned previously] – the confirmation of the return to life, after death, on the Day of Resurrection, the Day when all people will stand before the Lord of all the worlds. In this same vein, it is confirmed in al-Bukhāree’s book ‘al-Adab al-Mufrad’, from the Hadeeth of al-Barā’ Bin ‘Āzib (may Allāh be pleased with him), who said: “When the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) intended to sleep, he would put his hand under his right cheek and say: ‘Allāhum-ma qi-nee ‘Adhā-ba-ka yaw-ma tab-‘a-thu ‘I-bā-dak’, (O Allāh! Protect me from Your punishment, on the Day that You resurrect Your servants.) [Taken from: ‘Reflections Upon Selected Daily Supplications’
– Abu Muhammad]
