Dua Before Sleep: The Short Sunnah Duas Every Muslim Should Know by Heart

TL;DR. The sunnah of sleep in Islam includes a small set of short, authentic duas — most famously the dua that asks Allah's name as we lay down to sleep and rise again. These duas are brief, repeat nightly, and are reported in collections like Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. If you say them every night, you will memorize them within two to three weeks. Below we describe each dua, its reported source, when to say it, and a simple 7-night plan to lock them into long-term memory.

Most Muslims know the feeling: you climb into bed exhausted, remember you meant to say "the dua before sleep," and realise you cannot recall the exact wording. You end up making a general dua in your own language and promising yourself you will learn it properly tomorrow. Tomorrow turns into a year.

This guide is written for that reader. We will not paste Arabic you cannot read, and we will not invent wording. We will describe each authentic sunnah dua of sleep, point to where it is reported, and then show you a simple way to actually memorize them by heart in the next three weeks.

In tracking 4,000+ users in SABR's first month, we noticed that the duas people most want to memorize — but keep forgetting — are the short ones tied to daily rituals: sleep, waking, eating, entering the home. These are the easiest wins in your spiritual routine, because the moment itself reminds you to practise.

Key takeaways

• The core sunnah of sleep is a short dua said as you lay down, reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
• Reciting Ayat al-Kursi before sleep is reported as a protection throughout the night [source: Sahih al-Bukhari 2311].
• Reciting Surah al-Ikhlas, Surah al-Falaq, and Surah an-Nas three times each and wiping over the body is a reported sunnah before sleep [source: Sahih al-Bukhari 5017].
• The sleep duas are intentionally short so a Muslim can say them even on exhausted nights.
• Most learners can memorize all the main bedtime duas within 14 to 21 nights of consistent repetition.
• A teacher is still the best source for correct tajwid; an app helps with daily consistency, not correction.
• As of October 2026, SABR offers a dedicated track for memorizing everyday sunnah duas, including the duas of sleep.

Why these duas matter (and why they are kept short)

Across the most common everyday sunnah supplications, there is a pattern: the ones tied to small, repeated moments — sleep, waking, entering and leaving the home, eating — are deliberately short. The sleep duas in particular are only a sentence or two each. That is not a coincidence. A dua you cannot say when you are half asleep is a dua that will not survive your real life.

Key takeaway. The duas of sleep are short on purpose. The barrier to practising them is memory, not time.

The reward of these duas, as reported in the sunnah, is tied to the moment of sleep itself — a vulnerable, unguarded moment that the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught his companions to seal with the remembrance of Allah.

The duas: what to say before sleep

Below we describe each dua, what it means, and where it is reported. We are intentionally describing rather than pasting exact Arabic wording — if you learn these from an app, a Mushaf, or a teacher, you want the Arabic text verified character-by-character, not copied from a blog.

1. The dua said as you lay down (the "name of Allah" dua)

• What it is: A short dua in which the servant mentions the name of Allah as they lay down to sleep and as they rise, acknowledging that life and death are in His hand.
• Meaning: "In Your name, O Allah, I die and I live." (approximate English rendering)
• Where it is from: Reported in Sahih al-Bukhari [source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6324] and Sahih Muslim [source: Sahih Muslim 2711].
• Length: One short sentence.

2. Ayat al-Kursi (Surah al-Baqarah, verse 255)

• What it is: The single ayah known as the Verse of the Throne, affirming the oneness, knowledge, and sovereignty of Allah.
• Why before sleep: It is reported that whoever recites it when going to bed, Allah appoints a guardian over them and no devil comes near them until morning [source: Sahih al-Bukhari 2311].
• Length: One longer ayah — the heaviest to memorize on this list, but the one many Muslims already know in part.

3. The last three surahs: al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, an-Nas (the Mu'awwidhat)

• What they are: The final three surahs of the Qur'an.
• The reported practice: It is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him), when going to bed every night, would join his hands, recite these three surahs into them, and wipe over his body — starting with the head and face and what he could reach — repeating this three times [source: Sahih al-Bukhari 5017].
• Length: Three very short surahs. Most Muslims already know al-Ikhlas; the other two are of similar length.

4. The last two ayat of Surah al-Baqarah

• What they are: The closing two verses of Surah al-Baqarah (ayat 285–286), a dua for mercy, forgiveness, and strength against hardship.
• The reported virtue: It is reported that whoever recites these two verses at night, they will suffice him [source: Sahih al-Bukhari 5009, Sahih Muslim 807].
• Length: Two ayat — longer than the Mu'awwidhat but highly rewarding.

5. Tasbih before sleep (SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar)

• What it is: A reported practice of saying SubhanAllah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 34 times before sleeping [source: Sahih al-Bukhari 3705, Sahih Muslim 2727].
• Length: Takes under two minutes. Many Muslims already know all three phrases.

Key takeaway. You do not need to learn five new blocks of Arabic. If you already know Surah al-Ikhlas and the basic tasbih, you are already halfway to the full bedtime sunnah.

A simple nightly order

Here is a practical order to say these in. You do not have to say all of them every night — pick what you can be consistent with.

Total: under five minutes on a focused night, under two on a tired night if you reduce to steps 1 and 5.

When and how to say it

The reports describe these duas being said as you go to bed — meaning after you have settled, done your wudu if you can, and are about to lay down. A few practical notes we have seen help most learners:

• Wudu is a reported sunnah before sleep, but if you cannot, do not skip the duas entirely. The duas themselves are what seal the night.
• Lie on your right side is also reported as a sunnah posture.
• Say the "name of Allah" dua last, after you are already laying down. It is the final verbal act before sleep.
• Do not aim for perfection every night. If you only remember Ayat al-Kursi and the lay-down dua on an exhausted night, that is still the sunnah practised.

How to memorize these duas by heart in 21 nights

This is the part most guides skip. Here is a plan that works for the way human memory actually consolidates — repetition tied to a daily anchor.

Nights 1–3: Focus on only the lay-down dua (the "name of Allah" one). Say it 10 times in a row before sleeping. By night three, it will be automatic.

Nights 4–7: Add the Mu'awwidhat (al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, an-Nas). If you already know al-Ikhlas, you are focusing on only two new short surahs. Three repetitions of each × 7 nights = 42 practice reps.

Nights 8–14: Add Ayat al-Kursi. This is the hardest piece. Break it into four portions, learn one portion per two nights, and recite the whole ayah by night 14.

Nights 15–21: Add the last two ayat of al-Baqarah and the tasbih counts. By night 21, the full sequence runs without you thinking about the order.

Key takeaway. The sleep itself is the memorization anchor. If you say these duas every single night, your brain binds them to the act of going to bed — and they become hard to forget.

For consistency, we built a dua-memorization track in SABR that uses this exact structure: short daily repetition, scheduled revision of older duas while you learn new ones, and reminders at your actual sleep time. It is one of the free tracks — see the download page if you want to try it. A good teacher is still the best path for correcting your pronunciation; SABR is a tool for consistency, not correction.

A note on tajwid and pronunciation

If you are not Arabic-fluent, learning these duas by audio is important. Reading transliteration is a useful bridge, but the specific sounds of Arabic — the distinction between the different "h" and "s" letters, the heavy and light letters — cannot be learned from Latin letters alone.

Our honest recommendation: pair any app with a teacher, a weekly halaqa, or at minimum a trusted reciter's audio you listen to repeatedly. The dua is still accepted if your pronunciation is imperfect, but the goal over months is to get as close to the original as you can.

Where this fits in the broader sunnah of sleep

Sleep in Islam is a small act of worship when wrapped properly. The reported sunnah includes wudu before bed, lying on the right side, dusting off the bed, the duas above, and a dua for waking up. If you are starting from zero, do not try to add all of this at once. Learn the lay-down dua this week, add Ayat al-Kursi next month, and let the practice grow with your consistency.

Key takeaway. The sunnah of sleep is cumulative. You do not have to practise all of it tonight — you only have to not drop what you already have.

Frequently asked questions

Is it enough to just say "Bismillah" before sleep? Saying Bismillah is good and reported in many contexts, but the specific bedtime sunnah includes the short dua in which the servant acknowledges that life and death are in Allah's hand. It is only one short sentence longer than Bismillah, and it is the one directly reported for the act of sleeping [source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6324].

Can I say the duas in English if I don't know Arabic yet? Make dua in your own language freely — Allah hears all languages. But the specific reported duas of sleep are in Arabic, and the reward tied to those exact reports is for reciting them as they were taught. Learn the Arabic over time; in the meantime, understand the meaning in your own language so your heart is present.

What if I fall asleep before finishing the duas? That is one of the reasons the duas are short. If you fall asleep mid-tasbih or mid-ayah, your intention is written and you have not failed. The scholars note that the sunnah is to say them when you go to bed — not to stay awake fighting sleep to complete them perfectly.

How long does it realistically take to memorize all of these? For most adult learners we have observed, three weeks of nightly repetition is enough to memorize the lay-down dua, the three Mu'awwidhat, and Ayat al-Kursi. The last two ayat of al-Baqarah usually take another two to four weeks on top. If you are starting from zero Arabic, double the timelines.

Do I have to do all of these every night to "count"? No. The reports describe each practice individually. Pick what you can be consistent with — even one dua said every single night is more valuable than the full sequence said twice a week and dropped.

Where can I verify the Arabic wording of these duas? Use a printed Mushaf for the Qur'anic ayat, and a trusted compiled sunnah dua collection (for example, well-known compilations like Hisn al-Muslim / "Fortress of the Muslim") for the hadith-based duas. Verify any digital source against a printed, scholar-reviewed one.

About the author

This article was written by the SABR editorial team and reviewed by the founder of SABR (4,000+ active users in month one). SABR is a Qur'an and dua memorization app available on iOS and Android. We defer to qualified teachers and scholars for tajwid correction and religious rulings — this guide is for structure and consistency, not religious authority.

Start tonight

If you want to actually memorize the sleep duas instead of promising yourself you will "soon," start tonight with just the lay-down dua. Say it ten times before sleep. Do the same tomorrow. By the end of the week it will be yours for life.

SABR's dua track walks you through this exact progression. The core learning track is free.

• Visit get-sabr.com to learn more.
• Download on iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sabr-quran-memorization/id6761574702
• Get it on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sabr.app

For correction of your recitation and tajwid, we encourage you to study with a qualified teacher — an app is a daily companion for consistency, not a replacement for a scholar.

Last updated 2026-10-04.