Etiquette & Sunnahs of Waking Up from Sleep (Adab al-Istiqaz) in the Quran & Sunnah

14. Praise Allah the moment you wake up:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

All praise is for Allah, who gave us life after He caused us to die (the sleep that resembles death), and to Him is the return after resurrection.

15. Wash your hands three times after waking up.

This is especially important if a person is about to put his hand into the vessel of wudu water.

16. Sniff water into the nose and blow it out when making wudu.

Clarification: This guidance is in the context of making wudu after waking up. It does not mean that wudu is obligatory every time you open your eyes.

17. Use the miswak when you wake up during the night.

18. If you wake up suddenly at night, make dhikr:

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He has power over all things.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

This dhikr also includes: Alhamdulillah (all praise is for Allah), SubhanAllah (glory be to Allah), La ilaha illallah (there is no god but Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), and La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no power and no strength except with Allah).

It is reported in the hadith that if a person makes dua after this, the dua is accepted, and if he makes wudu and prays, there is good news that his prayer will be accepted.

19. What should you do after seeing a bad dream?

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that a good dream is from Allah and a bad dream is from Shaytan. If someone sees a dream he dislikes, he should:

• Blow lightly three times to his left (nafth: a gentle puff of breath, without saliva).

• Seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan and from the evil of the dream.

• Turn over to the other side from the one he was sleeping on.

• Not tell the bad dream to people.

Clarification: Not every bad dream is necessarily news of a future event.

20. Thank Allah when you see a good dream.