The authentic supplications to read before bed — what they protect against, what the hadith promise, and how to fit them into a real bedtime.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) had a small, repeated set of practices before going to sleep. They take a few minutes total, are drawn from the highest grade of authenticated hadith, and were tied in the narrations to specific protections through the night. This article walks through each one in the order he is described as performing them, with the Arabic, transliteration, source, and the reasoning behind why scholars consider it core Sunnah.
The single dua most directly associated with going to sleep is short:
Bismika Allahumma amutu wa ahya
Meaning: "In Your name, O Allah, I die and I live."
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6324.
The choice of words is striking — sleep is framed as a small death. The companion narration on waking is: Al-hamdu lillahi alladhi ahyana ba'da ma amatana wa ilayhi an-nushur ("Praise be to Allah who gave us life after causing us to die, and to Him is the return"). The pair turns sleep into a daily rehearsal of dependence and resurrection.
This is the minimum-viable bedtime dua. If you can only manage one thing before sleep, this is it.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him), every night before sleep, would join his palms together, blow into them, and recite Surah al-Ikhlas, Surah al-Falaq, and Surah al-Nas. He would then wipe his palms over whatever parts of his body he could reach, starting with the head, face, and front of the body. He did this three times. (Sahih al-Bukhari 5017.)
The three surahs together are commonly called "the three Quls" because each begins with the imperative Qul ("Say"). They are short — al-Ikhlas is four verses, the other two are five and six — so the whole practice including the wiping takes under two minutes.
"Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi at night will have a guardian from Allah appointed for them, and no devil will approach them until morning." (Sahih al-Bukhari 2311, in the narration where Abu Hurayra catches a thief who turns out to be a jinn and is taught Ayat al-Kursi as protection.)
Ayat al-Kursi is verse 255 of Surah al-Baqarah — the famous verse beginning Allahu la ilaha illa Huwa, al-Hayyul-Qayyum. Most Muslims memorize it growing up. Reading it once, slowly, before lying down satisfies this hadith.
"Whoever recites the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice him." (Sahih al-Bukhari 5009.) Scholars have explained "suffice him" as meaning either suffice him from harm, or suffice him in place of staying up the night in worship — both interpretations are recorded.
These are verses 285 and 286 of al-Baqarah, beginning Amana ar-rasulu bima unzila ilayhi min Rabbihi. Together with Ayat al-Kursi they form the most-cited Quranic bedtime recitation.
Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) once asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) for a servant. He told her instead: "Shall I not teach you something better than what you asked? When you go to bed, say SubhanAllah thirty-three times, Alhamdulillah thirty-three times, and Allahu Akbar thirty-four times. That is better for you than a servant." (Sahih al-Bukhari 5361.)
One hundred total. Read at a calm pace it takes about 90 seconds. The narration explicitly compares it to physical rest, which has been the experience of many practitioners — the rhythm of the count tends to settle the mind for sleep.
The narrations don't fix a strict order, but if you want a complete Sunnah sequence:
If sleep takes you somewhere in the middle, that is not a problem. The narrations are not a checklist to complete before falling asleep — they are the practice the Prophet (peace be upon him) habitually started, knowing sometimes you finish and sometimes sleep finishes you first.
On nights when you're already half-asleep when you remember:
That's the floor. It is much better than skipping entirely and waiting for the perfect night.
Each card links to the full Arabic, transliteration, English meaning, and hadith reference:
"Bismika Allahumma amutu wa ahya" — In Your name, O Allah, I die and I live. From Sahih al-Bukhari 6324. Takes about five seconds.
Ayat al-Kursi, the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah, and the three Quls blown into the palms and wiped over the body. Each has a specific narration about its nighttime protection.
The full Sunnah set takes 4–5 minutes. A minimal version (Bismika Allahumma + three Quls once) takes about 30 seconds.
No penalty — they're recommended, not obligatory. Resume the next night. Consistency over time matters more than any single missed evening.
Niyat bundles all of the Sunnah bedtime duas with audio playback and an optional bedtime reminder. Free on iPhone.
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