, it is sleeping in the forenoon while people attend to their needs and he remains asleep. The sleep of good habit is the midday siesta, while the sleep of folly is sleeping when the prayer becomes due.”1

The eminent scholar Ibn al-Qayyim—may Allah have mercy upon him—says in his book Zād al-Maād: “Sleeping in the morning impedes provision, for that is when creatures seek their provision and when provisions are apportioned. Sleeping then is deprivation, except in the event of some intervening circumstance or necessity. It is exceedingly harmful to the body: it makes the body flaccid and causes the waste matter that ought to be dissipated through exercise to spoil, thereby producing lassitude, weariness, and weakness. If it occurs before relieving oneself, moving about, exercising, and putting something into the stomach, it becomes an intractable disease that gives rise to all manner of ailments.” End quote.2 The eminent scholar Ibn Muflih—may Allah have mercy upon him—mentioned something similar in his book al-Ādāb al-Shariyya.3

This makes clear the value of this blessed time and its immense benefit. It is a time for diligence, vigor, and the remembrance of Allah, Glorified and Exalted. It is the time when provisions descend, shares are allotted, and blessings alight. The salaf—may Allah have mercy upon them—attached tremendous importance to it, for they understood its significance and value, whereas others have treated it quite differently.

We ask Allah to inspire us to what is right for our souls, grant us all success in every good, and enable us to follow the way of the righteous salaf and tread their path.