126 / Among the Remembrances Before Sleep

One of the magnificent supplications that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—urged those retiring to bed to observe diligently is that reported by Muslim in his Sahih from Abu Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—who said: The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would instruct us, when we retired to bed, to say:

“O Allah, Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth, and Lord of the Magnificent Throne; our Lord and Lord of all things; Splitter of the grain and the fruit-stone; Revealer of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Criterion: I seek refuge in You from the evil of every creature whose forelock You hold. O Allah, You are the First, and nothing precedes You; You are the Last, and nothing comes after You; You are the Most High, and nothing is above You; and You are the Most Near, and nothing is nearer than You. Settle our debts and free us from poverty.”1.

This is a magnificent supplication that a Muslim would do well to observe every night when retiring to bed. It contains mighty appeals to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, by invoking His lordship over all things—the seven heavens, the seven earths, and the Magnificent Throne—and His sending down His mighty speech and clear revelation, asking Him to encompass a person in His care, watch over him, and protect him from every evil. It also contains an appeal to Allah, Glorious and Exalted, by some of His magnificent names, which attest to His perfection, majesty, grandeur, and His encompassing all things, asking Him to settle a person’s debt and free him from poverty.

His words, “O Allah, Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth, and Lord of the Magnificent Throne,” mean: O Creator of these mighty entities, who originated them and brought them into existence from nothing. He singled out these created things for mention because of their immensity and vastness, and because of the many signs