– Their heads: the plural of “head.” The ra’s of any object is its uppermost part, hence the human head is so called.

Lessons drawn from the hadith:

1. A brief, light sleep while one is seated does not nullify ablution.
2. A prolonged, heavy sleep does invalidate ablution, for the narrator understood that sleep ordinarily breaks ablution except for the limited amount he personally witnessed.
3. Freedom from minor ritual impurity is a pre-condition for the validity of prayer; thus, the negation of ablution in this instance points to its necessity whenever a factor that breaks purity occurs.
4. It is recommended to delay the ‘Ishāʾ prayer beyond its earliest time. Both al-Bukhārī and Muslim relate that the Prophet ﷺ preferred to put it off, saying, “This is its (proper) time, were it not that I would burden my community.”
5. The Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—were keen to remain in the mosque awaiting the prayer, and there is great merit in such waiting; al-Bukhārī (647) and Muslim (362) transmit that the Prophet ﷺ said, “One of you remains in the state of prayer so long as the prayer keeps him waiting.”
6. It is permissible to doze or even sleep in the mosque, especially while waiting for the prayer.

Scholarly disagreement:
The scholars differ on whether sleep nullifies ablution, falling into three positions:
• Some hold that both slight and deep sleep invalidate ablution, reasoning that sleep itself is a state of minor impurity.
• Others contend that neither slight nor deep sleep nullifies ablution unless the actual emission of impurity is confirmed; to them, sleep is only a likelihood of impurity, not an invalidator in itself.
• The majority maintain that heavy, deep sleep breaks ablution whereas light sleep does not. They provide further details for distinguishing little from much sleep and describe the specific kinds that nullify ablution in the manuals of legal rulings.