he would blow into his hands, recite the chapters of refuge, and wipe his body with them. Agreed upon.
In another wording transmitted by both al-Bukhārī and Muslim: whenever the Prophet ﷺ lay down to sleep at night, he would bring his two palms together, blow into them, and recite into them: “Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad” (Say: He is Allah, the One), “Qul aʿūdhu bi-Rabbi al-falaq” (Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak), and “Qul aʿūdhu bi-Rabbi an-nās” (Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind). He would then wipe with them as much of his body as he could, beginning with his head, face, and the front of his body, and he would do that three times. Agreed upon.
The lexicographers state that al-nafth means a gentle blowing without spittle.
1470 – Al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib, may Allah be pleased with them both, related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When you retire to your bed, perform ablution as you do for prayer, then lie down on your right side and say: ‘O Allah, I have submitted myself to You, turned my face toward You, entrusted my affairs to You, and depended upon You, in longing for You and in fear of You. There is no refuge and no escape from You except to You. I believe in the Book You have revealed and in the Prophet You have sent. If I die tonight, let me die upon the sound innate nature (fiṭrah)(1). Make these the last words I utter.’” Agreed upon.
1471 – Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that when the Prophet ﷺ retired to his bed he would say: “Praise be to Allah who has fed us, given us drink, sufficed us, and sheltered us(2); how many are there who have neither one to suffice them nor one to shelter them.” Narrated by Muslim.
1472 – Ḥudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wished to sleep, he would place his right hand under his cheek and then say: “O Allah, protect me from Your punishment on the day You resurrect Your servants.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who graded it ḥasan (sound).
Abū Dāwūd also narrated it—from the report of Ḥafṣah, may Allah be pleased with her—with the wording that he used to say it three times.