TODAY'S HADITH
"O Allah! I surrender to You and entrust all my affairs to You ... Let the aforesaid words be your last utterance (before sleep)."
TODAY'S REFLECTION
It's ten at night. The kitchen is clean, the house is quiet, and the jaw is still clenched.
The mind is already in tomorrow, with a child's cough and a bill. The body hasn't heard that the day is over.
So we take tomorrow to bed with us, and it feels sensible. Someone has to keep an eye on it.
Sleep researchers have studied what a short night does. In their experiments, a night without sleep raised anxiety the next day, and deep sleep was linked with lower anxiety the day after.
Short sleep and worry feed each other. The less we sleep, the more there seems to be to worry about.
A short night tonight can make tomorrow's worry louder, and tonight we get a say.
Tonight's handover starts with water. Wudu, the way we'd make it for prayer, and then lying down on the right side.
Next come three slow breaths, each with a longer breath out, while the jaw unclenches and the shoulders drop. The breathing is our own suggestion. It can quiet the body enough for the words to be heard.
The words come last. Whatever is on tomorrow's list gets handed to Allah for the night, in Arabic or in plain speech.
The bill will still be there in the morning. For tonight it has been handed over, and Allah keeps watch while we sleep.
Worry that keeps wrecking sleep, work or home deserves a doctor or a therapist as well. Seeing one is part of trusting Allah.
REFLECT ON THIS
Which of tomorrow's worries have I been taking to bed with me?
TODAY'S RIPPLE
Tonight, make wudu before bed, lie down on the right side, take three slow breaths, and let the last words before sleep be a handing over of tomorrow to Allah.
SUNNAHSTORIES
A little hedgehog, three worries that won't let her sleep, and a grandmother who knows where to put them. Read it with the little ones tonight.
MAKE DU'A
For brother Abdirahman: may Allah grant him health, guidance and success in everything he sets out to do. And may He grant us all deep, restful sleep tonight. Ameen.
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