Aslam

(5) Don't sleep in soft bed and your bed should be of middle kind. There was nothing between the bodies of Ahle Suffa and earth. They used to say: Our bodies have been made of earth and shall have to return to earth.

(6) Don't sleep till it overtakes you. The sleep of Ahle Suffah was strong, food little and talk necessary. For this reason, it is

Vol-I THE BOOK OF WORSHIP 257

said that they slept little at night even though it prevailed upon' them. The Prophet said: Don't take too much trouble at night. The "
Prophet was asked: A certain person prays at night. When sleep ■; prevails over him, he keeps himself hanging with a tope. The- Prophet prohibited him from that. He said: When it becomes easy to you at night, pray. When sleep becomes strong, sleep. The Prophet said: Strive hard in actions as God does not inflict trouble over you .
, until you inflict trouble on yourself. The Prophet said: He who does ■ religious actions easily is best of you The Prophet said: I pray and sleep, keep fast and break. This is my way. He who does not follow my ways in not of me The Prophet said: Don't take too much trouble for religion as it is firm. He who wishes to stick to it firmly, it will overcome him. Don't make divine service a burden on you.

(7) Sleep facing the Ka'ba. It is like keeping a dead body in grave keeping the face towards the Ka'ba.

(8) Invoke at the time of sleep and say: O Lord. I keep my side in Thy name and shall raise it up in Thy name-up to the end. Recite special

'Verses of th e Quran, such as

Ayatul Qursi, the last portion of Suran Badr, Sura A'raf, Falaq and Nas and 25 times of the following formula Sobhan Allah walhamdo lillah wala Ilaha Illallah and Allaho Akbar.

(9) Remember God at the time of sleep. Sleep is a kind of death and rising is a kind of Resurrection. God says: God takes souls at the time of their death and the souls of those who do not die in their sleep. God says: He it is who causes you to die at night' As a man who is awake sees things which he does not see in sleep, so also a sleeping man sees things which his mind cannot conceive in wakeful state. Sleep is the period between life and death as Barzakh is the period between this world and the next world. Loqman asked his son: O dear son, if you doubt about death, don't sleep. As you sleep, so you will die. If you doubt about resurrection, don't be awake. As you wake up after sleep, so you will wake up after your death. Hazrat Ayesha said: When the Prophet went to bed, he used to place his head upon his right hand, think himself dead and say: O God, Lord of seven heavens and Lord of the great Throne. O our Lord and the Lord of all things and their owner.