Is it permissible to say prayers or read the Quran while lying down on a place or in bed?
Submitted by on Thu, 18/07/2024 - 15:37
Dear Brother / Sister,
It was one of the customs of the Prophet (pbuh) to read the chapters of supplication like al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas before going to bed. There are many hadiths about it in hadith books. For instance, Hz. Aisha narrates what the Prophet (pbuh) didi before going to bed as follows:
“When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) went to bed every night, he would combine his palms, blows into them and read ‘Qul huwallahu ahad, Qul audhu bi-Rabbil-falaq, Qul audhu bi-Rabbin-nas’. Then, he would wipe his hands over his head, face and the parts of his body his hands could reach. He would do it three times.”1
Bara bin Azib narrates the following hadith from the Prophet (pbuh):
“When you want to go to bed to sleep, make wudu as you would for the prayer; then, lie on your right side and pray as follows:
‘O Allah! I have submitted myself to You. I have committed my affairs to You. I have relied on You since I fear and love You. I take refuge only in You. My salvation depends on you. I believe in the Book You revealed and in the Messenger You sent.’
If you die that night, you will die as a Muslim and a believer. Let them be your last words.”2
As it is seen in both hadiths, the supplications above are said after going to bed. The Prophet (pbuh) read the chapters of supplication while sitting and wiped his body; it is understood that he said the supplication in the second hadith after going to bed. Thus, it is possible to say and read them before or after lying down.
The following statement exists in al-Fatawal-Hindiyya regarding the issue:
“It is permissible to read the Quran while lying on one’s side. However, one should not stretch his legs fully but bend them while reading the Quran. It is permissible to read a chapter or verse from the Quran after lying down in bed. However, one should not cover his head with the quilt because the quilt is like a garment in that case. It is not permissible to read if one covers his head with the quilt.”3
footnotes:
1 Tirmdhi, Du’a: 21.
2 Muslim, Dhikr: 56.
3 al-Fatawal-Hindiyya, V/316.
(see Mehmed PAKSU, Aileye Özel Fetvalar)
Questions on Islam
- Can I read Quran without wudhu and lying down on bed?
- Why are 4 chapters called chapters of qul (say)?
- Is it permissible to say prayers (du’a), to glorify Allah and to make dhikr while lying down?
- What are the prayers that should be read before going to bed and after waking up?
- What is the Wisdom behind making Wudu before going to bed and What are its Scientific Benefits?
- Does an angel pray for a person who goes to bed with wudu by saying, “O Lord! Forgive this slave of Yours!” until the morning?
- Is the statement “Read the chapters of Qulhuwallahu ahad, an-Nas and al-Falaq three times every evening and every morning; they will suffice to prevent you from all kinds of dangers and harms” a hadith?
- What prayers (duas) can we say for a person who is mentally ill?
- Will you give information about nightmare?
- Will you give information about manners of sleeping? Will you give information about manners of lying face down and sleeping? Is lying face down a deed that was forbidden by the Sunnah?
