Why are we advised not to sleep at the time of karaha? What is the wisdom behind it?

Is there a hadith saying, “If you sleep at the time of karaha and wake up healthily, be grateful”?

Dear Brother / Sister,

We have not been able to find a narration like the one in the question. The following narration may mean the same thing.

“If a person sleeps after the afternoon prayer and becomes absent-minded, he should blame himself.” (Kanzul-Ummal, h. No. 41362)

It is pointed out in Majmauz-Zawaid has that this hadith is weak. (see Majmauz-Zawaid, 5/116)

There are three kinds of sleep other than the night sleep: faylula, ghaylula and qaylula. As it is known, there are three times of sleep - in terms of day - and three different decrees:

The first one is Ghaylula: The time period for this sleep begins with the beginning of the fajr (morning) prayer and continues until about 45 minutes after the sun rises, which is the end of the time of karaha.

This is the time period to prepare for the day’s work and to take advantage of its coolness. After the sun rises, there is a lethargy/relaxation and it is considered as “contrary to the sunnah” in the hadith to sleep at that time because it discourages the enthusiasm of working and causes lack of blessings.

The second one is Faylula: This time period starts after the asr (afternoon) prayer and lasts until the maghrib (evening) prayer. This sleep causes drowsiness, a state of half-asleep; therefore, it virtually shortens a person’s life span. The issue of losing one’s mind mentioned in the hadith narration above refers to the severity of this drowsiness. Since one sees the results of the day’s deeds usually at that time, the person who sleeps then may feel as if he has not lived that day and has not seen the spiritual results of that day. Therefore, this sleep is also considered makruh in the hadith.

The third one is Qaylula: This sleep is sunnah. It starts at the time of duha (about forty-five minutes after the sunrise) and continues until a little while after midday. Half an hour of qaylula is equivalent to two hours of night sleep. This sleep not only helps one to perform tahajjud prayer easily, but also contributes to the pace of work and increases the energy of work thanks to the vitality it gives to people. (See Nursi, Lem’alar, Yirmi Sekizinci Lem’a about the issue). 

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