Duas before sleeping in Islam: Arabic, transliteration and meaning

The Quran describes sleep as Allah taking the souls for a while (az-Zumar 39:42). That is why the Prophet ﷺ went to sleep with duas and woke up with duas. Everything below comes from authentic hadith. It brings calm to the heart, and it is the Sunnah way to be protected from bad dreams.

Before you lie down

1. Make wudu. The Prophet ﷺ advised making wudu as for prayer before going to bed (Sahih al-Bukhari 247).
2. Dust off your bed. Dusting the bed three times with the edge of a cloth before getting in is Sunnah (Sahih al-Bukhari 6320).
3. Lie on your right side (Sahih al-Bukhari 247).

The sleep dua: Bismika Allahumma

بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا

Transliteration: Bismika Allahumma amutu wa ahya.

Meaning: In Your name, O Allah, I die and I live. The Prophet ﷺ said this when he went to bed (Sahih al-Bukhari 6324).

The dua when lying down: Allahumma aslamtu

اللَّهُمَّ أَسْلَمْتُ وَجْهِي إِلَيْكَ، وَفَوَّضْتُ أَمْرِي إِلَيْكَ، وَأَلْجَأْتُ ظَهْرِي إِلَيْكَ، رَغْبَةً وَرَهْبَةً إِلَيْكَ، لَا مَلْجَأَ وَلَا مَنْجَا مِنْكَ إِلَّا إِلَيْكَ، اللَّهُمَّ آمَنْتُ بِكِتَابِكَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلْتَ، وَبِنَبِيِّكَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلْتَ

Transliteration: Allahumma aslamtu wajhi ilayk, wa fawwadtu amri ilayk, wa alja'tu zahri ilayk, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilayk. La malja'a wa la manja minka illa ilayk. Allahumma amantu bi-kitabika alladhi anzalt, wa bi-nabiyyika alladhi arsalt.

Meaning: O Allah, I submit myself to You, I entrust my affairs to You and I lean my back on You, in hope of You and in fear of You. There is no refuge and no escape from You except to You. O Allah, I believe in Your Book which You revealed and in Your Prophet whom You sent.

The Prophet ﷺ advised making this the last thing said at night, and said that whoever says it and dies that night dies upon the fitrah (Sahih al-Bukhari 247).

Ayat al-Kursi

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ

Transliteration: Allahu la ilaha illa huwa al-hayyu al-qayyum. La ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm. Lahu ma fi as-samawati wa ma fi al-ard. Man dha alladhi yashfa'u 'indahu illa bi-idhnih. Ya'lamu ma bayna aydihim wa ma khalfahum. Wa la yuhituna bi-shay'in min 'ilmihi illa bima sha'. Wasi'a kursiyyuhu as-samawati wa al-ard. Wa la ya'uduhu hifzuhuma. Wa huwa al-'aliyyu al-'azim.

Meaning: Allah: there is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they grasp nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and guarding them does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Most Great (al-Baqarah 2:255).

Its virtue: Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi when going to bed will have a guardian from Allah until morning, and Shaytan will not come near him (Sahih al-Bukhari 2311).

Al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas

Every night, when the Prophet ﷺ went to bed, he joined his palms, recited these three surahs, blew into them and then wiped as much of his body as he could, starting with his head and face. He did this three times (Sahih al-Bukhari 5017).

Al-Ikhlas: Qul huwa Allahu ahad. Allahu as-samad. Lam yalid wa lam yulad. Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad.

Al-Falaq: Qul a'udhu bi-rabbi al-falaq. Min sharri ma khalaq. Wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab. Wa min sharri an-naffathati fi al-'uqad. Wa min sharri hasidin idha hasad.

An-Nas: Qul a'udhu bi-rabbi an-nas. Maliki an-nas. Ilahi an-nas. Min sharri al-waswasi al-khannas. Alladhi yuwaswisu fi suduri an-nas. Mina al-jinnati wa an-nas.

The last two verses of al-Baqarah (Amana ar-Rasul)

Whoever recites the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah (2:285-286) at night, they will suffice him (Sahih al-Bukhari 5009).

The tasbih: 33, 33, 34

The Prophet ﷺ taught Fatimah and Ali to say SubhanAllah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu akbar 34 times when they went to bed, and told them it was better for them than a servant (Sahih al-Bukhari 3705).

The dua on waking

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

Transliteration: Alhamdu lillahi alladhi ahyana ba'da ma amatana wa ilayhi an-nushur.

Meaning: Praise be to Allah who gave us life after He had caused us to die, and to Him is the return (Sahih al-Bukhari 6324).

If you cannot recite them all

On nights when you cannot recite everything, a short routine is enough: make wudu, recite Ayat al-Kursi and the three "Qul" surahs, lie on your right side and say "Bismika Allahumma amutu wa ahya". If you wake up afraid at night, see also the dua for protection from bad dreams.

And Allah knows best.