Explanation of Riyad al-Salihin-56a

The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted "from 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray eleven rak'ahs at night. When the dawn appeared, he would pray two light rak'ahs, then lie down on his right side until the mu'adhdhin came to call him to prayer. Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. And from Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would take his bed at night, he would place his hand under his cheek and then say:

O Allah, in Your Name I die and I live

اللهم باسمك أموت وأحيا

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3417Sahih (Darussalam)

And when he would wake up, he would say:

Al-hamdu lillahil-ladhi ahyana ba’dama amatana wa ilayhi’n-nushur (Praise is to Allah Who has given us life after taking it from us, and unto Him is the Resurrection).

الحمد لله الذي أحيانا بعدما أماتنا وإليه النشور

Sunan Ibn Majah 3880Sahih (Darussalam)

Narrated by al-Bukhari".

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
These are among the hadiths regarding the etiquettes of sleep that al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) included in his book Riyad al-Salihin. It has been previously mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) commanded al-Bara' ibn 'Azib to say when he lies down on his right side: to the end of the hadith. We have explained that the sunnah and the preferred practice is for a person to sleep on his right side. In the hadith of Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated that a person should place his hand under his cheek. It is known that the right hand is placed under the right cheek. This is not on the basis of obligation, but on the basis of preference. If this is easy for you, do it; otherwise, the matter is broad, and praise be to Allah. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would place his hand under his cheek and say: meaning that I die and live by the will of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The intended meaning of death here, and Allah knows best, is the death of sleep, because sleep is called a death. Or it is the greater death, which is the separation of the soul from the body, which occurs by His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): And when he would get up, he would say: This supports that the intended meaning of death in his saying: is the death of sleep, which is the lesser death. As for the hadith of 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), she reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to pray eleven rak'ahs at night. This is the maximum he would pray, either eleven or thirteen. It might be less than that depending on his state (peace and blessings be upon him) of energy or lack thereof. Then, when the dawn appeared, he would pray two light rak'ahs, which are the sunnah of Fajr. The sunnah is to lighten them by reciting in the first: and in the second: Or in the first: to the end of the verse in Surat al-Baqarah, and in the second: in Ali 'Imran. The important thing is to lighten the ruku', sujud, standing, and sitting, but with the condition that one does not neglect tranquility, because if one neglects tranquility, the prayer becomes defective. Then he would lie down on his right side (peace and blessings be upon him) after praying the two rak'ahs of the sunnah of Fajr. He would lie down on his right side until the mu'adhdhin calls him, meaning until he informs him that the time for iqamah has arrived, so he would go out and pray.