بِاسْمِكَ رَبِّ وَضَعْتُ جَنْبِي، وَبِكَ أَرْفَعُهُ، إِنْ أَمْسَكْتَ نَفْسِي فَارْحَمْهَا، وَإِنْ أَرْسَلْتَهَا فَاحْفَظْهَا، بِمَا تَحْفَظُ بِهِ عِبَادَكَ الصَّالِحِينَ.
In Your name, my Lord, I lay down my side, and in Your name I raise it. If You take my soul, then have mercy on it. If You keep it, then protect it with what You protect Your righteous servants.
Bismika Rabbi wada'tu janbi, wa bika arfa'uhu. In amsakta nafsi farhamha, wa in arsalta fAhfadha bima tahfazu bihi 'ibadak-as-salihin.
When to Read
This beautiful dua is recited just before drifting off to sleep. It's a profound acknowledgment of our utter dependence on Allah for both life and death, for rest and for waking.
How to Read
Recite this with sincerity and a heart full of remembrance for Allah. Visualize its meaning: acknowledging Allah's power over your life and asking for His protection. Ideally, you would make wudu (ablution) before sleeping, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ recommended, and then recite this dua as you settle down.
Virtues & Benefits
This dua encapsulates submission and reliance on Allah. By reciting it, we acknowledge that our very existence, our breath, our life, is a trust from Allah. It reminds us to seek His mercy if He calls us back to Him, and His protection if He allows us to wake. The Prophet's ﷺ instruction to remember Allah before sleeping is itself a way of sanctifying this daily act, turning rest into an act of worship.
Source & Authentication
The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say when he went to bed: 'O Allah, in Your name I die and live.' And when he woke up, he used to say: 'All Praise is due to Allah, Who brings us to life after death, and to Him is the resurrection.' In another narration: 'Bismika Rabbi wada'tu janbi, wa bika arfa'uhu. In amsakta nafsi farhamha, wa in arsalta fAhfadha bima tahfazu bihi 'ibadak-as-salihin.' (In Your name, my Lord, I lay down my side, and in Your name I raise it. If You take my soul, then have mercy on it. If You keep it, then protect it with what You protect Your righteous servants.)