Dua Before Sleeping (Adhkar al-Nawm) — Authentic Bedtime Azkar

اللَّهُمَّ بِاسْمِكَ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا

Transliteration: Allāhumma bismika amūtu wa aḥyā

English translation: O Allah, in Your name I die and I live.

Spiritual context

When the Prophet (ﷺ) went to bed he said: “Allahumma bismika amutu wa ahya.” When he woke he said: “Al-hamdu lillahi alladhi ahyana ba‘da ma amatana wa ilayhi-n-nushur.” Hudhayfah also reported this wording (Bukhari 6312 / 6324). Night remembrance (اذكار النوم) also includes Ayat al-Kursi: whoever recites it when lying down has a protector from Allah and Shaytan does not approach until morning (Bukhari 2311).

Word-by-word meaning

• اللَّهُمَّ — Allāhumma: O Allah
• بِاسْمِكَ — bismika: in Your name
• أَمُوتُ — amūtu: I die (I sleep)
• وَأَحْيَا — wa aḥyā: and I live (and I wake)

How to recite

1. Lie on your right side, as the Prophet (ﷺ) taught, and recite this short dua with presence.
2. Add Ayat al-Kursi (2:255) for night protection, and the mu‘awwidhat (Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, An-Nas) as he used to blow them into his hands and wipe his body.
3. On waking, say: Al-hamdu lillahi alladhi ahyana ba‘da ma amatana wa ilayhi-n-nushur.

Key benefits

• Places sleep — a daily “lesser death” — under Allah’s name and care.
• Turns the last words of the night into tawhid instead of a scrolling habit.
• Pairs with Ayat al-Kursi as a documented night fortress from Sahih Hadith.

Frequently asked questions