DURING YOUR SLEEP, SATAN TIES THREE KNOTS

 

HADEETH:

 

DURING YOUR SLEEP, SATAN TIES THREE KNOTS AT THE BACK OF THE HEAD OF EACH ONE OF YOU, AND HE SEALS EACH KNOT WITH THE FOLLOWING WORDS: ...... THE NIGHT IS LONG, SO KEEP ON SLEEPING.

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ يَعْقِدُ الشَّيْطَانُ عَلَى قَافِيَةِ رَأْسِ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا هُوَ نَامَ ثَلاَثَ عُقَدٍ، يَضْرِبُ كُلَّ عُقْدَةٍ مَكَانَهَا عَلَيْكَ لَيْلٌ طَوِيلٌ فَارْقُدْ‏.‏ فَإِنِ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فَإِنْ تَوَضَّأَ انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فَإِنْ صَلَّى انْحَلَّتْ عُقَدُهُ كُلُّهَا، فَأَصْبَحَ نَشِيطًا طَيِّبَ النَّفْسِ، وَإِلاَّ أَصْبَحَ خَبِيثَ النَّفْسِ كَسْلاَنَ ‏"‏‏.‏

رواه البخاري و مسلم

 

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “During your sleep, Satan ties three knots at the back of the head of each one of you, and he seals each knot with the following words: ‘The night is long, so keep on sleeping.’ When that person wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; when he makes ablution the second knot is undone; and when he prays, all his knots are undone, and he gets up in the morning active and in good spirits, otherwise he gets up in bad spirits and sluggish.”

 

[Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]

EXPLANATION

 

Ablution. Excellence of Ablution.

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه مرفوعاً: «يَعْقِدُ الشيطان على قَافِيَةِ رأسِ أحدِكم، إذا هو نام، ثلاث عُقَدٍ، يَضْرِب على كل عُقْدَةٍ: عليك لَيلٌ طويل فَارْقُدْ، فإن استيقظ، فذكر الله تعالى انحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ، فإن تَوضِّأ، انْحَلّتْ عُقدَةٌ، فإن صلى، انْحَلَّتْ عُقَدُهُ كُلُّها، فأصبح نشيطا طَيِّبَ النفس، وإلا أصبح خَبِيثَ النَّفْس كَسْلَان

[متفق عليه]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:

 “During your sleep, Satan ties three knots at the back of the head of each one of you, and he seals each knot with the following words: ‘The night is long, so keep on sleeping.’ When that person wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; when he makes ablution the second knot is undone; and when he prays, all his knots are undone, and he gets up in the morning active and in good spirits, otherwise he gets up in bad spirits and sluggish.”

 

[Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]

 

Explanation

 

Hadīth explanation: Satan ties three knots at the back of the head of every sleeping person. The act of tying knots is literal, like what the sorcerer does to cast a spell on a person by tying a knot in a thread and reading an incantation over it, thereby the spell becomes effective. A narration by Ibn Mājah reads:

“Satan ties at the back of the head of each one of you at night a rope with three knots on it.”

He ties the knots on the back of the head in particular because it is the center of powers and their domain of control. They are the most malleable to Satan and the swiftest in answering his call. Hence, if he ties the knots on that place, he is able to control the person’s spirit and cast sleep on him. “He seals each knot”, i.e. he strikes it with his hand to make it firm and tight, while saying: “the night is long;” i.e. a long part of the night is yet to come, so sleep as long as you wish for when you wake up, you will have sufficient time to perform the night prayer. If he wakes up and mentions Allah, then one knot is untied by virtue of mentioning Allah. If he makes ablution, another knot is untied by virtue of the blessing of ablution.

 

A narration by Muslim reads: “when he performs ablution two knots are untied.” This includes taking bath to purify oneself from major ritual impurity.

 

When he prays, even one single Rak‘ah, the third knot is untied. Al-Bukhāri’s narration reads: “All his knots are undone.” “So, he gets up in the morning active”; because he rejoices in the obedience that Allah guided him to, and the reward He promised, and the removal of the Satanic knots from him. “In good spirits”; because Allah blesses his heart for good actions. “Otherwise;” i.e. if he does not do the three things mentioned, “he gets up in bad spirits and sluggish;” i.e. in an altered state because Satan made him fail to do what he is used to doing or intended to do of good deeds.

 

Al-Hāfiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “The apparent indication is that the night prayer has a spiritual effect on putting a person in good spirits, even if the worshiper is not heedful of that, and the opposite is true, in confirmation of the statement of Allah, the Almighty: {Indeed, the hours of the night are more effective for concurrence (of heart and tongue) and more suitable for words.} 

{AL-MUZZAMILL -VERSE :6 }