Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

DEAR BURHAN BHAI! I HAVE A SEVERE PROBLEM. SOMETIMES, WHILE I GO TO SLEEP, I GET A SUDDEN FEELING AND THAT IS, I FEEL UNABLE TO MOVE AN PART OF MY BODY, NOT EVEN MY EYES. I FEEL AS IF MY EYES ARE CLOSED BUT I AM ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT I CAN SEE EVERYTHING IN MY ROOM, IN THIS CONDITION. MY BODY GETS LIKE A STATUE, I WANT TO SHOUT FOR HELP BUT I CAN NOT. A YEAR BEFORE, I STARTED READING THE "AYA TUL KURSI" BEFORE SLEEPING, REGULARILY, AND THIS THING STOPPED HAPENING TO ME. HOWEVER IT HAPPENS NOW BUT ONLY SOMETIMES. THE SAME THING HAPPENS WITH SOME OF MY FRIENDS AS WELL. I WOULD BE VERY THANKFUL TO U IF U GIVE ME SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THIS. 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Sleep but cannot move

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

The condition that you have described have been experienced by many people, and this has basically to do with the position one sleeps in. Sometimes, when one sleeps flat on his stomach or his back, some veins might get under pressure, etc. and one gets this feeling upon waking up that he wants to speak but cannot speak, or wants to move but cannot move. The best way to avoid this is to sleep on ones sides, as was the way of the Messenger of Allah (saws), whose position when sleeping was normally to put his right palm under his cheek and sleep on his right side.

The Prophet (saws) said to Bara, "When you go to bed, make wudu as you do for the regular prayer, and then lie down on your right side and say, ' O Allah, I surrender my soul to You, and I tum my face toward You, and I trust my affairs to Your care. I turn to You in fear and hope. There is no refuge nor any protection against You except in You. I believe in Your Book which You have revealed to Your Prophet whom You sent'." Then he (saws) added, "If you die, you will die in your true nature, and these words will be your last words."

The Prophet (saws) instructed his Companions that when they go to bed they should supplicate, "In Your name, O Lord, I lay me down to sleep. And by Your leave I raise myself up. So if You take away my soul during sleep, forgive it, and if You keep it alive after sleep protect it just as You protect Your pious servants."

The Prophet (saws) once advised his daughter, Fatimah, "Say Subhan-Allah thirty three times, Al-Hamdu-lillah thirty three times, and Allahu Akbar, thirty four times." He (saws) also commended the recitation of Ayatal-Kursi, the Verse of the Throne, Qur'an 2.255 along with the above supplications, and said that he who does so will be under the protection of Allah, Who will assign a protector to protect him.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan