Dua for When You Can’t Sleep

August 19, 2026

Uyuyamayanların Okuyacağı Dua Okunuşu ve Anlamı

Explanation

This is the dua to be recited by someone who cannot fall asleep. It sees sleep as an act of surrender to Allah.

Dua Text

بِسْمِكَ رَبِّي وَضَعْتُ جَنْبِي وَبِكَ أَرْفَعُهُ، إِنْ أَمْسَكْتَ نَفْسِي فَارْحَمْهَا، وَإِنْ أَرْسَلْتَهَا فَاحْفَظْهَا بِمَا تَحْفَظُ بِهِ عِبَادَكَ الصَّالِحِينَ

Transliteration

Bismika Rabbi wada’tu janbi wa bika arfa’uhu, in amsakta nafsi farhamha, wa in arsaltaha fahfazha bima tahfazu bihi ‘ibadakas-salihin.

Meaning

My Lord! In Your name I have laid my side down on the bed, and with Your help I will rise again. If You take my soul, have mercy on it; and if You release it, protect it with that by which You protect Your righteous servants.

What Is Asked in This Dua

In this dua the servant says that they lie down on the bed in Allah’s name and will rise again with His help. Both sleeping and waking are tied to Allah; between these two states a person exists not by their own strength but by Allah’s permission. Seeing sleep as an act of surrender, the servant entrusts themselves completely to Allah.

The second part of the dua points to the resemblance between sleep and death. The servant considers both possibilities: if Allah takes their soul in sleep, they ask Him to have mercy on it; if He lets them wake again, they ask Him to protect them with that by which He protects His righteous servants. So the dua asks for mercy in case of death and protection in case of life. For someone who cannot sleep, this dua is a way of letting go of worry and leaving everything to Allah.

When and How to Recite

As stated in the source, this dua is recited in bed by someone who cannot fall asleep. It has been reported as a recommendation of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and it is stated that sleep will come when it is recited. It is fitting to recite it when you lie down and sleep does not come, while struggling with worries and thoughts. No specific number is mentioned.

Being in a state of wudu is preferable but not a condition. What matters is lying on your right side and reciting it while reflecting on its meaning, feeling that you leave your sleep and your waking to Allah. Whoever finds the Arabic difficult can pray with the same surrender using its meaning in their own language.

Virtue

It has been reported as a recommendation of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and it is stated that sleep will come when it is recited.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the dua for when you can't sleep recited?

It is recited when you lie down in bed and sleep does not come. It has been reported as a recommendation of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and it is stated that sleep will come when it is recited.

What is the source of the dua for when you can't sleep?

It is a hadith found in the Da’awat chapter of Bukhari; it is also reported in the second volume of Majmu’at al-Ahzab.

What does the dua for when you can't sleep mean?

The servant says that they lie down in Allah’s name and will rise with His help; they ask for mercy if their soul is taken, and for protection like that of the righteous servants if it is released.

Source

Bukhari, Da'awat 13. Majmu'at al-Ahzab, vol. 2, p. 212.

The text on this page was prepared by Dua Kitaplığı based on the work cited above. The Arabic text has been transcribed from the original with its vowel marks, and the transliteration in Latin letters and the English meaning are given separately. No virtue or number that does not appear in the source is added to this page. How do we prepare our content?

Published: 19 August 2026 · Last updated: 9 October 2026