How Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Began After Waking Up: Authentic Duʿā & Sunnah

Every new morning is a gift from Allah.

When Prophet Muhammad ﷺ woke from sleep, he remembered Allah. Instead of beginning with the worries and responsibilities of the world, his ﷺ example teaches us to begin by praising the One who has given us another day of life.

Here is a simple, authentic Sunnah guide that we can learn, memorize, and practice.

The Authentic Duʿā After Waking Up

01) When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ woke from sleep, he would say:

Arabic

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

Transliteration

Al-ḥamdu lillāhil-ladhī aḥyānā baʿda mā amātanā wa ilayhin-nushūr.

English Translation

“All praise is for Allah, Who gave us life after causing us to die, and to Him is the resurrection.”

Authentic Reference

Narrated by Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān رضي الله عنه.

Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6312; also 6324.

What Does This Beautiful Duʿā Teach Us?

This short duʿā carries a powerful reminder.

When we sleep, we surrender ourselves completely to Allah. We cannot guarantee that we will wake again.

When Allah allows us to open our eyes to another day, the Prophet ﷺ taught us to begin with:

Al-ḥamdu lillāh — All praise belongs to Allah.

The duʿā also reminds us:

“…and to Him is the resurrection.”

Just as Allah gives us life after sleep, He will resurrect humanity after death.

So every morning can become a small reminder of the Ākhirah.

The Sunnah When Waking During the Night

There are also authentic narrations describing what Rasulullah ﷺ did when he woke during the night, particularly in connection with his night prayer.

2. Wipe Away the Traces of Sleep

ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما described observing the Prophet ﷺ when he stayed overnight in the house of Maymūnah رضي الله عنها.

When Rasulullah ﷺ woke during the night, he wiped the traces of sleep from his face with his hands.

Authentic Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

This gives us a beautiful picture of how the Prophet ﷺ prepared himself to worship Allah during the quiet hours of the night.

3. Use the Siwāk

Hudhayfah رضي الله عنه reported that when the Prophet ﷺ got up during the night, he would clean his mouth with the siwāk.

Authentic Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 245; Sahih Muslim 255.

Keeping a siwāk close to where you sleep can therefore help you revive this simple Sunnah.

4. Recite the Last Ten Verses of Surah Āl ʿImrān

It is authentically reported from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما that when the Prophet ﷺ woke for his night prayer, he recited the final ten verses of Surah Āl ʿImrān.

These are:

Surah Āl ʿImrān — 3:190–200

They begin:

Arabic

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ

Transliteration

Inna fī khalqis-samāwāti wal-arḍi wakhtilāfil-layli wan-nahāri la-āyātil li-ulil-albāb.

English Translation

“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and day are signs for people of understanding.”

Qur’an — Surah Āl ʿImrān 3:190

After this, the Prophet ﷺ prepared for prayer.

Authentic Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, narrated by Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما.

5. A Powerful Dhikr When You Wake During the Night

Rasulullah ﷺ also taught an extraordinary dhikr for a person who wakes during the night.

Arabic

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

Transliteration

Lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamd, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shay’in qadīr. Al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa subḥānallāh, wa lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh.

Then say:

Arabic

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي

Transliteration

Allāhummaghfir lī.

English Translation

“O Allah, forgive me.”

You may then make duʿā to Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ taught that if a person wakes during the night, remembers Allah with these words and then supplicates, his supplication is answered. If he performs wuḍūʾ and prays, his prayer is accepted.

Authentic Reference

Narrated by ʿUbādah ibn aṣ-Ṣāmit رضي الله عنه.

Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1154.

A Simple Sunnah Routine to Practice

You do not have to memorize everything at once.

Begin with the easiest and most important practice:

When you wake from sleep:

Say:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

Then begin your day remembering that Allah has given you another opportunity to worship Him, seek His forgiveness, do good, and prepare for the Ākhirah.

If you wake during the night for Tahajjud:

Remember Allah with the authentic night-waking dhikr, use the siwāk, reflect upon the final verses of Surah Āl ʿImrān, perform wuḍūʾ and stand before Allah in prayer.

Important Authenticity Note

It is important not to combine every morning adhkār and describe them all as something Rasulullah ﷺ said “immediately after opening his eyes.”

The duʿā:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

is explicitly authentically reported as a duʿā the Prophet ﷺ said when waking from sleep.

The siwāk, recitation of the final verses of Āl ʿImrān, and other details mentioned above are found in authentic narrations describing his ﷺ night-waking and night-prayer routine.

Keeping this distinction helps us preserve the Sunnah accurately.

Begin Your Day With Allah

Before checking your phone, messages, work, or the worries of the world, remember the One who returned your soul and gave you another morning.

Say:

Al-ḥamdu lillāh.

Another day has been given to you.

Another opportunity to pray.

Another opportunity to repent.

Another opportunity to do good.

Another opportunity to become closer to Allah.

And remember the final words of the duʿā:

وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

“…and to Him is the resurrection.”

May Allah help us revive the authentic Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ, make our

first remembrance upon waking a remembrance of Him, bless our mornings, forgive our shortcomings, and allow every new day to bring us closer to Him.

Āmīn.