Nawm (sleep: its rulings, its effect on ablution, worship and legal acts)

Nawm in the lexical sense is calm and stillness; technically it is the relaxing of the brain's nerves through vapours that rise from the stomach. ^{1 2}

Nu'as is the first stage of sleep, sina a drowsiness that does not remove reason, and fainting the loss of sensation and movement. ²

Sleep is permitted in itself; it may be obligatory when a duty depends on it, recommended when one dozes in prayer or recitation, forbidden when one sleeps through the prayer time, and disliked in some cases, such as sleeping after the afternoon prayer. ^{2 3}

Before sleep one is recommended to put out the lamps, close the water-skin and the door, and lay the right hand under the cheek. ⁴ On waking one is recommended to recite the prescribed formulas and to wash the hands three times before putting them into a vessel. ⁵

Sleep breaks the ablution in general, according to the majority, relying on the saying 'the eyes are the binding of the buttocks'. ⁶

The sleeper's words in legal acts are void: his consecration, divorce and admission do not take effect, except for what needs no intention, such as standing at Arafat. ^{7 8}

An injury by a sleeper is treated as an error: the diya falls on his kin and expiation on him; in destruction of property he is liable like one who is awake. ^{9 10}

The Sheikh counts sleep among the blessings, says excess in permissible things harms a person, and warns against exaggeration in religion (his view). ^{11 12} He says that if a person dozes in prayer he should sleep until the drowsiness passes, since he may curse himself without noticing (needs_source). ¹³ He says that sleep before midnight is more beneficial than sleep after it, attributing this to scholars without verification (needs_source). ¹⁴ He says sleep is linked to growth hormone, a claim that could not be checked (needs_source). ¹⁵ He urges early sleep, holding that staying up late wastes health (his view). ¹⁶

The Sheikh explains that sleep is rest, meaning calm, health and renewed energy, and that the night is a garment An-Naba 9 ¹⁷. He says doctors know that the longest night is that of the sick and worried person An-Naba 10 ¹⁷. He counts the night as a garment and sleep as a blessing, and notes that the day was not called life An-Naba 11 ¹⁸. He says that life belongs to the hereafter, to acts of obedience, to production and to good works ¹⁸.

The Sheikh says that in sleep the soul rests from the body, and that a part of it rises to the highest assembly Az-Zumar 42 ¹⁹. He notes that the body turns right and left and swallows saliva so that life continues during sleep ¹⁹.

The Sheikh says that sleep is the lesser death ²⁰. He notes that people may sleep side by side and each see what the other does not: a wife may see a lovely dream while her husband, asleep without remembrance of God or ablution, sees something else ²¹.

The Sheikh explains that the Sahira is the name of the place in which there is no sleep, and that sleep belongs to this world An-Nazi'at 14 ²². He holds that long and short sleep are measured by the abundance and fewness of sins ²². He says that whoever sleeps a great deal should know his sins are many, and holds that the people of Paradise do not sleep because they have no sins ²³. He says that sleep is tied to one's concern ²³.