Allah, the most gracious, is the creator of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them. Having created man, blessed him with a privileged position within the universe and bestowed him with uncountable blessings. Among the countless blessings, sleep is one of the greatest blessings of Allah. Allah the Almighty says in the noble Quran, “And we have made your sleep for rest” [78:10]. A man cannot constantly labour but needs to rest a few hours after every few hours of work so as to refurbish energy to take up work again. Sleep is something that cuts off the tiredness including worries and tension one may have and thus gives such a rest that can’t be attained from anything else.
Therefore, Allah created sleep as a great divine bequest as mentioned above – a great means of relaxation for the entire creation for rich as well as poor, for literate as well as illiterate, for kings as well as labourers. This bequest is made available equally and simultaneously for all. Allah has made it necessary for everyone in a way that if one wishes to keep awake because of the load of work, sleep is imposed upon him by Allah’s mercy so that his tiredness is removed and he is refreshed to work further.
Sleep is frequently mentioned in the Quran and Hadith. It is an important aspect of the Quran and has been mentioned in various other verses of the Quran apart from the aforementioned verse viz (30:23, 25:47, 27:86, 28:73, etc). Likewise, the Prophet (SAW) himself didn’t like to stay up or even speak after Isha (night prayer). There have been many instances where the prophet (SAW) has told his sahaba (followers) about a good night’s sleep. When a devotee was praying the whole night, the Prophet (SAW) strictly forbade him and told him, “Offer prayers and also sleep as your body has right on you.”[Bukhari]. In another narration reported by Abdullah bin Masood (RA), “the Prophet (SAW) used to disapprove and warn against staying up after Isha (night prayer)” (Musnad Ahmad).
All these Quranic verses and hadiths of the Prophet (SAW) depict how important sleeping at night is. It is vital for people of any age, especially for youngsters. It is an arrangement that benefits the brain, memory and analytical thought. It makes thinking sharper, recognizing the most important information to consolidate learning. Most importantly providing rest and peace for man improves mental weal, boosts the immune system as it gives our body time to rest and repair and also facilitates concentration, productivity and performance.
But unfortunately, since the internet and social media came into our lives, almost everything has changed. Today, people in general and youth, in particular, take their nights as a means of frivolity and enjoyment that comes from watching movies and serials, listening to music, playing video games or chatting on social media etc, which has led to staying awake late at night. And this disease of late nights has become so widespread that we as parents, don’t think either of it. In fact, many of us are afflicted with this same disease ourselves. Going to bed late at night and getting up late in the morning has become a common trend nowadays, particularly among the youth. We have lost the essence of sleep by relentlessly neglecting it. Staying up till the last hours of the night and resisting sleep when the body is in dire need of it results in serious physical as well as mental problems. There is a long list, and it is not possible to offer an exhaustive list but the following are some main problems associated with staying awake late at night shown by various types of research.
1). One who doesn’t get enough sleep at night tends to suffer from extreme somnolence and lack of attention to the extent he can no longer work properly during the day. For example, if students, especially teens, don’t get enough sleep at night, their academic performance may stand affected during the day.
2). Most people have experienced how lack of sleep can upset and disturb the mood causing impatience and exaggerated emotional reactions.
3). Sleep-deprived people are more likely to report anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts and behaviours. That is why doctors mostly prescribe depression and anxious patients those medicines that help them to sleep. Basically, they are not getting enough sleep at night which leads them to suffer from depression and anxiety.
4). Likewise, there are various other problems associated with staying up late at night, like one who is up half the night and ends up sleeping late into the day, missing his work and slacking in responsibility. It is also a major reason behind many moral crimes, community problems, bike and car accidents, etc.
If we are really concerned about our health, we must take proper sleep at night (almost 6 hours). Because a night’s sleep and rest is a hundred times better and healthier than a day’s rest. May Allah (SWT) enable us to envisage the downsides and evils of staying up late at night.
The author is a student of Economics at the University of Kashmir. He can be reached at ma********@***il.com.