Lesson — Learn Arabic & Islamic Studies

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لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ"Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him."al-Baqarah 2:255, sentence 3

Sinah and nawm

Arabic	Word	Meaning
سِنَة	sinah	The drowsiness before sleep: heavy eyes and tiredness, not yet asleep
نَوْم	nawm	Sleep

The ayah negates both: not even the first drowsiness touches Him.

Allah did not say "He does not sleep" but "does not overtake Him" (ta'khudhuhu). "He does not sleep" could mean only that He does not sleep by choice. "Does not overtake Him" negates both kinds: sleep by choice and sleep that overcomes. Sleep is a deficiency: the body tires and needs rest. For this reason the people of Jannah do not sleep, because their life and bodies are perfect.

The hadith of the veil

Abu Musa said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood among us and told us five things. He said: "Allah does not sleep, and it does not befit Him to sleep. He lowers the scale and raises it. The deeds of the night are raised to Him before the deeds of the day, and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night. His veil is light; if He removed it, the glory of His Face would burn everything of His creation that His sight reaches."Muslim 179

No sleepHe does not sleep, and sleep does not befit Him

The scaleHe lowers the qist and raises it, in perfect justice

Deeds raisedThose of the night before the day, those of the day before the night

The veilLight: if removed, the glory of His Face would burn all that His sight reaches

No one sees Allah in this world. The believers will see their Lord in the Akhirah, the greatest reward of Jannah.

'A'ishah: Masruq asked her whether Muhammad ﷺ saw his Lord. She said: "Whoever tells you that Muhammad ﷺ saw his Lord has lied" (al-Bukhari 4855, Muslim 177).
Musa: he asked to see Him, and Allah said: You will not see Me; then the mountain crumbled when Allah manifested Himself to it (al-A'raf 7:143).
Abu Dharr asked the Prophet ﷺ: "Did you see your Lord?" He said: "Light; how could I see Him?" That is, there was a veil of light between him and Allah, as in the hadith of Abu Musa (Muslim 178).

Negation that implies perfection

When Allah negates something from Himself, the negation is never empty: it affirms the opposite perfection. No sleep means perfect life and perfect sustaining (Ibn 'Uthaymeen).

For us

Sleep is a relative "perfection": someone who cannot sleep is ill. But we need it only because we are weak and tire.

For Allah

Sleep would be a deficiency: it would mean He needs rest, and creation, which depends on Him every moment, would be ruined.

Why sentence 3 is a proof of tawhid

Every day He is upon some matter.ar-Rahman 55:29

He watches over you, sees your deeds and records them at every moment. One who needs rest or sleep, or is not even alive, cannot deserve worship.

A person who prays at 3 a.m. while the whole house sleeps is calling upon the One who is not touched even by drowsiness. The idol, the grave and the absent saint are not awake for him; Allah is.

Key points

Sinah is the drowsiness before sleep; nawm is sleep; both are negated.
"Does not overtake Him" negates sleep by choice and sleep that overcomes (Ibn 'Uthaymeen).
Muslim 179: Allah does not sleep and it does not befit Him; His veil is light.
No one sees Allah in this world; the believers will see Him in Jannah.
Every negation about Allah affirms a perfection.

Video Lesson

Neither Drowsiness nor Sleep