5/18. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 1306 — Three Knots and Waking for Prayer
The (Voluntary) Night Prayer
Three Knots Hadith: Dhikr, Wudu, and Night Prayer After Sleep
Sunan Abi Dawud : 1306
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 1306
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " يَعْقِدُ الشَّيْطَانُ عَلَى قَافِيَةِ رَأْسِ أَحَدِكُمْ إِذَا هُوَ نَامَ ثَلاَثَ عُقَدٍ يَضْرِبُ مَكَانَ كُلِّ عُقْدَةٍ عَلَيْكَ لَيْلٌ طَوِيلٌ فَارْقُدْ فَإِنِ اسْتَيْقَظَ فَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ فَإِنْ تَوَضَّأَ انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ فَإِنْ صَلَّى انْحَلَّتْ عُقْدَةٌ فَأَصْبَحَ نَشِيطًا طَيِّبَ النَّفْسِ وَإِلاَّ أَصْبَحَ خَبِيثَ النَّفْسِ كَسْلاَنَ " .
Abu Hurairah Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: When one you sleeps, the devil ties three knots at the back of his neck, sealing every knot with, "You have a long night, so sleep." So if one awakes and mentions Allah, a knot will be loosened; if he performs ablution another knot will be loosened; and if he prays, the third knot will be loosened; and in the morning he will be active and in good spirits; otherwise he will be in bad spirits and sluggish.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 1306In-book reference : Book 5, Hadith 57English translation : Book 5, Hadith 1301
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 1306
This famous three knots hadith is about waking from sleep with dhikr, wudu, and prayer. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said the devil ties three knots at the back of a sleeping person's neck and says that the night is long, so sleep. If the person wakes and mentions Allah, one knot is loosened. If he performs ablution, another is loosened. If he prays, the third is loosened. The result stated in the hadith is that he rises in the morning active and in good spirits. If not, he rises in bad spirits and sluggish. The text gives a simple order for a strong start: remember Allah, make ablution, then pray.
What we learn from this hadith
- Mentioning Allah after waking is directly praised in this report.
- Wudu is described as loosening another knot.
- Prayer completes the sequence mentioned in the hadith.
- The hadith links these acts with a better morning state.
