When I was ten, I thought worship only happened in the masjid — the mosque — or while reading the Qur’an, our holy book. But one morning changed everything I knew about what it meant to live as a Muslim.
It was just after Fajr — the dawn prayer. I had helped my mother sweep the courtyard and was setting dates and bread on a woven mat. My uncle, Hamid, who had returned from studying in Medina, was spending the week with us.
“You’re up early, young one,” he said with a warm smile, sitting cross-legged beside me.
“I couldn’t sleep again,” I replied. “Too hungry.”
He laughed gently. “Let me teach you something the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us — something that makes even eating an act of worship.”
I had heard of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, of course. He was the last messenger of Allah, sent to guide us. But I didn’t understand how something like eating could be like salah — prayer.
Uncle Hamid reached for a piece of bread and said, “Bismillah,” which means “In the name of Allah.” Then he tore a piece gently and chewed slowly with his right hand.
“Why’d you say ‘Bismillah’?” I asked.
“Because the Prophet ﷺ told us to begin with the name of Allah,” he said. “It’s a way to remember that even food is from His mercy.”
He continued, “He also told us to use our right hand, to eat what’s closest to us, and to avoid wasting food. All of this,” he gestured to the spread, “can become worship if done with the right intention.”
My mouth dropped a little. I’d never thought chewing my food slowly could bring me closer to Allah.
That night, after ‘Isha — the night prayer — he showed me another practice of the Prophet ﷺ. “Before sleeping,” he said, “try to make wudhu — the washing we do before prayer. Then lie on your right side and say the du’a — the special prayer — the Prophet ﷺ used to say before sleeping.”
So I did.
I washed my hands, mouth, face, arms, and feet, trying not to splash water on the rug. I lay in bed, turned on my right side, and whispered, “Allahumma bismika amutu wa ahya” — “O Allah, in Your name I die and I live.” Then I closed my eyes.
For the first time in weeks, I slept soundly. No tossing. No hunger cramps. Just peace.
The next morning, I told Uncle Hamid everything.
He nodded. “That is the mercy of following the sunnah — the way of the Prophet ﷺ. When we sleep with remembrance, we rest not just our bodies, but our hearts.”
Since then, I’ve tried to start each meal with “Bismillah,” chew slowly, and sleep with wudhu. I’m still learning, but I now know something amazing: even the small things — how we eat, how we sleep — can become worship, if we do them the way the Prophet ﷺ taught us.
Inspired by authentic hadiths found in Sahih al-Bukhari (5393) and Sahih Muslim (2710) on the etiquette of eating and sleeping according to the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
When I was ten, I thought worship only happened in the masjid — the mosque — or while reading the Qur’an, our holy book. But one morning changed everything I knew about what it meant to live as a Muslim.
It was just after Fajr — the dawn prayer. I had helped my mother sweep the courtyard and was setting dates and bread on a woven mat. My uncle, Hamid, who had returned from studying in Medina, was spending the week with us.
“You’re up early, young one,” he said with a warm smile, sitting cross-legged beside me.
“I couldn’t sleep again,” I replied. “Too hungry.”
He laughed gently. “Let me teach you something the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us — something that makes even eating an act of worship.”
I had heard of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, of course. He was the last messenger of Allah, sent to guide us. But I didn’t understand how something like eating could be like salah — prayer.
Uncle Hamid reached for a piece of bread and said, “Bismillah,” which means “In the name of Allah.” Then he tore a piece gently and chewed slowly with his right hand.
“Why’d you say ‘Bismillah’?” I asked.
“Because the Prophet ﷺ told us to begin with the name of Allah,” he said. “It’s a way to remember that even food is from His mercy.”
He continued, “He also told us to use our right hand, to eat what’s closest to us, and to avoid wasting food. All of this,” he gestured to the spread, “can become worship if done with the right intention.”
My mouth dropped a little. I’d never thought chewing my food slowly could bring me closer to Allah.
That night, after ‘Isha — the night prayer — he showed me another practice of the Prophet ﷺ. “Before sleeping,” he said, “try to make wudhu — the washing we do before prayer. Then lie on your right side and say the du’a — the special prayer — the Prophet ﷺ used to say before sleeping.”
So I did.
I washed my hands, mouth, face, arms, and feet, trying not to splash water on the rug. I lay in bed, turned on my right side, and whispered, “Allahumma bismika amutu wa ahya” — “O Allah, in Your name I die and I live.” Then I closed my eyes.
For the first time in weeks, I slept soundly. No tossing. No hunger cramps. Just peace.
The next morning, I told Uncle Hamid everything.
He nodded. “That is the mercy of following the sunnah — the way of the Prophet ﷺ. When we sleep with remembrance, we rest not just our bodies, but our hearts.”
Since then, I’ve tried to start each meal with “Bismillah,” chew slowly, and sleep with wudhu. I’m still learning, but I now know something amazing: even the small things — how we eat, how we sleep — can become worship, if we do them the way the Prophet ﷺ taught us.
Inspired by authentic hadiths found in Sahih al-Bukhari (5393) and Sahih Muslim (2710) on the etiquette of eating and sleeping according to the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
