Recently I came across the Sunnah of Qailulah (Mid-Day Nap) and its benefits on the human body.
Since childhood, I have witnessed many around me doing it on a regular basis. An aunt of mine is very obsessive with Qailulah that she wants every other person, including kids, to lie down with her and nobody is even allowed to tap the door at that period. However my mindset is at 90 Degree away from her. I always considered Qailulah as a waste of time (God Forbid) and I was under the impression that I can complete a number of chores in that period.
1.QAILULAH With the Islamic Perspective.
Now, having learnt that Qailulah is encouraged in Islam & & our beloved Prophet and his companions practiced it regularly for rejuvenation of energy, memory enhancement and relaxation of mind, I deliberately give it a chance to be part of my daily schedule, snoozing for more than an hour.
When starting the naps I usually got up in the late afternoon thinking that my mind would be more alert and vigilant followed by the brilliant day ahead as they are all the known benefits of the siesta/Qailulah. But to my surprise, a cloud of fizziness hovered my mind and I felt more tired than before the shut-eye episode. Infect it messed up my night sleep pattern and overall affected my productivity.
I was awestruck and puzzled that there must be something cheesy with my shut eye episode as the hadith of the Prophet can’t be wrong.
Now as you know, confusion leads to queries and investigation and I began to enquire about the Qailulah bounties and its effects. As I began to know more, the butterflies from my mind began to fly.
Generally, a third of our life is spent on sleeping \ snoozing unless suffering from a sleep disorder. Sleep and its architecture are just recently pondered over by the Neuroscientists but it has remained an important topic in the Islamic literature, even the sleep manners are dealt in detail (which needs another post). Sleep is considered as one of the greatest signs of Allah (SWT) to ponder over.
2. Nap Lounges:
Midday napping (Qailulah) is also a cross-cultural practice. A Chinese company has recently implemented having a mid-day half hour sleep for its employees, feeling it is necessary, because it leads to increasing their productivity. This is as a result of the day being divided into two productive halves.
Recently Nap lounges have been set up in the corporate hub of Hong Kong for 15 min to an hour long duration. Sleep has the beneficial effects on the person of all ages. Recent studies conducted in University Burkley, Harvard and the University of Athens states that that a midday nap boosts brain power, benefits mental health and decreases the risk of heart disease and helps in increasing intelligence.
3.QAILULAH and the TIMINGS.
But why am I not getting any of the aforementioned results? On the contrary, I was having a flop day with all my tasks eventually landing into the procrastination box.
Mid-day nap(Qailulah) is a healthy activity only if one is careful about the timings. I was fooled by the impression that longer my snooze, the more will be the benefits. Well, in reality, it is the opposite of it. The timings of the power nap(Qailoola) for most people is up to 30 minutes. It will allow the brain to refresh and rejuvenate and helps in memory consolidation. In 20 – 30 minutes nap, the person only enters in the light stage of the deep sleep and will be able to wake up early without any sleep hangover; but as the sleep time increases, the deep stage of the sleep has been reached which is difficult to wake up and vice versa.
4.IF THE NAP SCHEDULE IS NOT REGULAR……..
The uncertainty in the napping schedule and in the late afternoon can literally backfire. It not only disrupts the internal body clock but also acts as the precursor of various sleep disorders.
The point to be noted is that the Sunnah is not necessary to sleep but it can be fulfilled by lying down for some time to relax. This can be achieved anytime between 11 am to 3 pm.
5.QAILULAH and QAYAIM UL LAIL.
Another profound benefit of Qailulah (short mid-day nap) which is the most rewarding is that it eases the offering of Tahajud according to the hadith:
In Islam night doesn’t follow the day but rather the day is followed by the night, so if our night gets organized and well prepared more, the day itself bears more barakah.
Now as I know the wisdom behind it I am doing it with more sincerity and with the righteous intention of acting the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet, not merely taking the rest.
So Go Ahead, enjoy the benefits of MID-DAY NAP(QAILULAH) and also get the reward of acting upon the Sunnah.
My only wish is to die (sounds scary?) as Satisfied and Happy Muslimah(obviously in Medina).
Aameen
- Infographic: IRREGULAR BLEEDING AND RAMADAN - June 5, 2016
- The Power of a Mid Day Nap (Qailulah) Boosts Your Productivity - May 2, 2016
- Are you happy? Tips to Unlock your Happiness - March 31, 2016
I have napped my entire life. I feel so refreshed after a short power nap and am more productive.
I often nap with my son for a small part of his nap but I am not consistent. This is great information and encouragement to nap regularly! 🙂
i can relate to this quite well, thanks for sharing muslimahblogger…
Love this…perfect justification resource to take those cat naps 😉
♡ dynamicbohemian.com
Oh how I wish I had time for naps. Loved the post btw, thanks for sharing 🙂
<3: Jasmin N
Little Things With Jassy
Bloglovin’
Great post! I love a mid day nap and think its important to get one when you can
I know so many people that like to take a nap around midday. I’m rarely ever able to nap for a couple minutes in the day. I just don’t feel tired enough or I have too much on my mind. Thanks for sharing xx
I used to love taking naps until I developed sleep paralysis. My condition only happens when I try to take a nap. I’ve never tried just laying down for a good 30 mins to rest my body so I’ll be trying this in the near future!
Do you mean by sleep paralysis that you get weight on your chest and try to wake up but can’t?
If it is the case I also went through this many times. If you don’t mind I can tell you why does it happen. According to Islam, shaytan/satan sits on your chest and then you go through this situation. And solution to it is reciting the words of seeking refuge in God from satan before taking the nap or sleep. Muslims recite 3 times surah Falaq (chapter 113) and 3 times surah Naas (chapter 114) of Quran to seek refuge in God from Satan. It helps.
I love and need naps in the day I have been like that since I was a kid!
I wish I had time for a mid day nap~
I’ve never thought you can write such a great article about naps! Thanks for sharing!
Alexandra ~ ArtMandy.ro
I love the idea of having a nap lounge in the office haha!I’m pretty good at napping, I can fall asleep in seconds if I’m tired enough.
Rosie | http://www.rosieromance.com
This was very interesting to me! I have several Muslim students but I did not know that sleep was such a discussed topic in Islam. I have the same issue that you had about naps, which is that they make me cranky. But now I will try your suggestion to take shorter ones!
I would definitely use one of these right now ! Mid day naps are the best!!
Even though I have italian blood in me and afternoon siestas should be normal for me, I don’t like napping in the day because for some reason I always get massive headaches after.
I am guilty of this all the time but I agree with you it is worth it and boosts your productivity
Sometimes if I take naps during the day and I don’t control (aka not waking up on time) I become really sluggish and unmotivated. A well regulated nap schedule can work miracles
I love naps. They make me happy haha.
Salaams
I just had a Kailulah today and Inshaa Allah will try my best to have one everyday.
It is True we do get energized when we have a short nap after midday.
Rozy
Well, I have been a muslimah for quite a while and there was a time I used to think people would consider me lazy and non-productive because I took naps. I have since studied this situation quite a bit and have come to this conclusion.
Fact: Quran 30:23 And from His signs is your sleep by night and day, and your seeking of His bounty. In that are signs for a people who listen.
Fact: Research shows short naps in the day can improve alertness and performance.
Opinion: Nabi (S.A.W) said, “Sleeping early in the day betrays ignorance, in the middle of the day is right, and at the end of the day is foolish.”(Fath Al-Bari, p.73).
Though opinions can sometimes be based on facts. For example, sleeping soon after the nighttime sleep or soon before the nighttime sleep might interfere with the nighttime sleep benefits themselves. Still, the statement is opinion.
Jazakallahu Khairan
Even Billionaires, Scientists most of the people who we consider as GENIUS all take POWER NAP to boost their Productivity That’s called Qaliullah
Thanks
Jazak Allah Khayr this is helpful information!