Shall I not teach you something better than owning a servant?

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

It was reported that ^Aliyy ibnu ‘Abi Talib, may Allah accept his deeds, mentioned that Fatimah, may Allah accept her deeds, complained about the pain in her hands caused by the millstone (ar-raha[1]), which she used for grinding grain.

She went to the Prophet ﷺ to request a servant to take over her duties in the grinding. However, she did not find the Prophet ﷺ at home but encountered ^A’ishah, may Allah accept her deeds, to whom she conveyed her request. When the Prophet ﷺ returned, ^A’ishah informed him of Fatimah's visit and her request for a servant.

^Aliyy, may Allah accept his deeds, narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ came to us while we had already laid down to sleep. I was about to rise, but he ﷺ said: ‘Stay both in your place.’ He then sat between us until I felt the coolness of his feet in my chest. He ﷺ said:

"ألا أعَلِّمُكُمَا خَيْرًا مِمَّا سَألْتُمَانِي إِذَا أخَذْتُمَا مَضَاجِعَكُمَا تُكَبِّرَا أرْبَعا وَثَلاثِينَ وَتُسَبِّحَا ثَلاثا وَثَلاثِينَ وَتَحْمَدَا ثَلاثا وَثَلاثِينَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمَا مِنْ خَادِمٍ"

 ‘Shall I not teach you something better than what you asked of me? When you retire for the night, say Allahu ‘Akbar thirty-four times, Subhana l-Lah thirty-three times, and Al-Hamdu li l-Lah thirty-three times. This is better for you than having a servant.’"

(Narrated by Al-Bukhariyy and Muslim)

"What should I say if I experience sleeplessness at night?"

It has been narrated from ^Ubadah ibnu s-Samit, may Allah accept his deeds, that the Prophet ﷺ guided his ‘Ummah to a comprehensive and beneficial supplication for a believer to recite if they were unable to sleep at night—meaning, if they wake up suddenly, restless, and tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall back asleep. The Prophet ﷺ said:

“مَنْ تَعَارَّ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَقَالَ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الملْكُ وَلَهُ الحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىءٍ قَدِيرٌ، الحَمْدُ لله، وَسُبْحَانَ الله، وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلا اللهُ، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلا بِالله، ثُمَّ قَالَ: اللَّهمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي، أَوْ دَعَا، اسْتُجِيبَ لَهُ، فَإِنْ تَوَضَّأَ وَصَلَّى قُبِلَتْ صَلاَتُهُ”

"Whoever is awake and restless, tossing and turning in bed at night, and recites the following: 'There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner for Him. To Him belongs the dominion, and to Him belongs the praise. He has power over everything. Praise be to Allah, Subhana l-Lah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, and there is no protection from disobedience to Allah except through His safeguarding, and no strength to obey Him except through His assistance,' then says, 'O Allah, forgive me,' or makes any supplication, it will be answered. If he performs ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted."

(Narrated by Al-Bukhariyy)

If a person is overtaken by restlessness and anxiety during the night, unable to find sleep, and then rises and awakens, they should recite the supplication that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught us. If they seek Allah’s forgiveness or make a supplication for their needs, Allah, ta^ala, will surely answer their prayer. If they perform ablution and pray, their prayer will be accepted. He, Subhanah, never fails in His promises, and He is Al-Karim, Al-Wahhab. Therefore, every believer who comes across this narration should seize the opportunity to act upon it, purifying their intention for their Lord, Al-^Adhim, and asking Him to grant them a portion of the blessed night worship.

[1] Ar-raha: Two large stones placed on top of each other, with a manual axis in the centre. The upper stone rotates around this axis to grind grains.