Dua for Waking Up: The Morning Remembrance

The Prophet ﷺ had a specific dua for the moment of waking from sleep — a remembrance that begins each day with gratitude and acknowledgment of Allah's power over life and death.

The Dua for Waking Up

Primary Dua (Bukhari & Muslim)

Arabic:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

Transliteration:

Alḥamdulillāhil-ladhī aḥyānā baʿda mā amātanā wa ilayhin-nushūr

Translation:

"All praise is for Allah who gave us life after causing us to die, and to Him is the resurrection."

Source: Narrated by Bukhari, 6312; Muslim, 2711 — from the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman and al-Bara ibn Azib (may Allah be pleased with them both)

Longer Dua Upon Waking (Bukhari)

Arabic:

لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ

Transliteration:

Lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shay'in qadīr. Subḥānallāhi, walḥamdulillāhi, wa lā ilāha illallāhu, wallāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh

Translation:

"None has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, with no partner. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He has power over all things. Glory be to Allah, all praise is for Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Allah is the greatest, there is no might and no power except with Allah."

Source: Narrated by Bukhari, 1154 — the Prophet ﷺ said that whoever says this upon waking and then supplicates Allah, their dua will be answered. If they then get up and perform wudu and pray, their prayer will be accepted.

Looking for more duas? Browse our complete Dua Collection — organized by occasion with Arabic text, transliteration, and translation.

When and How to Recite

Immediately upon waking: Recite the dua before getting out of bed, as soon as you become conscious. The Prophet ﷺ would say it upon waking from both night sleep and daytime naps.

Follow the Sunnah sequence after the dua:

1. Wipe your face — The Prophet ﷺ would wipe his face with both hands upon waking to clear the effects of sleep (Bukhari, 183).
2. Use the siwak (miswak) — Cleaning the teeth with miswak upon waking is a confirmed Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Were it not that I feared burdening my ummah, I would have commanded them to use the siwak at every prayer." (Bukhari, 887)
3. Perform wudu — Make ablution before Fajr prayer. The longer waking dua above carries the promise of answered supplication for one who follows it with wudu and prayer.

If you wake for Tahajjud (night prayer), these same steps apply. The reminder of resurrection in the primary dua is especially profound in the stillness of the night.

Virtues and Rewards

Sleep as a minor death. The Quran describes sleep using the same word as death: tawaffa (taking of the soul). Allah ﷻ says: "Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that have not died during their sleep." (Quran 39:42). Each morning we wake is, quite literally, a gift of life — and the dua acknowledges this directly.

Answered supplications. The Prophet ﷺ linked the longer waking dua to answered prayers: whoever recites it upon waking and then asks Allah for something will be given it, and if they rise, perform wudu, and pray — that prayer will be accepted. (Bukhari, 1154)

Beginning the day in remembrance. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever wakes up and says: 'La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah...' and then asks Allah, he will be answered." Starting the day with dhikr orients the heart toward Allah before the distractions of the world begin.

A moment of reflection. The phrase wa ilayhin-nushur — "and to Him is the resurrection" — is a brief but powerful reminder of the Day of Judgment. Each waking is a rehearsal for the final awakening.

Related Duas

• Dua for Sleep — the supplication recited before going to sleep, paired with the waking dua
• Dua for Beginning Fasting — for mornings during Ramadan when you wake for suhoor
• Dua for a Traveller — if you wake in an unfamiliar place while travelling
• Dua for Forgiveness — a natural follow-up after beginning the day with praise of Allah