When any of you sleeps, the devil ties three knots at the back of his head, striking each knot: Ahead of you is a long night, so keep sleeping

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs about the devil and his struggle with the person who wants to get up to offer the voluntary night prayer or the Fajr prayer. When the believer goes to sleep, the devil ties three knots at his Qāfiyah, i.e., the back of his head. One knot is undone when the believer wakes up and remembers Allah Almighty without responding to the devil's whisperings. Another knot is undone when he performs ablution. Then the third knot is undone when he rises and prays, and he gets up in the morning active and in a good mood, given his happiness that Allah has guided him to obedience and rejoicing in the reward and forgiveness that Allah has promised him, along with getting rid of the devil's knots and his discouragement. Otherwise, he wakes up in the morning low-spirited, gloomy, and too indolent to offer good and righteous deeds because he is chained with the devil's shackles and far from getting close to the Most Compassionate.

Benefits

• The devil makes constant endeavors in every way to prevent one from obeying Allah Almighty, and nothing can save man from the devil except seeking help from Allah Almighty and utilizing the means of precaution and protection.
• Remembering Allah Almighty and worshiping Him provide the soul with energy and bring forth relief in the heart. They dispel laziness and indolence and alleviate distress and hatred because they ward off the devil, who whispers all these things.
• The believer feels happy when Allah Almighty guides him to His obedience and feels depressed when he fails to reach the degrees of excellence and perfection.
• Heedlessness and reluctance from observing acts of obedience are from the devil's work and an attempt to make man's deeds appealing to him.
• These three things—remembering Allah, performing ablution, and praying—drive the devil away.
• The devil ties knots particularly at the back of the head because it is the center of powers and their domain of control. Hence, if he ties the knots in that place, he becomes capable of controlling man's spirit and casting sleep on him.
• Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalāni said: Mentioning the night in his statement: "Ahead of you is a long night," apparently indicates that this is peculiar to night sleep.
• Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalāni said: There is no particular or irreplaceable form of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) that should be recited here; rather, anything that could be referred to as Dhikr of Allah would be sufficient, including reciting the Qur’an, reading the Prophet's Hadīths, and seeking religious knowledge. However, the best way to remember Allah is clear in the Prophet's statement: Whoever wakes up disturbed during the night and says: "La ilāha illallāh wahdahu la sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadīr. Al-hamdulillāh wa subhānallāh wa la ilāha illallāh wallāhu akbar wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billāh (None has the right to be worshiped except Allah alone, and He has no partners. To Him belongs sovereignty, and to Him belongs praise, and He is Omnipotent over everything. All praise is due to Allah, glory be to Allah; there is no god but Allah; Allah is the Greatest, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah)", then says: "Allāhumma ighfirli (O Allah, forgive me)" or supplicates, his supplication will be answered, and if he performs ablution, his prayer will be accepted. [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]