Prophetic Wellness: Sleep, Movement and Daily Sunnah Habits
Prophetic wellness extends far beyond food. While the prophetic foods — dates, honey, olive oil, the black seed — are a well-known part of the Sunnah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also modelled an entire daily rhythm of habits: how to sleep and prepare for sleep, how to begin the day, the care of the body through cleanliness and the miswak, movement and an active life, and the framing of the whole day in remembrance of Allah. These habits were not presented as a "wellness routine" in the modern sense — they were part of a complete way of living, grounded in worship and in caring for the body as an amanah, a trust from Allah. Yet many of them align strikingly with what is now understood about healthy living. This guide gathers the daily, non-food habits of the Sunnah — sleep, the miswak, early rising, movement, cleanliness — with their basis in authentic Hadith.
Sidr & Stone produces prophetic foods rooted in the same Sunnah tradition — see our cold-pressed Ethiopian black seed oil and our cold-pressed organic olive oil from Marrakech.
The Short Answer
- Prophetic wellness includes the daily, non-food habits modelled by the Prophet ﷺ — not only the prophetic foods
- Sleep: sleeping in a state of purity, on the right side, after dusting the bed, with supplication — and not sleeping late after Isha
- Early rising: the Prophet ﷺ rose early, and supplicated for his nation's early mornings to be blessed
- The miswak: the Prophet ﷺ regularly used the miswak (tooth-stick) for oral cleanliness, and emphasised it strongly
- Cleanliness: the Sunnah places great emphasis on tahara — purity and cleanliness — throughout the day
- Movement: the Prophet ﷺ lived an active life — walking, working — within a pattern of moderation
- These habits were part of worship and of caring for the body as a trust from Allah; many also align with modern understanding of healthy living
The Body as an Amanah
Before the individual habits, it helps to understand the principle beneath them. In the Islamic tradition, the body is an amanah — a trust given by Allah. The believer does not own the body absolutely; it is entrusted to them, to be cared for and used in what is good, and they are answerable for it.
This is the foundation of prophetic wellness. The daily habits of the Sunnah — around sleep, cleanliness, the care of the body — are not a self-improvement project or a lifestyle brand. They flow from the recognition that health and the body are blessings and trusts from Allah, to be looked after with gratitude and used in His obedience. The Prophet ﷺ taught that a person will be asked about their body and their health and how they used them. Caring for the body is, in this sense, part of the religion.
This framing matters, because it gives the habits their proper weight. They are not pursued for vanity or merely for longevity; they are pursued as part of a life of worship and gratitude. And — as a welcome consequence — they tend also to be genuinely good for a person.
The Sunnah of Sleep
Sleep is a significant theme in the Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ modelled a whole pattern of preparing for sleep and sleeping well.
Sleeping in a state of purity
The Prophet ﷺ taught that one should sleep in a state of purity. In a Hadith narrated by al-Bara' ibn Azib (RA), recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (247) and Sahih Muslim (2710), the Prophet ﷺ said:
"When you go to your bed, perform ablution (wudu) as you do for prayer, then lie down on your right side..."
Ending the day in a state of purity, as one prepares for prayer, frames sleep itself as something approached with consciousness and cleanliness.
Sleeping on the right side
The same Hadith establishes sleeping on the right side. It is also described, in narrations recorded in the authentic collections, that when the Prophet ﷺ went to sleep he would place his right hand under his cheek. Sleeping on the right side, particularly as one falls asleep, is thus a Sunnah. Some have noted that this position has been discussed favourably in modern times, though the Sunnah stands on its own footing as the practice of the Prophet ﷺ.
Dusting the bed
A small but specific Sunnah: the Prophet ﷺ taught, in a Hadith recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (7393) and Sahih Muslim (2714), that when one goes to bed, one should dust off the bed first — because one does not know what may have come onto it. A simple, practical habit of cleanliness.
Supplication at sleep and waking
The Prophet ﷺ taught supplications for both lying down to sleep and waking. Among the well-known ones, on lying down: "Allahumma bismika amutu wa ahya" — "O Allah, in Your name I die and I live." And on waking: "Alhamdulillahi alladhi ahyana ba'da ma amatana wa ilayhi an-nushur" — "All praise is for Allah who gave us life after having taken it from us, and to Him is the return." These supplications frame sleep and waking within remembrance of Allah — recognising sleep as a kind of small death, and waking as a renewed gift of life.
Not staying up late after Isha
It is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (568) that the Prophet ﷺ disliked sleeping before the Isha prayer and disliked staying up in conversation after it. The prophetic pattern was to pray Isha and then rest, rather than staying up late in idle talk — a habit that naturally supports rising early and well-rested for Fajr.
This whole pattern — purity, the right side, dusting the bed, supplication, an early night after Isha — adds up to a considered, healthy approach to sleep, framed throughout by the remembrance of Allah.
Early Rising and the Blessed Morning
The early morning holds a special place in the Sunnah.
The Prophet ﷺ rose early. The day in the prophetic pattern begins before dawn, with rising for the Fajr prayer — and the time around dawn and the early morning is treated as a time of particular blessing and productivity.
It is narrated from Sakhr al-Ghamidi (RA), in a Hadith recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami' at-Tirmidhi, that the Prophet ﷺ supplicated:
"O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings."
The narrator notes that the Prophet ﷺ would send out expeditions and trading caravans early in the day, and that Sakhr (RA) himself, a merchant, would send his goods out early — and found his wealth increased and blessed. The early morning is, in the Sunnah, a time in which to seek the barakah — the blessing — of Allah.
For the believer, this points to a daily rhythm: an early night, rising for Fajr, and beginning the day in its blessed early hours — a rhythm that the prophetic tradition grounds in worship, and which also aligns well with much modern understanding of healthy daily routines.
The Miswak and Oral Cleanliness
One of the most distinctive daily habits of the Sunnah is the use of the miswak — also called the siwak — a natural tooth-stick, traditionally from the arak tree (Salvadora persica).
The Prophet's ﷺ emphasis on the miswak
The Prophet ﷺ used the miswak regularly and emphasised it strongly. It is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (245) that the Prophet ﷺ would clean his mouth with the miswak upon waking. And in a well-known Hadith recorded in the authentic collections, the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Were it not that it would be difficult for my nation, I would have ordered them to use the miswak at every prayer."
This is a remarkable statement — it indicates that the Prophet ﷺ valued the miswak so highly that he would have made it obligatory before every prayer, had that not been a hardship. It is also narrated, in Sunan an-Nasa'i, that the Prophet ﷺ said the miswak cleanses the mouth and is pleasing to the Lord — connecting oral cleanliness to the pleasure of Allah.
Oral cleanliness in the Sunnah
The use of the miswak is part of the broader prophetic emphasis on cleanliness. Oral hygiene — fresh breath, clean teeth — is treated in the Sunnah not as a minor matter but as something connected both to worship (the miswak before prayer) and to the dignity and cleanliness of the believer. Today, whether one uses a traditional miswak or a modern toothbrush, the prophetic principle is the same: regular, conscious care of oral cleanliness, with the miswak itself remaining a Sunnah that many revive for its reward and its connection to the Prophet ﷺ.
Cleanliness Throughout the Day
Cleanliness — tahara — runs through the entire fabric of the Sunnah and of Islamic daily life.
The five daily prayers are themselves built around wudu, ablution — so that the believer washes the face, hands, arms, and feet multiple times a day as a matter of course. Beyond this, the Sunnah includes a whole set of practices of personal cleanliness and grooming: keeping the body, clothes, and surroundings clean; the regular trimming of nails; the care of the hair; and other practices of natural hygiene that the Prophet ﷺ encouraged.
The principle behind all of it is captured in the well-known statement that cleanliness is part of faith. In the Islamic tradition, physical cleanliness is not separate from spiritual life — it is connected to it. The believer who is clean in body, clothes, and surroundings is living a part of the Sunnah, and approaching the worship of Allah in a state of purity and dignity.
For the dimension of cleanliness specifically connected to eating — washing the hands, the etiquette of the meal — see our guide to Sunnah eating etiquette.
Movement and an Active Life
The Prophet ﷺ lived a physically active life. The daily reality of his time involved walking as the primary means of getting about, physical work, and an absence of the sedentary patterns of modern life. The Prophet ﷺ walked to the mosque, walked between places, engaged in physical activity, and is described in the narrations as walking briskly and with purpose.
It would be inaccurate to claim the Sunnah prescribes a specific "exercise routine" in the modern sense — it does not. But the prophetic pattern of life was an active one, and the prophetic principle of moderation applies to the body's activity as to everything else: neither idleness and a wholly sedentary life on the one hand, nor extremity and excess on the other.
It is also recorded that the Prophet ﷺ encouraged certain physical skills — narrations mention activities such as archery, horsemanship, and swimming as worthwhile things to learn, and the Prophet ﷺ is recorded as having raced with his wife Aishah (RA). The picture is of a life in which the body is kept active, capable, and strong — not for vanity, but as part of being a capable, healthy servant of Allah.
For the modern believer, the honest application is simple: an active life, regular movement, avoiding a wholly sedentary pattern — within moderation — is in keeping with the prophetic way of living.
Moderation: The Thread Through Everything
If one principle runs through all of prophetic wellness, it is moderation — wasatiyyah, the middle way.
The Prophet ﷺ taught moderation in eating — not over-filling the stomach, the well-known three-thirds. He modelled moderation in sleep — enough rest, an early night, an early rising, but neither deprivation nor excess. He discouraged extremity even in worship, teaching his companions to take a sustainable middle path rather than burning out through over-exertion. The whole prophetic pattern of living is balanced: work and rest, activity and stillness, this world and the next, all held in proportion.
This is perhaps the deepest lesson of prophetic wellness. It is not a collection of optimised "hacks." It is a balanced, sustainable, moderate way of living the whole of one's day — eating, sleeping, moving, working, worshipping — all in proportion, and all framed by the remembrance of Allah.
Prophetic Wellness as a Whole
The daily habits in this guide — sleep, early rising, the miswak, cleanliness, movement, moderation — are not a checklist of separate tips. They are facets of a single, coherent way of living that the Prophet ﷺ modelled.
That way of living joins together what modern life often separates. It does not divide "wellness" from worship: ending the day in purity, supplicating at sleep and waking, beginning the day with Fajr, using the miswak as an act both of hygiene and of seeking Allah's pleasure — in the Sunnah, the care of the body and the life of the spirit are one fabric. It does not divide the food from the habits either: the prophetic foods and the prophetic daily habits are two parts of the same pattern. A person living the Sunnah of wellness eats the honoured foods in the prophetic manner — with Bismillah, in moderation, with gratitude — and also sleeps, rises, cleans, and moves in the prophetic way.
And beneath all of it is the principle of the body as an amanah — a trust from Allah, cared for with gratitude, used in His obedience. That is what makes prophetic wellness more than a routine. It is a way of honouring a trust.
An Honest Word
A note of honesty, as throughout this series. It is genuinely striking how well many prophetic habits align with modern understanding of healthy living — a consistent sleep routine, an early night and early rising, regular movement, oral hygiene, cleanliness, moderation. The alignment is real and worth noticing.
But the prophetic habits are not followed because modern science endorses them, and their value for a Muslim does not depend on that endorsement. They are followed because they are the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ — his modelled way of living, part of the religion. Modern science is a separate kind of knowledge; where it agrees, that is a welcome confirmation, but the Sunnah stands on its own footing.
Equally, prophetic wellness is not a substitute for medical care. Caring for the body through good daily habits is part of the Sunnah — and so, just as much, is seeking proper treatment when ill. The Prophet ﷺ explicitly instructed his companions to seek treatment. Anyone with a health condition should consult a qualified medical professional; the daily habits of the Sunnah complement that, they do not replace it.
Sidr & Stone and the Prophetic Way of Living
Sidr & Stone exists to bring prophetic foods to the modern table — and the prophetic foods are one part of the wider prophetic way of living that this guide has described.
Our cold-pressed Ethiopian black seed oil is the black seed of the Hadith — sourced from Ethiopian highland seeds, cold-pressed below 40°C, independently tested at 2.67% thymoquinone, in UV-protective glass, halal, with 10% of profits given to charity. Our cold-pressed organic olive oil from Marrakech is the blessed-tree oil of the Quran — single-estate, rain-fed, extra virgin, cold-pressed within hours of harvest, unfiltered, organic, and halal. First harvest, estimated shipping from November 2026.
Honoured prophetic foods — to be enjoyed within the wider prophetic pattern: eaten in moderation and gratitude, as part of a balanced daily life of good sleep, early rising, cleanliness, movement, and the remembrance of Allah. The food and the habits are one tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is prophetic wellness?
Prophetic wellness refers to the way of caring for health and the body modelled by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — including both the prophetic foods and the daily, non-food habits of the Sunnah: how to sleep and prepare for sleep, early rising, the miswak and oral cleanliness, cleanliness throughout the day, an active life, and moderation in all things. It is grounded in caring for the body as an amanah, a trust from Allah.
How did the Prophet ﷺ sleep?
The Prophet ﷺ taught sleeping in a state of purity (performing wudu before bed), lying down on the right side — and it is narrated that he placed his right hand under his cheek. He taught dusting the bed before lying down, and supplications for sleeping and waking. He also disliked sleeping before Isha and staying up late in conversation after it. These are recorded in authentic Hadith including Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
Why is the miswak a Sunnah?
The Prophet ﷺ used the miswak (siwak) regularly — including upon waking (Sahih al-Bukhari 245) — and emphasised it so strongly that he said, were it not a hardship for his nation, he would have ordered the miswak before every prayer. He also said the miswak cleanses the mouth and is pleasing to the Lord. Using a miswak — or following the principle with a modern toothbrush — is part of the Sunnah of oral cleanliness.
Does the Sunnah encourage exercise?
The Sunnah does not prescribe a modern "exercise routine," but the prophetic pattern of life was active — walking as the main means of travel, physical work, and the encouragement of skills such as archery, horsemanship, and swimming. The prophetic principle of moderation applies: an active life, regular movement, avoiding a wholly sedentary pattern, without excess.
What time did the Prophet ﷺ wake up?
The Prophet ﷺ rose early — before dawn, for the Fajr prayer — and treated the early morning as a time of blessing. He supplicated, "O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings" (Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami' at-Tirmidhi). The prophetic daily rhythm involves an early night after Isha and an early rising for Fajr.
What does Islam say about caring for your body?
In the Islamic tradition, the body is an amanah — a trust from Allah — and the believer is responsible for caring for it. Caring for the body through good habits of sleep, cleanliness, moderation, and an active life is part of the Sunnah. At the same time, this includes seeking proper medical treatment when ill, as the Prophet ﷺ instructed.
Is prophetic wellness the same as modern wellness?
There is striking overlap — a consistent sleep routine, early rising, movement, oral hygiene, cleanliness, and moderation all align with modern understanding of healthy living. But prophetic wellness is not followed because modern science endorses it; it is followed because it is the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, part of the religion. Where modern science agrees, that is a welcome confirmation rather than the basis of the practice.
Is following prophetic habits a replacement for medical care?
No. Caring for the body through the daily habits of the Sunnah is part of the prophetic way — and so is seeking proper medical treatment when ill. The Prophet ﷺ explicitly instructed his companions to seek treatment. Anyone with a health condition should consult a qualified medical professional; prophetic daily habits complement medical care, they do not replace it.
Final Thoughts
Prophetic wellness is far wider than a list of foods. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ modelled an entire daily rhythm — sleeping in purity and on the right side, an early night and an early rising, the miswak and the care of oral cleanliness, tahara throughout the day, an active life, and moderation woven through all of it. These were not a "routine" in the modern, self-optimising sense. They were part of a complete way of living, grounded in worship and in the recognition that the body is an amanah, a trust from Allah.
What is striking is the coherence of it. Prophetic wellness joins together what modern life so often separates — the body and the spirit, the food and the habits, health and worship. The believer who sleeps, rises, cleans, moves, and eats in the prophetic way is not following several separate programmes; they are living one integrated Sunnah, and framing the whole of an ordinary day in the remembrance of Allah.
And the honest note holds here as everywhere: many of these habits align beautifully with modern understanding of healthy living — but they are followed as Sunnah, not as science, and they complement proper medical care rather than replacing it. Approached that way, the daily habits of the Sunnah are a gift: a balanced, moderate, dignified way of living one's days.
Sidr & Stone brings the foods of that tradition to the modern table. Our cold-pressed Ethiopian black seed oil — independently tested at 2.67% thymoquinone — is available now. Our cold-pressed organic olive oil from Marrakech is available to pre-order. First harvest, estimated shipping from November 2026. Honoured prophetic foods, to be enjoyed within the whole prophetic way of living.
References — Primary Hadith Sources
1. Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 247, and Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2710 — sleeping in a state of wudu and on the right side; narrated from al-Bara' ibn Azib (RA). Compiled by Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH / 870 CE) and Imam Muslim (d. 261 AH / 875 CE).
2. Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 7393, and Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2714 — dusting the bed before sleep.
3. Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 245 — the Prophet ﷺ using the miswak upon waking.
4. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim — "Were it not that it would be difficult for my nation, I would have ordered them to use the miswak at every prayer."
5. Sunan an-Nasa'i, Hadith 5 — "The miswak cleanses the mouth and is pleasing to the Lord." Compiled by Imam an-Nasa'i (d. 303 AH / 915 CE).
6. Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 568 — the Prophet ﷺ disliking sleep before Isha and conversation after it.
7. Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami' at-Tirmidhi — "O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings," narrated from Sakhr al-Ghamidi (RA). Compiled by Imam Abu Dawud (d. 275 AH / 889 CE) and Imam at-Tirmidhi (d. 279 AH / 892 CE).
8. Sahih al-Bukhari — supplications of the Prophet ﷺ on sleeping and on waking.
References — Classical Scholarship
9. Imam an-Nawawi (d. 676 AH / 1277 CE). Riyad as-Salihin — chapters on sleep, the miswak, and daily conduct.
10. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751 AH / 1350 CE). Zad al-Ma'ad fi Hady Khayr al-'Ibad — on the Prophet's ﷺ guidance in daily life and the care of the body.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes about the daily habits of the Sunnah within the Islamic tradition. Hadith translations follow authenticated Sunni sources verified through sunnah.com. This article describes religious practice and is not medical advice. The daily habits of the Sunnah complement, but do not replace, proper medical care; the Prophet ﷺ himself instructed the seeking of treatment when ill. For any health condition, consult a qualified medical professional.