View of Sleep in Yoga and Islam
1. Islamic Perspective (Qur’an & Hadith)
Allah says:
“Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others until an appointed term.”
(Qur’an 39:42)
- In Islamic understanding, sleep is a minor death (al-mawt al-ṣughrā).
- The rūḥ (spirit) in some manner is taken to Allah, and He either keeps it (if the person dies) or returns it (if they wake).
- This emphasizes dependence on Allah: the soul’s coming and going is by His command.
2. Patañjali’s Yoga Philosophy
In the Yoga Sūtras, sleep (nidrā) is considered one of the mental states (vṛttis).
- Patañjali: the ātman (soul/self) never leaves — it is always the silent draṣṭā (seer) behind the mind.
- Sleep is simply when the mind becomes inactive, but the seer remains untouched, pure, ever-present.
- Liberation (kaivalya) is realizing this unchanging witness.
3. Core Difference
4. Philosophical Implications
- Islam stresses relation and dependence: the soul’s existence and destiny are always in Allah’s hands.
- Yoga stresses identity and realization: the soul is always free and ever-present; ignorance (avidyā) makes it appear bound.
✨ In other words:
- Islamic view of sleep: soul is taken, returned, or kept — all by Allah’s will.
- Yoga view of sleep: soul never moves — it just witnesses the mind’s rest.