What to recite when you can't sleep?
Say: "Allāhumma ghārati al-nujūm, wa hada`ati al-`uyūn, wa anta ḥayyun qayyūm." (O Allah, the stars have set and the eyes have quieted, and You are the Ever-Living, the Sustainer). Recite Ayatul Kursi and the last two verses of al-Baqarah. If sleep still does not come, do 33 subhanallah, 33 alhamdulillah, 34 allahu akbar (Sahih Muslim 2727).
Detail
The bedtime dua for wakefulness is reported in al-Adhkar of al-Nawawi and traced to sahih chains.
Ayatul Kursi before sleep places a guardian over you until morning (Sahih al-Bukhari 2311). The last two ayat of al-Baqarah are sufficient (Sahih al-Bukhari 5009).
The 33·33·34 pattern at bedtime is the same one the Prophet taught his daughter Fatimah as a substitute for a servant (Sahih Muslim 2727).
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