The Undesirable Case of One’s Sleeping Alone and the Characteristics Prohibited because of its Frightfulness

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Faddal from ibn al-Qaddah from his father who has said the following: “I once visited abu Ja‘far (a.s.), and he asked saying, ‘O Maymun, who sleeps near you in the night, is there a slave with you?’ I replied, ‘No, no one sleeps near me.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Do not sleep alone; Satan becomes more daring against man when he finds him alone.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Ahmad ibn Muhammad has narrated from ibn Mahbub al-‘ Ala’ ibn Razin from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has stated this Hadith. ‘Unless Allah wills otherwise, something from Satan reaches very fast to one who defecates on a grave or urinates standing or urinates in stagnant water or walks in one shoe or drinks water standing, or stays in a house alone or sleeps overnight with his hands greasy with animal fat. The Messenger of Allah, O Allah (saww) once travelled in a group of people during an armed expedition and reached in the valley where Jinns lived. He (the Messenger of Allah) called his companions saying, ‘Every one of you must hold the hand of another one and no one must enter alone and no one must walk ahead.’ One man moved forward alone, he completed the area of the valley but he became epileptic. The Messenger of Allah was informed about it and he (the Messenger of Allah) pressed his finger against him and touched, then said, ‘In the name of Allah, O filthy (Jinn) move out, I am the Messenger of Allah.’ He then stood up.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Aban al-Ahmar from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said that Satan is the strongest against man when he is alone without anything and I say that he must not sleep alone.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Isa from Sama‘ah ibn Mehran who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who sleeps in a house alone. He (the Imam) said, ‘I dislike it but if it is an emergency, then it is not harmful, however, he must speak of Allah a great deal and as much as he can, when he goes to sleep.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. It is narrated from the narrator of the previous Hadith from his father from ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Mughirah and Muhammad ibn Sinan from Talhah ibn Zayd who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), disliked one’s sleeping in a house which does not have a door or a curtain.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. Through the same chain of narrators as that of the previous Hadith the following is narrated: “The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, disliked entering a dark house without a lamp.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Ash‘ariy from ibn al-Qaddah from his father Maymun who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), once asked Muhammad ibn Sulayman, ‘Where have you found lodging?’ He replied, ‘It is in so and so place.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘Is there anyone else with you?’ he replied, ‘No, there is no one with me.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Move from there, O Maymun and do not stay there alone; Satan is most daring against man when he is alone.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. Sahl has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn abu Nasr from Safwan from al-‘Ala’ from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “One of the two Imam, (abu Ja‘far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has stated this Hadith. ‘You must not drink water when you are standing, must not urinate in stagnant water, must not spit on a grave, must not stay in a house alone, you must not walk in one shoe; Satan is the fastest against a servant when he is in one of such conditions.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If one becomes affected in any one of such conditions, it will not leave him unless Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, wants otherwise.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘ Umayr from Hammad from al-Halabiy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Satan is the strongest against man when he is alone, thus one must not sleep alone or travel alone.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.