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Does the Noble Prophetic Hadith that recommends lying on the right side when sleeping contradict what is mentioned, that one who sleeps on his right side does not turn over until he wakes up, and with what doctors say, that a normal person turns over 25 times during his sleep? And which of them is more correct, supported by evidence from the Book and the Sunnah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Hadith mentioned by the questioner is authentic, narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. The statement that one who sleeps on their right side does not turn over has no proof; rather, reality and evidence contradict it. Indeed, whoever sleeps in a state of ritual purity (wudu') will turn over, and the angel will supplicate for them. Therefore, there is no validity to the claim that one who sleeps on their right side does not turn over. As for what doctors have mentioned, we have no knowledge of it, and even if it were true, it does not contradict the encouragement to sleep on the right side. The Sunnah is to initially sleep on it in a state of purity, and if one turns over after that, the angel will supplicate for them.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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