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Is the Jathoom (sleep paralysis) mentioned in the Qur’an or Hadith, and are there any proofs of its reality?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

"Al-Jathum" is the nightmare or sleep paralysis. Physicians, both ancient and modern, have discussed it and linked it to organic causes. Ibn Sina, in "Al-Qanun," states that the nightmare is a condition in which a person, upon falling asleep, feels a heavy weight upon them, experiences shortness of breath, and their voice and movement are cut off, almost leading to suffocation. It can be a precursor to one of three diseases: epilepsy, stroke, or mania. Its cause is often vapors rising to the brain. Al-Jathum can also be caused by the touch of jinn and can be repelled by supplications (adhkar) and ruqyah (Islamic exorcism). Therefore, al-Jathum is a real phenomenon and not a myth.

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

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