In the language of Sufism, yaqada (wakefulness) means that an initiate must be aware, careful and sensitive with respect to God’s commandments at the beginning of the journey, and without failing into any confusion, must be straightforward in thought, preserve spiritual balance, and act with insight in the face of the gifts that come as a result of advancing to the final point.

There have been somewhat different approaches to wakefulness. Some scholars have interpreted wakefulness as being where initiates perceive the Divine purpose in His prohibitions, especially at the beginning of the journey. When they have reached the final point where they are on the journey “toward God and with God and in God,” which denotes “subsistence” or “maintenance by God,” they should act with self-possession as if seeing God or as if being in His Presence. In the consciousness and knowledge of God that is required by the rank where they are, and thinking of themselves as humble servants of God, Whom they need at every breath and of Whom they should not be heedless even for a moment, they should always fix their eyes in humility and awareness on the door of God in expectation of His favors and in fear of any reproach from Him. They should be in constant wakefulness, thinking as Ibrahim Haqqi of Erzurum did:

Does sleeping in heedlessness behoove a humble servant, while the All-Merciful calls (His servants) with affection at nights?

Wakeful travelers to God act with insight at every step of the spiritual journey and represent the truth expressed in Say (O Messenger!): “This is my way: I call to God based on conscious insight and sure knowledge—I and those who follow me” (12:108). They receive beneficial advice from whatever they hear, and see every thing and event as being a different tablet of instruction, and continuously travel on the horizon of thinking, reflecting, and pondering. There is wisdom in their speeches, and a lesson in their silence, and their manners inspire awe. They remember God in the face of what they encounter, and their own faces reveal Him.

Such a degree of wakefulness can be also viewed as the deepening of insight and the horizon of the revival of an initiate with respect to “the reason occupied with and skilled in the matters of the Hereafter.” Some have considered it as an aspect or dimension of the heart. One of the important means of reaching this point is frequently reciting O the All-Living, O the Self-Subsisting, there is no deity but You. Frequent repetition of There is no deity but You, I appeal to Your help for the sake of Your Mercy, is another means. In attainment of this rank, it is also important to have adequate knowledge of the “days of God.” That is, we should never forget why and how God favored His obedient servants in the past and why and how He punished the rebellious.

Having a sound and sincere intention and viewpoint and being free from prejudices are among the important conditions needed to preserve wakefulness. Those whose minds are under the influence of their carnal impulses, whose eyes are closed to the lesson given by the “days of God,” and whose viewpoint is wrong, can have no insight, nor can they be wakeful. If wakefulness is seeing deeply and becoming acutely aware of being observed, then this can only be possible by having deep insight, by observing God’s rights, and by acting in awareness of always being seen by God. Those who cannot keep their eyes away from the “pictures” of others and their hearts from memories shared with others cannot be wakeful ones, nor can they be safe from falling, no matter what rank they have achieved. Safety is a special gift of God given to those who have spent their lives in quest of it. This is why those who regard themselves as safe are by no means safe.

Having a wakeful heart and eyes is dependent on the awareness of the fact that the Ultimate Truth always sees and knows us in the state in which we are and always knows with what we are occupied, and on turning to Him with all our being, and spending our lives in consciousness that we are always in His presence. The author of Nazmu’l-Maqamat, observes:

Always turn to that Most Exalted Being in humility, and with utmost poverty and helplessness;
to the extent that even if yourself were to give it up,
your heart should never falter and should remain fast in its place.
This is what people of truth call “presence,” And this is the reason why we always mention Him.

Wakeful travelers are deeply conscious that the Ultimate Truth always sees them, and think that, since He always sees them, they must therefore remain alert and self-possessed—that is, wakefulness has a connection with “excellence” or “perfect goodness” (the awareness of always being seen by God and acting as if seeing Him). Like hunters who keep a close, even secret watch on their prey, the travelers journeying to God are in constant expectation of the gifts that will come from Him, all but never blinking. In perfect reliance on the truth that there is no power and strength save with God, they never appeal to anyone other than Him in order to meet their needs, and always petition Him and find ways that lead to Him. God never leaves them by themselves, helpless.

The greatest hero of wakefulness, upon him be peace and blessings, says, “My eyes sleep but my heart does not,”[1] indicating constant wakefulness. To warn those who live unaware of this truth, ‘Ali, the Fourth Caliph, who was one of the most distinguished students of his school of light, declares: “People are asleep; they wake up when they die” [2].

O God! I ask You for Your forgiveness, health, and Your approval, regard, breezes of favor, friendship, and nearness to You. And bestow blessings and peace on our master Muhammad, the master of those near-stationed to You, and Your beloved and Messenger, and on his Family and Companions, who had great yearning to meet with You.

Experiments have proved lack of sleep as a cause of death. Lab mice that are deprived of sleep for three to four consecutive days eventually die. Lack of sleep for a long period of time, especially when combined with excessive fatigue, poses a serious threat to our health.

There are intensive research efforts to understand the mysterious workings of the biological mechanisms underlying sleep. Human beings spend almost a third of their lives in sleep. Yet, the basic sleep mechanism and its functions are still not completely known. Each of many theories proposed for understanding the secrets of sleep provide different evidence, but no guaranteed results have been attained so far. Initially, sleep was considered a rest period. However, although brain activity lowers during sleep, the brain continues actively working. It can be said that the brain rests itself by working during sleep.

Scientists classify a person’s state of consciousness as one of three stages:

1. Wakefulness
2. REM sleep
3. Deep sleep

According to this classification, sleep is divided into deep sleep and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. During a night’s sleep, there is a loop of REM sleep and deep sleep. Approximately 90 minutes of deep sleep is followed by REM sleep, which lasts between 5 and 30 minutes. Approximately 75% of the total sleep span is deep sleep; 25% is REM sleep. REM sleep happens while slipping into sleep from wakefulness. Just before waking from sleep, a short-term REM is observed.

During the first hours of sleep, REM spans are shorter, and they grow longer during the last hours of sleep. If a person is extremely tired, they experience extremely short REM sleep spans within the first hour of their sleep. They may even slip into deep sleep without REM. Right after mid-sleep, REM sleep periods last longer. If a person is deprived of all or partial sleep – such as the deep sleep or REM – they will need to sleep longer at the next opportunity. If they are deprived of REM sleep or deep sleep for longer periods, they will have longer deep sleep.

REM Sleep

REM (Rapid Eye Movement) is given this name due to the intensive and fast eye movements during this sleep stage. During REM, not only the eyes but also hands, arms, legs, and fingers move. An onlooker may think the sleeper is fully awake. However, scientists are unable to fully explain the reason why it is difficult waking a person in REM, although they are active as if they are awake – this is a paradox. In fact, a person in deep sleep may be awakened easier, by either sound or touch. If it is difficult to wake a person during the REM stages in their sleep, it may also be considered as a paradox for that person to wake from REM sleep.

During REM sleep, contrary to rapid eye movements and gestures, a person’s muscles are extremely relaxed and soft, to the extent of a wrist drop. This is called REM paralysis.

The reasons, mechanisms, and even benefits of REM sleep are not known for certain. The newest theory in sleep research claims the relationship between REM sleep and acetylcholine secretion. Acetylcholine is a brain hormone that triggers movement. Yet, acetylcholine typically causes wakefulness. This, too, appears as another paradox.

Dreams seen during the REM stage are remembered more clearly. The limbic system, including the hippocampus and amygdala, is active during REM sleep, thus it is assumed that it is easier to commit dreams to memory during this stage. The hippocampus is tasked with committing (reinforcing) information.

During REM sleep, a person’s heartbeat and breathing are more frequent and irregular. This also relates to what a person sees in their dream. During this stage, the basal metabolism rate is higher or equal to that of wakefulness. Electroencephalography (EEG) readings register beta waves, which normally show during wakefulness. Alpha waves show during times of calm, when the brain rests during wakefulness, such as at times when one closes their eyes and dispels thoughts. However, when the brain is actively dealing with an issue or when a person experiences an upset, beta waves appear. Beta waves also show during REM stage. This shows that the brain is active during REM stage.

Deep sleep

This stage of sleep is also called low wave sleep or delta sleep. During this stage, movements are at minimum, and the muscle tone is harder. Heartbeat, breathing, basic metabolic rate, and blood pressure are low. Internal organs like the stomach, intestines, urinary tract, and even the liver minimize their activities and slip into an actual rest.

During this stage, dreams and even nightmares may also be seen. However, one cannot remember a majority of dreams when they wake up. It is assumed that the traffic between the cortex and the lower structures of the brain are disengaged during the deep sleep stage. People wake up from nightmares, only to usually remember the last part.

EEG readings during deep sleep stage show delta waves. The presence of delta waves hints at the disengaged traffic between the cortex and the lower nervous system components (thalamus, hypothalamus, brain stem, hippocampus). This condition also shows that the person is in deep rest, free from pain and other bodily stimuli.

Secreted at night, melatonin is a hormone that protects against cancer and slows down the aging process. Melatonin also plays a role in lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) and balancing body heat and blood pressure. Melatonin secretion starts around 10:00 p.m. and reaches its maximum around 5:00 a.m. That’s why, the most ideal sleep is after 10:00 p.m. when melatonin secretion starts. Bedside lamps are not suggested as they hinder the secretion of this night-bound hormone. People should also avoid conditions such as stress, smoking, extreme lighting, lack of adequate daylight, and working at lengthy periods, which lower melatonin level.