/ If any of you wakes up from his sleep, let him blow water out of his nose three times, as the devil spends the night on his nostrils

If any of you wakes up from his sleep, let him blow water out of his nose three times, as the devil spends the night on his nostrils

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If any of you wakes up from his sleep, let him blow water out of his nose three times, as the devil spends the night on his nostrils."
Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) urges anyone who wakes up from his sleep to make Istinthar, i.e., blowing water out of the nose after sniffing it, three times because the devil spends the night on the nostril, which is the whole nose.

Hadeeth benefits

  1. It is prescribed for anyone who wakes up from sleep to make Istinthār to remove the devil's traces from his nose, and if he wants to make ablution, then the command to make Istinthār is more confirmed in this case.
  2. Istinthār completes the benefit of Istinshāq (sniffing water), because the latter cleans the nose from the inside, whereas the former brings such filth out with the water.
  3. This is restricted to night sleep, as indicated by the words "spends the night,"  which only occurs during the night sleep and because one is more likely to sleep deeply and for a long period at night.
  4. The Hadīth bears evidence that the devil accompanies man but man does not feel it.