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He walks, talks, yells and screams while sleeping

Question

Dear brothers at Islamweb.net, I'm 26 years old and i'm still having the same problem that i had when i was a kid. I'm still walking, talking, yelling, screaming in my sleep. It's kind of embarrassing for me in front of my family. I shut doors with fear and check up on my family as if they were in danger. I yell out for my mom and dad to see if they are okay. I only know about this when i wake up the next morning and they tell me so. What is wrong with me? Is it stress? Is it a psycological problem? Or is it anxiety from life in general? Is being single a factor or an element in this problem? May Alah the Mighty bless you in advance for your help.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

We have already issued Fatwa 90123 about a man who, when suddenly awakened, he may unintentionally harm others.

We explained in this Fatwa that he is not responsible for what he is doing as long as he is doing so while sleeping and that he should consult doctors and should recite Quran and the legislated mention of Allaah when going to sleep while in a state of ablution.

Anyway, the things which you mentioned, that you walk, talk, yell, and scream in your sleep, and worry about the members of your family, and call your father and mother to make sure they are O.K., then all this might be due to a physical or psychological problem, and it may also only be nightmares caused by the devil. However, it is most unlikely that this is due to being single. On the other hand, getting married is better as it is confirmed that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: "O, young people! Whoever can marry should marry, as it helps one lower their gaze, and protects one’s private parts (from illegal sexual intercourse)…" [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Finally, it should be mentioned that it is good to consult a psychologist and you should continuously recite the legislated mention of Allaah and supplicate Him to repel these things from you.

Allaah Knows best.

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