Nature’s Timekeeper: How the Circadian Rhythm Shapes our Life
By: Dr Aftab Jan
Allah, the Most Wise and the Most Merciful, has created everything in perfect balance, and within the human body, He placed an astonishing internal clock that silently governs our every move—when we sleep, wake up, eat, heal, think, and even when our hearts beat in perfect harmony with nature.
This hidden system is called the circadian rhythm, a 24-hour biological cycle gifted by the Creator to help us live in alignment with the sun, the moon, and the changes of light and darkness.
Long before science discovered and named it, the Qur’an already pointed to this miracle, when Allah said: “And We made your sleep [a means for] rest. And We made the night as clothing. And We made the day for livelihood” (Surah An-Naba: 9–11).
These words are not just poetic descriptions of day and night; they are a divine declaration of how our bodies and souls are meant to function. Inside our eyes, Allah has placed special light-sensitive cells called photoreceptors, which contain a pigment called melanopsin.
The moment the first light of dawn touches them, they send a message to a small but powerful part of the brain known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus, the master clock that rules all other clocks in our body. This command center then tells the pineal gland to stop producing melatonin, the sleep hormone, and signals the body to wake up, increase body temperature, release energy-giving hormones like cortisol in healthy amounts, and prepare the brain for focus and action.
As the day passes and light fades, the opposite happens—melatonin production increases, heart rate slows, body temperature drops, and the body gently prepares for rest. Allah also says in the Qur’an (Surah Yunus 10:67): “It is He who made for you the night to rest in and the day to give you sight. Verily, in that are signs for people who listen.”
The signs are clear: we are designed to follow the rhythm of the sun, to sleep when it is dark, and to be awake and active when it is light. This is why the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ shaped his life and the lives of his companions around this natural flow—sleeping after Isha, rising early for Fajr, and making the early hours the most blessed part of the day. He ﷺ said: “O Allah, bless my Ummah in its early hours” (Tirmidhi).
These early hours, filled with light and calm, are the peak of our mental sharpness, spiritual presence, and physical energy. Yet in today’s world of endless screens, artificial lights, and unhealthy schedules, this divine system is being brutally destroyed.
Our mobile phones, laptops, televisions, and even LED lights emit blue light, a specific type of light that tricks our eyes into thinking it’s still daytime. Even at midnight, the brain believes the sun is still up, so it delays melatonin release, and sleep comes late—or comes without depth and quality. As a result, the body loses its natural healing time, the mind becomes restless, and the soul feels disconnected. In the past, night was truly dark, and this darkness wrapped around us like a blanket, as Allah described in the Qur’an, but now our homes glow like factories at 2 AM.
People scroll endlessly through social media, binge-watch shows, and chat long after Isha, forgetting that the Prophet ﷺ disliked conversation after that prayer because he knew it robs the body of its natural rest. Modern science confirms this Prophetic wisdom: Harvard research has shown that exposure to blue light at night can suppress melatonin by 85%, delay sleep by hours, and push the circadian rhythm out of balance. The damage is not just to sleep.
Disruption of this rhythm causes a chain reaction—fatigue, mood swings, depression, anxiety, poor memory, weight gain, hormonal imbalance, reduced immunity, and even serious diseases like diabetes, heart problems, and cancer. The World Health Organization now classifies night-shift work as a probable cause of cancer because of the deep harm caused by circadian disruption.
SubhanAllah, the Prophet ﷺ warned us in simple words, and science now confirms it with complex research. The Islamic daily schedule itself is a perfect guard for this rhythm: Fajr prayer aligns with the rising light, energizing the day; Dhuhr and Asr break the hours into periods of movement and remembrance; Maghrib coincides with sunset, signaling the body to wind down; and Isha closes the day, after which rest is encouraged. Even the Sunnah of a midday nap (Qailulah) is now scientifically proven to improve brain performance, reduce stress, and prepare the body for the evening. Ramadan too, though its schedule is different, keeps us tied to the sun and moon through Suhoor and Iftar, and teaches discipline that supports this natural cycle.
But in our modern lifestyle, we have abandoned this balance. We sleep late, wake up late, miss Fajr, and spend mornings sluggish and afternoons irritable. We eat heavy meals at midnight, confusing our digestion, and we keep the mind over-stimulated with endless notifications.
The body craves light in the morning to reset its clock, but we close the curtains and sleep through it; the body craves darkness at night to rest, but we flood our eyes with artificial light. This rebellion against fitrah has made our bodies sick, our minds tired, and our hearts restless. To fix this, we must return to the natural order Allah set.
After Fajr, expose yourself to the sunlight for at least 15–30 minutes, as it gives the clearest signal to your brain that day has begun. Reduce screen use after Maghrib, and ideally put away your phone at least one hour before sleeping. Try to sleep within one to two hours after Isha, because the most healing sleep occurs between 10 PM and 2 AM when growth hormone is released, repairing tissues, strengthening immunity, and refreshing the mind.
Wake up for Fajr even if you feel tired; it resets your circadian clock and fills your day with barakah. Take a short nap in the afternoon if you can, but not too late in the day, so that it does not delay your night sleep. Eat meals at regular times and avoid heavy food at night.
Engage in dhikr and Qur’an recitation in the early morning, as such calm worship has a proven effect on lowering stress hormones and improving mental clarity. Remember that your circadian rhythm is not just biology—it is a form of silent zikr that your body does, a rhythm of obedience to the natural laws Allah has set in the heavens and the earth. Allah says in Surah Fussilat (41:53): “We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.” The circadian rhythm is one of these signs, a daily proof that our lives are designed to move in harmony with light and darkness. When we respect it, we gain health, peace, and spiritual focus.
When we fight it with the glow of screens and the noise of late-night distractions, we lose not only our health but also our closeness to Allah. Every night when your eyes feel heavy, know that it is Allah’s mercy calling you to rest; every morning when light touches your face, know that it is Allah’s invitation to rise and remember Him.
Switch off the devices, turn off the lights, lie down in peace, and say: “With Your name, O Allah, I die and I live” (Bukhari). For in aligning your sleep and wake with the sun and the guidance of the Qur’an and Sunnah, even your rest becomes an act of worship, and your heartbeat returns to the rhythm that Allah wrote into your very soul.
