Is Sleep Paralysis Mentioned in Islamic Teachings?
Assalamu alaykum, I'm a Muslim and I've dealt with sleep paralysis for about 10 years now. It's a regular thing for me. When it happens, I don't usually see anything unless I'm in a dream, but either way visuals aren't the issue. I mostly hear things-buzzing, white noise, but it feels heavy and suffocating. Plus there's that awful sensation of not being able to breathe, like I'm about to choke. It's really uncomfortable. It used to terrify me, but now I'm more accustomed to it and try to calm myself down when it strikes. But that's when it gets strange and even more frightening. Once, I tried reciting Qur'an for protection. SubhanAllah, I started hearing screams in my head that gave me a headache, and the fear spiked; my chest felt like it was being crushed. The harder I recited, the worse it got, until I finally snapped out of it. Another time, I dozed off on my prayer mat while waiting for the Duha prayer, and that was even scarier. I couldn't recall any surahs, only the du'a for entering the bathroom-asking Allah to protect me from malevolent beings. There were screams and whispering voices; it was horrifying. I know there's no solid proof that jinn or shaytan cause sleep paralysis, but these episodes make me wonder if there's a connection. Does anyone know of any authentic Islamic sources that talk about sleep paralysis? Jazakum Allahu khayran.