Protection against the Shayaateen

بسم الله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، وبعد

1.    Seeking refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan:

Saying:

أعــوذ بالله مـن الـشّـيـطـان الـرجــيـم

Allaah says:

“And if an evil whisper from Shaytaan (Satan) tries to turn you away (O Muhammad) (from doing good), then seek refuge in Allaah. Verily, He is the All Hearer, the All Knower” Surah al-Fussilat (41):36

“And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaytaan (Satan), then seek refuge with Allaah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower” Surah al-A’raaf (7):200

Narrated Uthman ibn Abul'As: Uthman came to Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and said: Allah's Messenger, the Satan intervenes between me and my prayer and my reciting of the Qur'an and he confounds me. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “That is (the doing of the Satan) who is known as Khanzab, and when you perceive its effect, seek refuge with Allah from it and spit three times to your left.” I did that and Allah dispelled that from me. (Sahih Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawood)

It was narrated from Sulaymaan ibn Sard that two men were trading insults in the presence of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, until the face of one of them turned red. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “I know a word which, if he were to say it, what he is suffering from would go away: ‘A’oodhu Billaahi min al-Shaytaan il-rajeem (I seek refuge with Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan).’” (Bukhaari & Muslim)

Note: When you see 2 people fighting, or a man furious with anger; it is a BID'AH to ask him/them to pray upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. (We see a lot of people say "Salli alan-Nabi; Salli alan-Nabi" and this has become a common practice amongst the people). Whereas, the Sunnah is to seek refuge in Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan by saying: أعــوذ بالله مـن الـشّـيـطـان الـرجــيـم

2.    Reciting al-Mu`adhatayn (the last two Surahs of the Qur’aan, al-Falaq and al-Naas):

It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: “The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم used to seek refuge with Allaah from the jinn and from the evil eye until the Mi’wadhatayn were revealed, and when they were revealed he started to recite them and not anything else.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2058; he said it is hasan ghareeb. Also narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 5494; Ibn Maajah, 3511. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4905).

  

3.    Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy:

 It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) put me in charge of guarding the zakaah of Ramadaan. Someone came to me and started grabbing handfuls of the food. I took hold of him and said, ‘I will take you to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ He said, ‘I will teach you some words by means of which Allaah will benefit you.’ I said, ‘What are they?’ He said, ‘When you go to your bed, recite this aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists)…” [al-Baqarah 2:255] – until he completed the aayah. Then Allaah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no shaytaan (devil) will come near you until morning.’ The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم asked me, ‘What did your prisoner do last night?’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he taught me something, and claimed that Allaah would benefit me by it.’ He said, ‘What was it?’ I said, ‘He taught me to recite Aayat al-Kursiy when I go to bed, and said that no shaytaan would come near me until morning, and that Allaah would appoint a guard for me who would stay with me.’ The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘He told you the truth, although he is an inveterate liar. That was the Shaytaan.’” (Bukhaari, 3101)

4.    Reciting Surah al-Baqarah:

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Do not make your houses like graves, for the Shaytaan runs away from a house in which Soorat al-Baqarah is recited.” (Muslim, 780)

5.    The last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah:

It was narrated that Abu Mas’ood al-Ansaari said: “The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: ‘Whoever recites the last two verses of Soorat al-Baqarah at night, that will suffice him.’” (Bukhaari, 4723; Muslim, 807)

 It was narrated from al-Nu’maan ibn Basheer that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Allaah inscribed a book two thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, from which the last two aayahs of Surah al-Baqarah were revealed. If they are recited for three nights, no shaytaan (devil) will remain in the house.” (al-Tirmidhi, 2882. This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1799).

6.    Reciting “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god except Allaah Alone with no partner or associate; His is the Sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Able to do all things)” one hundred times:

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Whoever says “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer” one hundred times in the day, will have a reward equivalent to that of freeing ten slaves, one hundred hasanahs (good deeds) will be recorded for him, and one hundred sayi’ahs (bad deeds) will be erased from his record, and it will be protection for him from the Shaytaan for that day, until evening comes. No one could achieve any better than him except the one who does more than he did.” (al-Bukhaari, 31119; Muslim, 2691)

7.    Remembering Allaah often (dhikr):

It was narrated from al-Haarith al-Ash’ari that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Allaah commanded Yahyaa ibn Zakariyah (peace be upon him) five things to follow and to enjoin upon the Children of Israel… and he commanded them to remember Allaah, and the likeness of that is a man who was being pursued by the enemy, until he reached a strong fortress in which he found protection; similarly a man cannot find protection from the Shaytaan except by remembering Allaah…” (al-Tirmidhi, 2863; he said it is hasan saheeh. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1724)

8.    The `Adhaan:

It was narrated that Suhayl ibn Abi Saalih said: “My father sent me to Bani Haarithah, and there was with me a slave of ours, or a companion of ours. Someone called out his name from a garden, and the one who was with me looked into the garden and did not see anything. I mentioned that to my father, and he said, ‘If I had known that this was going to happen to you, I would not have sent you. But if you hear a voice then make the call for prayer, for I heard Abu Hurayrah narrating that the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “When the Shaytaan hears the call to prayer, he runs away fast.”’” (Muslim, 389).

9.    Reciting Qur’aan offers protection against the Shaytaan:

Allaah says:

“And when you (Muhammad) recite the Qur’aan, We put between you and those who believe not in the Hereafter, an invisible veil (or screen their hearts, so they hear or understand it not).” Surah al-Israa’ (17): 45

10.  Remembering Allaah before eating and before entering the house:

Saying (before eating):

بسم الله

Narrated Hudhayfah: When we attended a dinner with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم we did not lay our hands on the food until Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم had laid his hand and commenced eating (the food). Once we went with him to a dinner when a girl came rushing in as if someone had been pursuing her. She was about to lay her hand on the food, when Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم caught her hand. Then a desert Arab entered (in a hurry) as if someone had been pursuing him. He (the Holy Prophet) caught his hand; and then Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Satan considers that food lawful on which Allah's name is not mentioned. He had brought this girl so that the food might be made lawful for him and I caught her hand. And he had brought a desert Arab so that (the food) might be lawful for him. So I caught his hand. By Him, in Whose hand is my life, it was (Satan's hand that was in my hand along with her hand.” (Sahih Muslim)

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “When a person enters his house and mentions the name of Allah at the time of entering it and while eating the food, Satan says (addressing himself): You have no place to spend the night and no evening meal; but when he enters without mentioning the name of Allah, the Satan says: You have found a place to spend the night, and when he does not mention the name of Allah while eating food, he (the Satan) says: You have found a place to spend the night and evening meal.” (Sahih Muslim)

[The Hadeeth which mentions the Du`aa upon entering the house:

بسم الله ولجـنا ، وبسم الله خرجـنا ، وعـلى ربـنا تـوكـلـنـا

“Bismillaahi walajnaa, wa bismillaahi kharajnaa, wa `alaa rabbanaa tawakkalnaa”

which has been  reported by Abu Dawood (5096) and it has been graded as weak by Shaikh al-Albaanee]

11.  Remembering Allaah before entering the restroom:

Saying:

اللهم إني أعــوذ بـك مـن الـخـبـث والـخـبـائـث

Anas reported that when the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم entered the privy he would say, "In the name of Allah. O Allah! I seek refuge in you from male (khubuth) and female (khabaa’ith) noxious beings (devils)." (Bukhari & Muslim)

12.  Remembrance before approaching your wives:

Saying:

بسم الله. اللهم جـنـبـنا الشـيـطان ، وجـنـب الشـيـطان ما رزقـتـنا

Narrated Ibn Abbas: The Prophet said, "If anyone of you, when having sexual intercourse with his wife, says: Bismillah, Allahumma jannibni-Sh-Shaitan wa jannib-ish-Shaitan ma razaqtana, and if it is destined that they should have a child, then Satan will never be able to harm him." (Bukhari)