بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Three narrations govern the two most repeated transitions of a Muslim's day — stepping outside and stepping back in. Two are said when leaving, and reflect different but complementary concerns: trust in Allah's ﷻ decree, and protection from misguidance and injustice, whether committed against you or by you. The third, said upon returning, comes with an explicit Prophetic promise regarding the shaytan.
Leaving the Home (1): Trust and Reliance
Arabic: بِسْمِ اللهِ، تَوَكَّلتُ عَلى اللهِ وَلا حَوْلَ وَلا قوَّةَ إِلاّ بِالله
Transliteration: Bismillāhi, tawakkaltu 'alallāhi, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh
Translation: "In the Name of Allah, I have placed my trust in Allah, there is no might and no power except by Allah."
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 16; Sunan Abu Dawud 4/325; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 5/490; graded authentic by Al-Albani, Sahih at-Tirmidhi 3/151.
The fuller hadith text attached to this narration reports that when a person says this upon leaving home, it is said to them (by an angel): "You are guided, defended, and protected" — and the shaytan turns away from them. Ibn al-Qayyim highlights this dua in his discussion of tawakkul (reliance on Allah), noting that it combines three distinct elements in one breath: invoking Allah's Name, declaring reliance on Him, and disclaiming one's own power — a compact theological statement rather than a simple request.
Leaving the Home (2): Comprehensive Protection
Arabic: اللّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَضِلَّ أَوْ أُضَل، أَوْ أَزِلَّ أَوْ أُزَل، أَوْ أَظْلِمَ أَوْ أُظْلَم، أَوْ أَجْهَلَ أَوْ يُجْهَلَ عَلَيّ
Transliteration: Allāhumma 'innī 'a'ūdhu bika 'an 'aḍilla, 'aw 'uḍalla, 'aw 'azilla, 'aw 'uzalla, 'aw 'aẓlima, 'aw 'uẓlama, 'aw 'ajhala 'aw yujhala 'alayya
Translation: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You lest I misguide others or I am misguided, lest I cause others to err or I am caused to err, lest I abuse others or be abused, and lest I behave foolishly or meet with the foolishness of others."
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 17; narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan an-Nasa'i, and Jami' at-Tirmidhi; graded authentic by Al-Albani, Sahih at-Tirmidhi 3/152.
What distinguishes this dua structurally is its symmetry: each of the four pairs covers both directions of a potential harm — being the source of it, and being its recipient. This reflects a mature theological outlook, recognizing that a believer stepping into the world is as capable of wronging others as of being wronged, and asks for protection on both fronts simultaneously.
Entering the Home: A Named Promise Regarding Shaytan
Arabic: بِسْمِ اللهِ وَلَجْنا، وَبِسْمِ اللهِ خَرَجْنا، وَعَلى رَبِّنا تَوَكَّلنا
Transliteration: Bismillāhi walajnā, wa bismillāhi kharajnā, wa 'alā Rabbinā tawakkalnā
Translation: "In the Name of Allah we enter, in the Name of Allah we leave, and upon our Lord we depend." (Then greet those present with As-Salamu 'Alaykum.)
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 18; Sunan Abu Dawud 4/325; Sahih Muslim, Hadith no. 2018.
This narration, recorded in Sahih Muslim, carries a specific reported outcome: the shaytan, upon hearing a person mention Allah's Name while entering their home, is said to tell his companions there is no lodging and no dinner for them there. If the person does not mention Allah's Name upon entering, the shaytan announces he has found lodging; if they also do not mention Allah's Name over their food, dinner as well. This makes the dua not simply a formality but part of a Prophetic teaching on how remembrance (or its absence) shapes what is granted access into the home.
Reading These Three Together
The sequence — trust while leaving, comprehensive protection while leaving, and the promise of the shaytan finding no place upon returning — forms a coherent picture: the home is meant to be a space actively defended by remembrance at both its threshold and its return, not simply a physical structure assumed to be safe by default.
Reflection: These narrations situate the home as a spiritual space requiring maintenance through dhikr, no different in principle from personal purity or prayer — its protection is not passive but earned through consistent remembrance.
References cited: Hisn al-Muslim 16, 17, 18; Sunan Abu Dawud 4/325; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2018; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 5/490; Sunan Ibn Majah; Sunan an-Nasa'i; Al-Albani, Sahih at-Tirmidhi.
Written by Fahmina Jawed (Aafiya).
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