In The Name Of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful
"And say, My Lord I seek refuge in You from the whisperings of the shayaateen. And I seek refuge in You My Lord lest they come near. "(Quran 23:97-98)
Have you ever felt an unsettling presence in your home as though something is watching you? Or your family has been arguing way too much for no apparent reason? Many times such strange feelings are due to the presence of Jinn, watching us and living amongst us in the unseen world around us.
Last month we discussed how the Jinn seek to enter our homes upon errands delegated by Iblees. We also mentioned how Allah has bestowed knowledge to the believers so that we can prevent their entry by locking our doors while saying Bismillah.
However what about the Jinn that have already entered our homes? For it is one thing to prevent entry to those outside but another thing to expel those residing within.
Abdullah bin Mas’ood said, ‘Shaytaan flees from the house wherein Surat Al Baqarah is recited.’ (sunan of nasaa’ee; mustadrak of haakim)
Abdullah bin Mas’ood said, ‘Shaytaan departs the house where Surat Al Baqarah is being recited, and as he leaves he passes wind.’ (musnaad of daarimi)
One of the ways to expel the shayateen from our homes is to recite Surat Al Baqarah, for its recitation results in Jinn fleeing for their lives. Those who frequently recite this Surah in their homes notice the difference in the way their homes feel, with the presence of peace and sakeenah and the absence of uneasy presence and heaviness.
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Do not turn your houses into graves. Verily shaytaan does not enter the house where Surat Al Baqarah is recited.’ (saheeh of muslim)
Once expelled the shayaateen will not able to re-enter however much they strive. Disgraced and expelled, they remain outside unable to enter the fortress of the believer.
Sahl bin Sa’d said that the messenger of Allah(peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Whoever recites Al Baqarah at night in his house, then shaytaan will not enter that house for three nights. Whoever recites it during the day in his house, then shaytaan will not enter that house for three days.’ (saheeh of ibn hibbaan)
The above hadeeth of Sahl bin Sa’d, recorded in the saheeh of ibn hibbaan, clarifies the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah recorded in the saheeh of muslim in terms of duration of expulsion, defining it to be three days or three nights for those houses in which Surat Al Baqarah is recited.
Abu Hurairah said, “Allah’s Messenger(peace and blessings be upon him) assigned me to keep watch over the sadaqah of Ramadaan. A person snuck in and started taking handfuls of foodstuff. I caught him and said, ‘By Allah I will take you to Allah’s Messenger.’ He said, ‘Release me for I am meek and have many dependents and am in great need.’ I released him and in the morning Allah’s Messenger(peace and blessings be upon him) asked me, ‘What did your prisoner do yesterday O Abu Hurairah?’ I said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! He complained of being needy and of having many dependents, so I had pity on him and let him go.’ Allah’s Messenger(peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Indeed, he told you a lie and will return.’
I believed that he would show up again for Allah’s Messenger(peace and blessings be upon him) had told me that he would return. So I watched for him. When he started stealing handfuls of foodstuff I caught hold of him again and said, ‘I will definitely take you to Allah’s Messenger.’ He said, ‘Leave me, for I am very needy and have many dependents. I promise I will not come back again.’ I had pity on him and let him go. In the morning Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me, ‘What did your prisoner do last night, O Abu Hurairah?’ I replied, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! He complained of his great need and of too many dependents, so I took pity on him and set him free.’ Allah’s Messenger(peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Verily, he told you a lie; he will return.’
I waited for him attentively for the third time, and when he started stealing handfuls of the foodstuff I caught hold of him and said, ‘I will surely take you to Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) as it is the third time you promised not to return, yet you returned.’ He said, ‘Let me teach you some words with which Allah will give you benefit’ I asked, ‘What are they?’ He replied, ‘Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat Al Kursi til you finish the whole verse. Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no shaytaan will come near you until morning.’ So, I released him.
In the morning, Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, ‘What did your prisoner do yesterday?’ I replied, ‘O Allah’s Messenger! He claimed that he would teach me some words by which Allah will grant me some benefit, so I let him go.’ Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, ‘What are they?’ I replied, ‘He said to me, whenever you go to bed recite Ayat Al Kursi from the beginning to the end. He further said to me, Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no shaytaan will come near you until morning.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘He spoke the truth although he is a liar. Do you know whom you were talking to these three nights, O Abu Hurayrah?’ Abu Hurayrah said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘It was Shaytaan.’†(saheeh of bukhaari)
Furthermore if one is unable to recite the whole of Surat Al Baqarah, then recitation of Ayat Al Kursi in Surat Al Baqarah will suffice. When the believer recites this verse Allah sends down a guard who stays with the believer til the morning.
Abu Mas’ood narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Whoever recites the last two Verses in Surat Al Baqarah at night, they will suffice him. (saheeh of bukhaari; saheeh of muslim)
In addition reciting the last two verses of Surat Al Baqarah are also prescribed means for seeking refuge in Allah from the shayaateen. The above ahaadeeth provide sufficient evidence for the legitimacy of this practice.
Uqbah bin Amr narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Verily the people do not seek protection with anything like these two: Qul Aoo’thu Bi-Rabbil Falaq, and Qul Aoo’thu Bi-Rabbin Naas (sunan of nasaa’ee/ declared saheeh by albaani)
However the best way to seek refuge in Allah from the shayaateen is to recite the last two surahs of the Quran, (Surat Al Falaq and Surat An Naas). This is why these surahs are specifically referred to as Al Mu’awwathatayn (Mu-‘aw-wa-tha-tayn), describing their attribute of being used for the purposes of seeking refuge in Allah.
And it should be clear to all that when we recite these various verses of The Quran, we are seeking refuge in The beloved Words of Allah, The All Glorious, The Most High. And in this manner we are seeking refuge in Allah alone, for The Quran is His Speech and His spoken Words.
"So when you recite The Quran seek refuge in Allah from shaytaan the outcast. Verily he has no power over those who believe and put their Trust in their Lord." (Quran 16:98-99)
In closing I would like to remind us that Allah has linked ‘seeking refuge in Him’ with ‘having Emaan and Tawakkul in Him.’ This is an extremely important point which cannot be overemphasized for the mere action of reciting the above verses as an action of the tongue is not what is intended. Rather the verses need to be recited with Emaan and Tawwakul in Allah, as an action of the heart. So the believer recites them with full belief that Allah is Hearing their recitation, and full trust that Allah will respond by offering His protection. Truly Allah will suffice the believers so let us place full trust, reliance and dependence in Him.
Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind,
The King of mankind,
From the evil of the whisperer who withdraws,
Who whispers in the breasts of mankind.
Of jinn and men."
Surat An Nas
