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Istiʿadhah billah
Istiʿadhah 1
✨ أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ.
Translation :
I seek protection in Allah from the rejected Shayṭān.
Transliteration :
Aʿūdhu bi-llāhi mina-sh-Shayṭāni-r-rajīm.
Allah says: "When you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from rejected Shayṭān." (16:98)
أَعُوْذُ: I take refuge, safeguard myself, take precaution, and I am careful. عاذَ means to flee from that which you fear will harm you to that which will protect you from it.
Istiʿādhah (seeking protection) is essentially an act of the heart. When seeking protection with Allah, you are: (1) throwing yourself in front of Him, displaying your need of Him, and (2) submitting and humbling yourself in front of Him.
Istiʿādhah also acts as an acknowledgement of Allah’s ultimate power, and the human being’s weakness and inability to combat the unseen enemy, Shayṭān.
Ṣalāh is the Shayṭān's battlefield. No other situation enrages and annoys Shayṭān more than ṣalāh. First, Shayṭān will try to make you miss your ṣalāh. If he fails, he will try to make you delay it as much as possible. Again, if he fails, he will try to dissuade you from your sunnah and nafl prayers. If he still fails to deter you, he will come to you in your ṣalāh and try to ruin it with his constant whispers.
Be vigilant and constantly guard your ṣalāh, for Shayṭān is a thief who wants to ‘steal’ from your ṣalāh until you have nothing left in it. Shayṭān is an evil enemy. His invisibility makes him even more deadly. Because we cannot see him, we forget about him. In an increasingly material world, when we have a problem, we tend to look for physical causes. It would not be considered ‘intellectual’ or ‘scientific’ to blame Shayṭān and his cronies.
Although he is not always the culprit, Shayṭan is constantly inflicting his evil on the children of Ādam. He comes and goes. He is described in the Qur’ān as ‘khannās’: the one who retreats and comes back. He always lurks about to inflict maximum damage wherever possible.
Reflecting (tadabbur) on the Qur’ān gives life to the heart, and is the secret of worldly and heavenly bliss. Shayṭān however will try his best to prevent this and be a barrier between you and the Qur’ān.
Shayṭān rages with envy. The angels prostrated to Ādam in obedience to Allah’s command, whilst he refused and was thrown out of Paradise. Up until today, he tries his utmost to prevent the sons of Ādam from prostrating. When you understand his envy and his tenacity in pursuing you, remember that you cannot defeat him by yourself: you need his and your Master, Allah (ʿazza wa jall), on your side.
It is for this reason that Ibn Taymiyyah (raḥimahullāh) once told his student, Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh), “If a shepherd-dog attacks you, don’t bother fighting him back. Instead seek the help of the shepherd because he will push the dog away from you and will protect you from him.” Thus, the protection of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) - the All-Powerful (alQawiyy), the Guardian (al-Ḥafīẓ) - is our most effective weapon to defeat Shayṭān.
Istiʿadhah 2
✨ أَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰهِ السَّمِيْعِ الْعَلِيْمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ، مِنْ هَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِهِ.
Translation :
I seek protection in Allah, the All-Hearing and All-Knowing from the rejected Shaytān; from him inciting madness, pride and reprehensible poetry.
Transliteration :
Aʿūdhu bi-llāhi-s-Samīʿi-l-ʿAlīm mina-sh-Shayṭāni-r-rajīm, min hamzihī wa nafkhihī wa nafthih.
Abū Sa’īd al-Khudrī (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ got up to pray at night (for tahajjud prayer) he uttered the takbīr and then said:
سُبْحَانَكَ اَللّٰهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ ، وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ ، وَتَعَالَىٰ جَدُّكَ ، وَلاَ إِلٰهَ غَيْرُكَ (How Perfect are You O Allah, and all praise is Yours. Your Name is most blessed, Your majesty is exalted and there is no god worthy of worship except You.).
He then said: لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ (There is no god but Allah) three times.
He then said: اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا (Allah is altogether great) three times. He then said [the above]. (Aḥmad 11260)
أَعُوْذُ: I take refuge, safeguard myself, take precaution, and I am careful. عاذَ means to flee from that which you fear will harm you to that which will protect you from it.
Istiʿādhah (seeking protection) is essentially an act of the heart. When seeking protection with Allah, you are: (1) throwing yourself in front of Him, displaying your need of Him, and (2) submitting and humbling yourself in front of Him.
Istiʿādhah also acts as an acknowledgement of Allah’s ultimate power, and the human being’s weakness and inability to combat the unseen enemy, Shayṭān.
Ṣalāh is the Shayṭān's battlefield. No other situation enrages and annoys Shayṭān more than ṣalāh. First, Shayṭān will try to make you miss your ṣalāh. If he fails, he will try to make you delay it as much as possible. Again, if he fails, he will try to dissuade you from your sunnah and nafl prayers. If he still fails to deter you, he will come to you in your ṣalāh and try to ruin it with his constant whispers.
Be vigilant and constantly guard your ṣalāh, for Shayṭān is a thief who wants to ‘steal’ from your ṣalāh until you have nothing left in it. Shayṭān is an evil enemy. His invisibility makes him even more deadly. Because we cannot see him, we forget about him. In an increasingly material world, when we have a problem, we tend to look for physical causes. It would not be considered ‘intellectual’ or ‘scientific’ to blame Shayṭān and his cronies. Although he is not always the culprit, Shayṭan is constantly inflicting his evil on the children of Ādam. He comes and goes. He is described in the Qur’ān as ‘khannās’: the one who retreats and comes back. He always lurks about to inflict maximum damage wherever possible.
Reflecting (tadabbur) on the Qur’ān gives life to the heart, and is the secret of worldly and heavenly bliss. Shayṭān however will try his best to prevent this and be a barrier between you and the Qur’ān.
Shayṭān rages with envy. The angels prostrated to Ādam in obedience to Allah’s command, whilst he refused and was thrown out of Paradise. Up until today, he tries his utmost to prevent the sons of Ādam from prostrating. When you understand his envy and his tenacity in pursuing you, remember that you cannot defeat him by yourself: you need his and your Master, Allah (ʿazza wa jall), on your side.
It is for this reason that Ibn Taymiyyah (raḥimahullāh) once told his student, Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh), “If a shepherd-dog attacks you, don’t bother fighting him back. Instead seek the help of the shepherd because he will push the dog away from you and will protect you from him.” Thus, the protection of Allah (ʿazza wa jall) - the All-Powerful (alQawiyy), the Guardian (al-Ḥafīẓ) - is our most effective weapon to defeat Shayṭān.
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