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Foiling the Devils Plots: A Prayer for Protection

First Narration
It was related on the authority of Aboo at-Tayyaah who said that a man asked Abdur-
Rahmaan ibn Khanbash ( ): How did Allaahs Messenger ( ) act [on the
night] the devils (shayaateen) plotted to harm him? He said: The devils (shayaateen)
came to Allaahs Messenger ( ) from the valleys and descended upon him from
the mountains and among them was a devil who had a flame of fire in his hand intending
to burn Allaahs Messenger ( ) with it. Allaahs Messenger ( ) became
frightened. So Jibreel ( ) came to him and said: O Muhammad, recite! Allaahs
Messenger ( ) said: What should I recite? Jibreel ( ) said: Recite:
Aoodhu bi-Kalimaatillaahit-taaam-maatil-latee laa yujaawizu hunna barrun-wa laa
faajirun min sharri maa khalaqa, wa bara-a wa dhara-a, wa min sharri maa yanzilu
minas-samaai, wa min sharri maa yaruju fee-haa, wa min sharri maa dhara-a fil-
ardi, wa min sharri maa yakhruju minhaa, wa min sharri fitanil-layli wan-nahaari, wa
min sharri kulli taariqin illaa taariqan yatruqu bi-khayrin, yaa Rahmaan.
(I seek refuge with Allaahs Complete [and Perfect] Words which no person, righteous
or unrighteous, can outstrip, from the evil of what He created, and of what He created,
scattered and spread, and from the evil of what descends from the heavens, and from
the evil of what ascends to it, and from the evil of what He scattered and spread in the
earth, and from the evil of what emerges [sprouts] from it, and from the evil trials of
the night and day, and from the evil of every visitor [during the night and the day],
except the visitor who comes with good, O Most Merciful.)
He [Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Khanbash ( )] said: The fire of the devils was
extinguished and Allaah routed them.

The hadeeth was collected by Ahmad (3/419) with two chains of transmitters, Aboo
Yalaa (no. 6844), al-Bayhaqee in al-Asmaa wa as-Sifaat and in Dalaail an-
Nubuwwah (7/95), Ibn Abee Shaybah in al-Musannaf (nos. 23601, 29618, 29622 &
36938), Ibn as-Sunnee no. 637, at-Tahaawee in al-Aqeedah at-Tahaweeyah, p. 133 (al-
Arnaoot ed.) and Aboo Nuaym al-Asbahaanee in Dalaail an-Nubuwwah. Al-
Mundhiree said that it was related by Ahmad and Aboo Yalaa and both have dependable
chains of transmission, and that it was also related by Maalik from Yahyaa ibn Saeed in
Mursal form and by an-Nasaaee from the hadeeth of Ibn Masood. (al-Mundhiree, at-
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Targheeb wat-Tarheeb, vol. 2, pp. 297-98, no. 2492.) The hadeeth transmitted through
the chain of Sayyaar ibn Haatim from Jafar ibn Sulaymaan was authenticated (Saheeh)
by al-Albaanee in Saheeh al-Jaami as-Sagheer, no. 74, Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth as-
Saheehah, no. 840 and Sharh al-Aqeedah at-Tahaweeyah [191]. Al-Arnaoot also
graded its chain authentic in his checking of al-Aqeedah at-Tahaweeyah, p. 133. It was
also authenticated (Saheeh) by Husayn Saleem Asad in his Taleeq of Musnad Aboo
Yalaa. Al-Haythamee said in Majma az-Zawaaid (10/127): It was collected by
Ahmad, Aboo Yalaa and at-Tabaraanee . . . and the transmitters in one of the two chains
of transmission of Ahmad, that of Aboo Yalaa and part of the chains of transmission of
at-Tabaraanee are men of as-Saheeh. Shaykh Shuayb al-Arnaoot said in his Taleeq
of Musnad Ahmad: Its Isnaad is weak (daeef). Al-Albaanee in Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth
as-Saheehah, no. 2995 graded the chain of transmission through Sayyaar ibn Haatim
from Jafar ibn Sulaymaan as Hasan and said concerning the second chain through
Jafar ibn Sulaymaan from Aboo at-Tayyaah that it is Saheeh if not for the statement
of Abee at-Tayyaah in it, that a man asked Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Khanbash . . . for this
picture in my own criticism is a portrait of [it being] Mursal (having an omission at the
end of the Isnaad) contrary to the statement of Sayyaar which is Muttasil (connected).

















Second Narration
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There is another narration in which the Prophet ( ) taught Khaalid ibn al-Waleed
( ) to recite the prayer after he complained to the Prophet ( ) of fright and
loneliness and the Prophet ( ) told him, Shall I not teach you some words that
the trustworthy spirit Jibreel ( ) taught me? And in another narration, the Prophet
( ) told him, Shall I not teach you some words that Jibreel ( ) taught me
and said that an Ifreet from among the Jinns was plotting to harm me? He said:
Aoodhu bi-Kalimaatillaahit-taaam-maatil-latee laa yujaawizu hunna barrun-wa laa
faajirun min sharri maa yanzilu minas-samaai wa maa yaruju fee-haa, wa min
sharri maa dhara-a fil-ardi wa maa yakhruju minhaa, wa min sharri fitanil-layli wan-
nahaari, wa min sharri tawaariqil-layli wan-nahaari illaa taariqan yatruqu bi-khayrin,
yaa Rahmaan.
(I seek refuge with the Complete [and Perfect] Words of Allaah which no person,
righteous or unrighteous, can outstrip, from the evil of what descends from the
heavens and what ascends to it, and from the evil of what He scattered and spread in
the earth, and of what emerges [sprouts] from it, and from the evil trials of the night
and day, and from the evil of the visitors by night and by day, except the visitor who
comes with good, O Most Merciful.)

The hadeeth was collected by at-Tabaraanee in al-Kabeer (4/114/3838), in al-Awsat
(5/315/5415) and in ad-Duaa (2/1307/1083), Abdur-Razzaaq in al-Musannaf (no.
19381), al-Bayhaqee in Shuab al-Eemaan (4/175/4710) and in Dalaail an-
Nubuwwah (7/96), Ibn Abee Aasim in as-Sunnah and Mamar ibn Raashid in al-
Jaami. It was authenticated Hasan by al-Albaanee in Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth as-
Saheehah, no. 2738.
Al-Haythamee said in Majma az-Zawaaid (10/126): It was collected by at-Tabaraanee
in al-Awsat and in it is Zakariyaa ibn Yahyaa ibn Ayyoob ad-Dareer al-Madaainee and
I do not know him and the rest of the narrators are trustworthy. As for the other
narration collected by at-Tabaraanee in ad-Duaa, al-Haythamee said: It was
collected by at-Tabaraanee and in it is al-Musayyib ibn Waadih: He has been held
reliable by a number of [scholars] and a host of others declared him to be weak, and
likewise is al-Hasan ibn Alee al-Mamaree, and the rest of the narrators are men of as-
Saheeh.

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Third Narration
There is another supporting narration from Abdullaah ibn Masood ( ) who said: I
was with the Prophet ( ) on the night a party of the Jinns were sent towards him.
A man from among the Jinns came with a flame of fire towards the Messenger of Allaah
( ). Thereupon, Jibreel ( ) said: O Muhammad, Shall I not teach you some
words which when you say them, his flame will be extinguished and his nose will be
overturned. Say:
Aoodhu bi-wajhillaahil-Kareem wa bi-Kalimaatillaahit-taaam-maatil-latee laa
yujaawizu hunna barrun-wa laa faajirun min sharri maa yanzilu minas-samaai wa
maa yaruju fee-haa, wa min sharri maa dhara-a fil-ardi wa maa yakhruju minhaa, wa
min sharri fitanil-layli wan-nahaari, wa min sharri tawaariqil-layli wan-nahaari illaa
taariqan yatruqu bi-khayrin, yaa Rahmaan.
(I seek refuge with the Noble Face of Allaah and with the Complete [and Perfect]
Words of Allaah which no person, righteous or unrighteous, can outstrip, from the evil
of what descends from the heavens and what ascends to it, and from the evil of what
He scattered and spread in the earth, and of what emerges [sprouts] from it, and from
the evil trials of the night and day, and from the evil of the visitors by night and by day,
except the visitor who comes with good, O Most Merciful.)

It was collected by at-Tabaraanee in al-Awsat (1/18/43) and in ad-Duaa
(2/1293/1058), an-Nasaaee in Sunan al-Kubraa (no. 10792), Maalik in al-Muwatta
in Mursal form, al-Bayhaqee in al-Asmaa wa as-Sifaat and Aboo Nuaym al-
Asbahaanee in Dalaail an-Nubuwwah.
Al-Haythamee said in Majma az-Zawaaid (10/127): It was collected by at-Tabaraanee
in as-Sagheer and in it are those that I do not know. Al-Albaanee also noted in Silsilah
al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah, no. 2995 where he used it as a supporting narration that in the
Isnaad is Ibraaheem ibn Taarif who is unknown (majhool).