In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate

 

"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"

 

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah

                       As-Salaam Alaykum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakaatuh

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Things which Shaytaan flees from

One of the ways of avoiding falling into riyaa' is to know the things which Shaytaan flees from:

1. When you say: La ilaha illAllaah - wahdahu laa shareeka lahu - lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu - wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadeer. [There is none worthy of worship except Allah alone. He has no partners. To Him belongs the Dominion, to Him belongs all praise and He is capable over all things] a hundred times a day.

The evidence is what has been reported in the Saheeh of al Bukhaari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (radhi Allaahu anhu) that Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) mentioned the above words and then said: "He will receive the reward of setting free ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be written for him and a hundred bad deeds will be erased from him. It will be a sanctuary from Shaytaan for him on that day until he reaches the evening. No one will come with something better except one who increases beyond that".

2. Recitation of Ayaat ul-Kursi when you go to bed.

Abu Hurayrah (radhi Allaahu anhu) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) put him in charge of guarding the zakaah of Ramadan and someone would come and take handfuls from the zakaah for two nights in succession. On the third night, he (Abu Hurayrah) grabbed him and said: "I will take you to Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam)". He (the thief) said: "Leave me alone and I will teach you some words by which Allaah will benefit you". He then said, "When you depart to go to your bed recite aayaat ul-Kursi until you complete it. There wil never cease to be from Allaah a guardian to protect you and Shaytaan will not approach you until you wake up". When he explained this to Allaahs Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam), he said, "He has told you the truth although he is a great liar". (al-Bukhaari).

3. When you spit on your left three times and seek refuge in Allaah from the evil of what you see in a dream.

Abu Salamah bin 'Abdur-Rahman said: "I heard Abu Qataadah ibn Rab'iyy say: "I heard Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) say, "The good dream is from Allaah and the bad dream is from Shaytaan. When one of you sees what he dislikes, let him spit on his left three times when he awakens and let him seek refuge in Allaah from its evil and then it will not harm him"". Abu Salamah said, "I used to see in my dream that which would be more burdensome to me than a mountain and when I heard this hadeeth I considered it as nothing." In another narration he said, "I used to see in my dream which would make me concerned until I heard Abu Qataadah say: "I used to have dreams which would make me ill until I heard Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) say, "The righteous dream is from Allaah. If one of you sees what he loves then let him not inform anyone about it except one whom he loves. And if he sees what he dislikes, let him not inform anyone about it. Let him spit on his left three times and let him seek refuge in Allaah from Shaytaan, the accursed from the evil of what he saw and it will not harm him.""

4. Upon saying, when leaving the house "Bismillah tawakaltu 'ala Allah, la hawla wa la quwata illaa bilLah" [In the Name of Allah, I place my trust upon Alaah, There is no power nor movement except by Allaah].

Anas (radhi Allaahu anhu) reports that Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) said, "Whoever says (when he leaves his house): "In the Name of Allah, I place my trust upon Alaah, There is no power nor movement except by Allaah" it is said to him: "You have been sufficed, you have been protected and you have been guided". Then one of the devils turns to another and says, "How can you get to a man who has been sufficed, protected and guided". (Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, hasan saheeh).

Umm Salamah (radhi Allaahu anhu) said, "Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) never left my house except that he raised his sight to the sky and said, "Allahumma innee a'oodhu bika an adil aw udal, aw azil aw uzal, aw azlima aw uslam, aw ajhal aw yujhal 'aleeyy(O Allaah I seek refuge in you from leading others astray and being led astray, from causing others to slip and being made to slip, from oppressing others or being oppressed and from making others ignorant, and being kept ignorant."" (at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, an-Nasa'ee, Ibn Majah. at-Tirmidhi said "hasan saheeh", al-Albaani agreed with him in al-Kalim ut-Tayyib, no.59).

5. Remembering Allaah the Sublime and Exalted when entering the house and before eating.

Jaabir (radhi Allaahu anhu) said: "I heard the Prophet (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) say: "When a man enters his house and remembers Allaah the Exalted upon entering and before eating, Shaytaan says: "There is no place for you to spend the night and there is no supper for you." When he enters the house and does not remember Allaah, Shaytaan says: "You have found a place to spend the night" and when he does not remember Allaah upon eating his food, Shaytaan says: "You have found a place to stay and some supper"". (Muslim).

6. Saying "A'oodhu bilLahil-'adheem wa bi wajhil-kareemi wa bi sultaanihil-qadeemi min ash-Shaytaani-rajeem" [I seek refuge with Allaah the Mighty, with His Noble Face and with His Eternal Authority from Shaytaan, the Accursed] when entering the mosque.

'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (radhi Allaahu anhu) said, "When the Prophet (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) used to enter the mosque he woul say, "I seek refuge with Allaah the Mighty, with His Noble Face and with His Eternal Authority from Shaytaan, the Accursed". He then said, "When (a man) says this, Shaytaan says: "He has been protected from me for the whole day"". (Abu Dawud, al-Albaani declared it saheeh in Saheeh Abu Dawood, no. 458, and an-Nawawee and Ibn Hajr declared it hasan).

7. Upon pronouncing the adhaan.

This is due to what has been reported from Abu Hurayrah (radhi Allaahu anhu) that Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) said, "When the call to prayer is made, Shaytaan flees on his heels and passes wind with noise during his flight so that he does not hear the adhaan. When the adhaan is completed he comes back. When the iqaamah is pronounced he takes to his heels again until it is completed. Then he returns again and whispers into the heart of the person and says to him: "Remember this and remember that". So the person remembers those things which were not in his mind before the prayer began and as a result, he forgets how much he has prayed". (al-Bukhaari, Muslim).

Pronouncing the adhaan can be done at any time to repel Shaytaan. This is due to what has been reported by Muslim from Abu Saheel bin Abu Saalih who said: "My father sent me to Bani Harithah and there was a young boy with me. Someone called him by his name from a wall, so he went to have a look at the wall but did not see anything. I mentioned that to my father and he said: "If I had known that you would encounter this I would not have sent you. However, when you hear a voice then make the call for prayer since I heard Abu Hurayrah (radhi Allaahu anhu) saying the Prophet (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) said, "When the call for prayer is made, Shaytaan flees".

8. When seeking refuge in Allaah due to the Exalted's saying:

"And when an incitement to evil comes to you from Shaytaan, seek refuge in Allaah. He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing". (41:36)

9. When you say "A'oodhu billah minka, al'anuka bi l'anatillaah" [I seek refuge in Allah from you, I curse you with the curse of Allah] three times during the prayer.

Abu Dardaa' (radhi Allaahu anhu) reports that "Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) stood for prayer and we heard him saying, "I seek refuge in Allaah from you". Then he said, "I curse you with the curse of Allaah" three times. At the same time, he was
stretching out his hand, trying to grab hold of something. When he finished his prayer we said to him: "O Messenger of Allaah! We heard you say something in the prayer which we have never heard from you before and we saw you stretching out your hand". He said, "That was the enemy of Allaah, Iblees. He came with a flame of fire and tried to throw it in my face. I said, "I seek refuge in Allah from you" three times and then (I said), "I curse you with the curse of Allaah" three times and he did not hesitate. Then I desired to capture him. By Allaah! If it had not been for the supplication of our brother (the Prophet) Sulaymaan, he would have been tied up and the children of Madinah would have played about with him"". (Muslim).

In another hadeeth from 'Uthmaan bin Abul-Aas (radhi Allaahu anhu) who said, "I said, "O Messenger of Allaah! Shaytaan comes in between me and my prayer and my recitation, confusing me." He said, "That is a Shaytaan called Khunzub. When you feel his presence, seek refuge in Allaah from him and spit on your left three times." I did as he said and Allaah took that (distraction) away from me." (Muslim)

10. When the servant finds something in his soul that concerns him and says "huwal-awwalu wal-aakhiru wadh-dhaahiru wal-baatinu wa huwa bi kulli shay'in 'aleem" {He is the First and the Last, the Outermost and the Innermost, and He has Knowledge of every single thing.]

Abu Zameel (radhi Allaahu anhu) said, "I said to Ibn 'Abbas (radhi Allaahu anhu), "What is this thing which I find in my soul?" - meaning doubt. He said, "When you find something like that in your soul, then say, "He (Allaah) is the First and the Last, the Outermost and the Innermost and He has knowledge of every single thing."" (Abu Dawood, al-Albaani declared it hasan in al-Kalim ut-Tayyib no.135).

11. When a calamity befalls you and you say "QadrAllahu wa ma sha' Allaahu fa'ala" {Allah has decreed (this) and He does whatever He wills].

Abu Hurayrah (radhi Allaahu anhu) reports that Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) said, "The strong believer is more loved by Allaah than the weak believer, but in both there is good. Be zealous for what will benefit you. Seek help from Allaah the Mighty and Majestic and do not become incapacitated. If something afflicts you, do not say: "If only I had done such and such" but say, "Allaah has decreed (this) and He does whatever He wills". Indeed saying "if.." opens up the doorway of Shaytaan's handiwork." (Muslim)

12. When you say "Bismillah, Allahumma janibna ash-Shaytaan wa janibish-Shaytaana maa razaqtna" {in the Name of Allaah, O Allaah! Make us distant from Shaytaan and make Shaytaan distant from what you bestow upon us".

Ibn 'Abbaas (radhi Allaahu anhu) reports that the Prophet (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) said, "If one of you says, when approaching his wife (for intercourse): "In the Name of Allaah. O Allaah! Make us distant from Shaytaan and make Shaytaan distant from what you bestow upon us" and offspring is decreed for you, Shaytaan will never be able to harm it (i.e. the offspring)". (al-Bukhaari, Muslim).

13. When you say in a state of anger "A'oodhu bilLaahi min ash-Shaytaan ir-Rajeem" {I seek refuge with Allaah from Shaytaan the Accursed}

Sulaymaan bin Sard (radhi Allaahu anhu) said, "I was sitting with Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) and two men were abusing each other. The face of one of them had become red (out of anger) and his veins had become inflated. Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) said, "I know a word which, if he was to say, his anger would leave him. If he said: "I seek refuge in Allaah from Shaytaan the Accursed", his anger would leave him"" (al-Bukhaari, Muslim).

14. Upon saying "bismillah" [in the Name of Allah]

Abul-Maleeh (radhi Allaahu anhu) reports that a man said, "I was behind the Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) and his riding animal stumbled. I said, "May Shaytaan perish", and he said, "Do not say, "May Shaytaan perish". If you say that he will grow in sixe until he becomes the size of a house and says, "By my strength". Instead say, "In the Name of Allaah". When you say that, he reduces in size until he is like a fly." (Abu Dawood, saheeh isnad).

15. When you supplicate for blessings for something which wins your admiration.

Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) said, "When one of you sees something in his self or in his possessions which amazes him (or wins his admiration) he should invoke blessings upon it as the (evil) eye is indeed true and real".

16. When you recite the M'uwadhdhataan [Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Naas].

Abu Sa'eed (radhi Allaahu anhu) said, "Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) used to seek refuge from the jinn and from the effects of the (evil) of men until the m'uwwadhdhataan were revealed. When they were revealed he clung to them and abandoned what was besides them." (at-Tirmidhi, hasan; an-Nasa'ee and Ibn Maajah - saheeh).

17. When you make the prostration of recitation.

Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) said, "When you read a verse of prostration then prostrate, Shaytaan departs crying and says: "Woe be to him. He was ordered with prostration and he prostrated - so for him is Paradise. I was ordered with prostration and I refused - so for me is the Fire." (Muslim, Ahmad and Ibn Maajah).

18. When you recite Surah al-Baqarah.

Abu Hurayrah (radhi Allaahu anhu) reports that Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) said, "Do not turn your houses into graves. Indeed Shaytaan flees from a house in which Surah al-Baqarah is recited." (Muslim).

19. When reciting the Qur'aan.

The Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) went out one night and passed by Abu Bakr (radhi Allaahu anhu) who was praying with a lowered voice. Then he passed by 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (radhi Allaahu anhu) who was praying with a raised voice When they came together with the Prophet (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam), he said, "O Abu Bakr! I passed by you while you were praying with a lowered voice." Abu Bakr (radhi Allaahu anhu) said, "I made the one with whom I was conversing with (i.e Allaah) hear it, O Messenger of Allaah." He then said to 'Umar (radhi Allaahu anhu), "I passed by you while you were praying with a raised voice". 'Umar (radhi Allaahu anhu) said, "O Messenger of Allaah! I was incitng those who were asleep and driving away the Shaytaan." The Prophet (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) then said, "O Abu Bakr! Raise your voice somewhat" and he said to 'Umar, "lower your voice somewhat". (Abu Dawood, al Haakim, who declared it saheeh as did adh-Dhahabi).

20. When you move the finger during the prayer.

It is established that Allaah's Messenger (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) used to move his finger, supplicating with it (Abu Dawood, an-Nasaa'i, Ibn al-Jaarud in al-Muntaqa and others) and the Messenger of Allaah said, "It is more powerful against the Shaytaan than iron" - meaning the forefinger. (Ahmad and others).

Imaam Ahmad was asked, "Should a man point with his finger in the prayer?" He replied, "Yes, vigorously". (Ibn Haani mentioned it in Masaa'il of Imaam Ahmad).

 

Source : http://abdurrahman.org/character/ikhlas.html#9

Husayn al-Awaa'ishah - Based on Sh. Husayn al-Awaayishah's "Book of Sincerity"

Subhanak Allaahuma wa bihamdika ash-hadu anlaa illaaha illa anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk.
If I said anything correct, then it is from Allaah (subhanahu wa taa'ala), and if I erred, then that is from me and shaytan.

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