Seeking Refuge before reciting the Qur'an
Allah said,
[فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ
الْقُرْءَانَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَـنِ الرَّجِيمِ ]
(So when you [want to] recite the Qur'an, seek refuge with Allah from
Shaytan, the outcast (the cursed one).) meaning, before you recite the Qur'an.
Similarly, Allah said,
[إِذَا قُمْتُمْ
إِلَى الصَّلوةِ فاغْسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ]
(When you intend to offer As-Salah (the prayer), wash your faces and your
hands (forearms)) (5:6) meaning, before you stand in prayer, as evident by the
Hadiths that we mentioned. Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said,
"When the Messenger of Allah would stand up in prayer at night, he would start
his prayer with the Takbir (saying "Allahu Akbar''; Allah is Greater) and would
then supplicate,
«سُبْحَانَكَ
اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ، وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ، وَتَعَالَى جَدُّكَ، وَلَا إِلَهَ
غَيْرُكَ»
(All praise is due to You, O Allah, and also the thanks. Blessed be Your
Name, Exalted be Your sovereignty, and there is no deity worthy of worship
except You.)
He would then say thrice,
«لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا
اللهُ»
ثَلَاثًا
(There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,).
He would then say,
«أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ
السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ مِنْ هَمْزَهِ وَنَفْخِهِ
وَنَفْثِهِ»
(I seek refuge with Allah, the Hearing, the Knowing, from the cursed Satan,
from his coercion, lures to arrogance and poems.).''
The four collectors of the Sunan recorded this Hadith, which At-Tirmidhi
considered the most famous Hadith on this subject.
Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah recorded that Jubayr bin Mut`im said that his father
said, "When the Messenger of Allah started the prayer, he said,
«اللهُ أَكْبَرُ
كَبِيرًا ثَلَاثًا الْحَمْدُ للهِ كَثِيرًا ثَلَاثًا سُبْحَانَ اللهِ بُكْرَةً
وَأَصِيلًا ثَلَاثًا اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
مِنْ هَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِهِ»
(Allah is the Greater, truly the Greatest (thrice); all praise is due to
Allah always (thrice); and all praise is due to Allah day and night (thrice). O
Allah! I seek refuge with You from the cursed Satan, from his Hamz, Nafkh and
Nafth.).'' `Amr said, "The Hamz means asphyxiation, the Nafkh means arrogance,
and the Nafth means poetry.'' Also, Ibn Majah recorded that `Ali bin Al-Mundhir
said that Ibn Fudayl narrated that `Ata' bin As-Sa'ib said that Abu
`Abdur-Rahman As-Sulami said that Ibn Mas`ud said that the Prophet said,
«اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي
أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّيطَانِ الرَجِيمِ وَهَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِهِ»
(O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the cursed devil, from his Hamz, Nafkh
and Nafth.)
He said, "The Hamz means death, the Nafkh means arrogance, and the Nafth
means poetry.''