1.1 Al-Fātiḥah — The Importance of Reciting the Taʿawwudh before Reading the Qurʾān

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

All praise is due to Allah, the Most High and Most Glorious, and endless blessings be upon our Seal of the Prophets, Muḥammad ﷺ. May Allah be pleased with all of his noble Companions.

Today we will reflect upon an important topic: the significance of reciting the Taʿawwudh before reading the Noble Qurʾān.

In the Qurʾān, there are six verses that emphasize the importance of seeking Allah’s protection from the accursed shayṭān. We know that Allah commands us to seek refuge in Him from the harm of the devil who has been expelled from His mercy. That is the essential meaning of this supplication. Since the Qurʾān is recited in Arabic, every student of recitation learns to say:

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم Aʿūdhu billāhi mina al-shayṭāni al-rajīm — “I seek refuge in Allah, the Most High and Glorious, from the accursed shayṭān.”

Before analyzing in detail why this Taʿawwudh is essential before reciting the Qurʾān, let us first review the six verses in which Allah instructs us to seek His protection from the shayṭān.

1. From Sūrat Āl ʿImrān (3:36)

{فَلَمَّا وَضَعَتْهَا قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَضَعْتُهَا أُنثَى وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنثَى وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ}

“When she delivered her child, she said, ‘My Lord, I have given birth to a girl.’ Allah knew best what she had delivered, and the male is not like the female. ‘I have named her Maryam, and I seek Your protection for her and her descendants from the accursed shayṭān.’” (Āl ʿImrān 3:36)

This verse teaches us that we too should supplicate for our children and descendants — asking our Lord to protect them from the harm of the expelled devil.

2. From Sūrat al-Aʿrāf (7:199–200)

{خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ}

“Show forgiveness, enjoin what is right, and turn away from the ignorant.” (7:199)

{وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ}

“And if an incitement from the shayṭān should prompt you, then seek refuge with Allah; indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” (7:200)

The devil provokes anger, prevents forgiveness, discourages admonition, and even manipulates the ignorant to mock others. When confronted by such situations, we must turn to our Lord and seek His protection from these satanic impulses.

3–4. From Sūrat al-Muʾminūn (23:97–98)

{وَقُل رَّبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ}

“And say, ‘My Lord! I seek refuge in You from the whisperings of the devils.’” (23:97)

{وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَن يَحْضُرُونِ}

“And I seek refuge in You, my Lord, from their presence around me.” (23:98)

Many verses describe how the shayṭān tempts people toward indecency, injustice, and every act that displeases Allah. Our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ taught us to supplicate, saying:

“I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the accursed shayṭān — from his whisperings, his arrogance, and his temptation.”

These verses also show that we must seek protection not only from his whisperings but from his very nearness — his interference in all aspects of daily life. The Prophet ﷺ would say the Taʿawwudh before eating, marital relations, or slaughtering an animal.

In the Sunan Abī Dāwūd, it is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ prayed for protection from the shayṭān’s disturbance at the time of death — for if one were to die while the devil distracts him and prevents him from uttering the two testimonies, how dreadful that would be! Our Prophet ﷺ himself sought such protection, so how much more should we remember and emulate him.

5. From Sūrat Fuṣṣilat (41:36)

{وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ}

“And if the shayṭān incites you, then seek refuge with Allah; indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” (41:36)

We all know the visible enemies among humankind — people who openly oppose us. But the jinn-devil is unseen: he perceives us while we cannot perceive him. What can we do but seek protection from the All-Hearing and All-Knowing Lord?

The shayṭān from among the jinn is a clear enemy to mankind — he strives in every way to disturb, discourage, and deceive, driving people away from righteousness. That is why our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ taught us to supplicate, saying:

“I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the accursed shayṭān — from his whisperings, his arrogance, and his pollution.”

Only our Lord can shield us from this unseen enemy, for with His protection, the jinn-devil’s schemes are rendered powerless.

6. From Sūrat al-Naḥl (16:98)

{فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ}

“So when you recite the Qurʾān, seek refuge with Allah from the accursed shayṭān.” (16:98)

When explaining the recitation of the Taʿawwudh before reading the Qurʾān, scholars state that its purpose is to prevent the reciter from becoming confused during recitation or reading thoughtlessly without reflection. To better and more concretely understand the verses, let us carefully examine the nature of the jinn and the shayṭān.

The Qurʾān mentions six times the supplication to seek the Lord’s protection from the temptations, disturbances, instigations, enticements, and direct harms of the shayṭān. These six mentions are not coincidental. The Qurʾān guides us to the straight path, to true faith (īmān), and to the perfection of worshiping our Lord without associating any partner with Him — so that our acts of worship may be accepted by Him.

The true harm that the shayṭān inflicts upon humankind is not limited to this worldly life; it also threatens our eternal happiness in the Hereafter. A person who lacks belief in the six articles of faith cannot attain everlasting felicity. Even if one outwardly performs the five pillars of Islam, if the two testimonies (shahādatayn) are separated, two of the greatest acts of worship become incomplete. Therefore, what the shayṭān truly corrupts is our faith and our religion.

The word al-Shayṭān (الشيطان) appears eighty-eight times in the Qurʾān. Those who study the numerical mysteries of the Qurʾān know that the angels are also mentioned eighty-eight times — this is not accidental. To understand the harm of the shayṭān upon humankind, one must grasp the meaning behind this number, eighty-eight.

Allah, the Exalted and Most Great, created humanity — and humankind does not exist in isolation. Human beings relate to the many worlds, all bound by cause and effect. For example, the worlds consist of three main categories:

the material world (wind, fire, water, earth, magnetic fields, electricity — the non-living realm),
the plant world, and
the animal world.

Human beings have reciprocal relationships with all three. Since mankind was created to be Allah’s vicegerent (khalīfah) upon the earth, there is also a relationship of accountability between humans and the spiritual realms — such as the worlds of the jinn, the angels, and other celestial beings. When man was created, our Lord commanded the angels — and among them the jinn — to prostrate to the human being. This indicates that the human being’s noble station is maintained only through righteousness and remains bound by moral responsibility toward the rest of creation.

Humankind also bears accountability to the Lord. If one worships Him — the One who decrees every destiny — then it is recorded. Whether a person can, through good deeds and supplication, alter what has been decreed for him depends upon worship. On the Day of Resurrection, can one’s good deeds make the balance heavy? Can one cross the Bridge (ṣirāṭ) with ease? These too depend upon worship.

Allah, the Exalted, created Paradise, Hell, and the lofty stations of return. Who could enter Paradise without worshiping the Lord? Allah also created His Kursī (Footstool) and His ʿArsh (Throne). On the Day of Resurrection, seven categories of people will receive the shade of Allah’s ʿArsh — how could one obtain that shade without worshiping Him? Therefore, through worship, one attains goodness and reward across these four unseen domains — all connected to human responsibility and recompense.

These ten categories involve cause and consequence, and among human beings there is accountability as well — between relatives, acquaintances, strangers, ancestors, and descendants. We are the descendants of others — have we inherited rightly? We are the ancestors of others — have we passed on rightly? This, too, is bound by cause and consequence. Hence, there are eleven categories altogether that connect humankind to responsibility and recompense.

Now we turn to the signs within humanity itself. Allah, the Exalted, created Ādam (peace be upon him) from clay and breathed into him the spirit (rūḥ). For his descendants, Allah also places the rūḥ into the wombs of their mothers before birth. Thus, man possesses both body and rūḥ. When the rūḥ enters the body, the human self (nafs) arises. Once the nafs exists, a person develops two material desires — hunger and sexual desire — and also has spiritual tendencies: inclination (hawā), emotion, vitality, and intellect (ʿaql).

The rūḥ is therefore of utmost importance. If, after entering the body, a person allows his human nature to dominate and refuses divine guidance, he will follow his impulses, commit wrongdoing, and deviate from the straight path. These eight elements — the two material desires (hunger and sexual desire), hawā, emotion, vitality, intellect, human nature (nafs), and the body — if not devoted to the worship of Allah, cannot manifest the sanctity of the rūḥ. The spirit remains veiled and its purity concealed.

Who influences these eight faculties? Besides our own nafs and uncontrollable desires, the shayṭān also tempts us through them, leading us away from righteousness so that we become dominated by the lower self. If these eight aspects fail to perform good deeds or worship the Lord, the sanctity of the rūḥ will not appear. In the context of the eleven realms of accountability, a once-noble human being loses his dignity and becomes base. Symbolically, this is expressed as 8 × 11 = 88.

Conversely, if these eight aspects are devoted to Allah, the rūḥ manifests sanctity. When these eight join with the eleven realms — including humanity itself — they yield righteousness. As mentioned in Sūrat al-Wāqiʿah (The Great Event), humanity strives to hasten toward good deeds to draw near to the Lord and attain higher rank. Thus, when all eight aspects of man worship Allah and manifest a sanctified spirit like that of the angels, such a person becomes truly noble — worthy even of the angels’ prostration, which symbolizes human dignity. Therefore, 11 × 8 carries this same symbolic meaning, with two opposite outcomes.

Now let us see specifically how the shayṭān incites a person, through these eight aspects, to abandon goodness — and conversely, how seeking the Lord’s protection defeats him and brings forth eight virtues. Our Exalted Lord — the Creator of the worlds, the Sovereign, the Master of the Day of Judgment — revealed the Qurʾān to guide us to the straight path: the path of those whom He has favored — the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous — not the path of those who incur His wrath nor of those who go astray.

This Book leads us upon the straight path. Therefore, when we recite it, we must first seek Allah’s protection from the shayṭān’s harm and temptation. If we allow his influence to intrude, how can we truly contemplate the truths within the Qurʾān? Even if we recite it hastily, can we truly implement it?

Our recitation is meant to draw divine guidance, to find peace through the remembrance of Allah, and to refine our human self by His direction. But if, at the very outset of our recitation, we allow the shayṭān to lead — disturbing, urging, and deceiving us — then we will interpret the Qurʾān through satanic reasoning. In that case, instead of receiving guidance, we fall into confusion; instead of correct understanding, we develop deviation; and our actions lose righteousness.

To understand this corrupt reasoning of the shayṭān more clearly, we must study how the first shayṭān deceived our forefather Ādam and his wife. He said to them:

“Go near that tree, for if you eat from it, you will become angels and live forever.” And he also said to them: “Indeed, I am a sincere adviser to you both.” as though he were truly loyal to them.

This can be learned from Sūrat al-Aʿrāf and Sūrat Ṭā-Hā. At that time, Ādam (peace be upon him) and his wife were created in Paradise, and their Lord forbade them from approaching that tree — a clear divine prohibition. The shayṭān was a spiritual being. Ādam and his wife could see the angels prostrating to them, and the jinn were also commanded to do so. That shayṭān was among the jinn. Even now, such beings can harm humans in their sleep, causing bad dreams, as mentioned in the ḥadīth.

When the shayṭān tempted Ādam (peace be upon him) and his wife to approach the tree and eat from it, it was as though they beheld it in a spiritual vision. Before descending to the earth, Allah forbade them to approach the tree — a test from their Lord to see whether they would truly worship Him, obey His command, and submit to His will. Only by fulfilling these could humankind manifest its true nobility.

The shayṭān, being of the spiritual realm, said: “This is the Tree of Eternity; if you eat from it, you will be like the angels and never die.” But Ādam (peace be upon him), a being of body and soul, created from clay and infused with spirit, did not realize that the tree required interpretation through taʾwīl al-aḥādīth — that is, by understanding it symbolically, as one interprets a dream. For example, seeing a tree in Paradise symbolizes the remembrance of Allah and the eternal reward, honor, and high rank that follow it.

Yet the shayṭān, speaking from the unseen realm, said literally: “This is the Tree of Eternity; it grants dominion.” He urged Ādam (peace be upon him) to eat, while Ādam did not know that the tree carried a deeper meaning that required explanation.

Allah, the Exalted, forbade him to approach the tree so that whenever he thought of drawing near to it, he would remember his Lord. Such remembrance would lead him, after death, to resurrection and eternal life in Paradise. But the corrupted reasoning of the shayṭān led him to disobedience — seeking to obtain the tree’s fruit immediately, without remembrance of the Lord. This is the essence of satanic thinking.

Likewise, when Iblīs, who was among the jinn, refused to prostrate to Ādam, he said:

“I am better than him; You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.” He understood only the literal meaning — for indeed, fire is rarer and finer, while clay is common and humble. Yet he forgot that the most honored of all in the sight of Allah are those who are God-fearing.

Both of these are satanic modes of thinking. The first is the reasoning of those who interpret everything purely symbolically, stripping it of its literal sense. The second is the reasoning of Iblīs — interpreting everything only by its external form, outward phenomena, or literal wording. Both are deviations.

The Glorious and Exalted Lord’s Revelation contains verses that are explicit (muḥkamāt) and others that are subtle or allegorical (mutashābihāt). To interpret these two categories properly, one must approach them from both sides: understanding the apparent meaning and also perceiving the symbolic meaning, all upon a single foundation — recognition and worship of the Lord.

This understanding must never depart from His Oneness (tawḥīd) — the Oneness of His existence, His essence, and His attributes. He alone is the source of all goodness. This means His attributes, virtues, and most beautiful Names are absolutely unique, and none can share them. His existence is unique — nothing is like unto Him, and He is the foundation of all things. His essence is unique — He possesses His own Spirit, the guidance He revealed through language, His Command and Will, His attributes, virtues, and exalted Names. All understanding must be rooted in this Oneness.

Thus, the Qurʾān contains explicit and subtle verses, and both must be understood in harmony — the literal and the allegorical perfectly integrated. Satanic reasoning, however, causes deviation: some emphasize only the literal and abandon the symbolic, while others emphasize only the symbolic and neglect the literal. Both fail to combine the two perfectly. When one reads the Qurʾān in such a divided way, one gains no blessing from it; rather, one becomes a misguided sectarian.

Therefore, when we recite the Qurʾān, we must seek the Lord’s protection from the shayṭān’s harm, lest we approach the Qurʾān with a deviant state of mind or heart, reading it under the influence of distorted thinking. Even though many of its mysteries have not yet been revealed to us, and our knowledge remains limited, if we approach it with a pure heart and a purified spiritual state, then every recitation and study will bring benefit and keep us steadfast upon the straight path.

We must also realize that the shayṭān prevents people from persevering in good deeds. Perseverance is among the qualities of the angels, whereas the shayṭān makes people begin things with zeal and end them with neglect — unable to maintain any act of righteousness. The Qurʾān, revealed as our ultimate guidance, provides direction for every responsibility we bear in life; yet this guidance must be coupled with the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, for the Qurʾān is the root of all guidance.

Hence the shayṭān persistently seeks to distract us from the Qurʾān. Once a person abandons the foundation — the very root of guidance — and relies only on human reason to do good, can such goodness truly become eternal?

The shayṭān never ceases his interference. Even if someone has already built the habit of daily Qurʾān recitation, regularly reflecting upon its meanings, and has even memorized and reviews it to strengthen his grasp, the shayṭān will still tempt and disturb such a person — provoking fatigue, creating obstacles, or stirring others to trouble him — so that he abandons this virtuous act.

Therefore, we must continually pray that our Lord protect us, grant us completion of our righteous deeds, and safeguard us from the shayṭān’s harm, lest he divert us from good works and lead us away from the straight path.

Let us conclude this discussion with a ḥadīth. In all four major Sunan collections — Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah, and al-Nasāʾī — it is recorded that when our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ would rise at night for prayer (ṣalāh al-layl), he would first proclaim:

Allāhu Akbar (الله أكبر) — Allah is the Greatest!

Then he would say:

“My Lord! Glory be to You and praise be to You. Blessed is Your Name, Exalted is Your Majesty, and none has the right to be worshiped but You.”

The Prophet ﷺ repeated three times:

“None has the right to be worshiped but You.”

Then he would say:

“I seek refuge with Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the accursed shayṭān — from his arrogance, his whispering, and his sorcery.”

The jinn and the shayṭān are real, and their harm is real. Our Prophet ﷺ, when he rose for the night prayer, uttered these words of glorification and sought refuge through the Taʿawwudh. We must follow the way of our Prophet ﷺ — to seek the protection of our Lord from the unseen harms of the jinn and the shayṭān. Only He can protect us, for He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.

That concludes today’s discussion. If there have been slips of the tongue or unclear explanations, we ask Allah, the Exalted and Most Great, for forgiveness. May our companions pardon any shortcomings. Thank you all for sharing.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

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