A'udhu billahi minash shaytanir rajim, refuge from Shaytan

A'udhu billahi minash shaytanir rajim means "I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the accursed". Say it before reciting the Quran, and when you feel anger or an evil whisper.

The ta'awwudh

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

Aʿūdhu billāhi minash-shayṭānir-rajīm

I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the accursed.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6115; Sahih Muslim 2610

Quran 16:98In the Quran

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ

Fa izaa qara tal Quraana fasta'iz billaahi minashh Shai taanir rajeem

So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].

Quran 16:98, Sahih International translation

Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.

Guide

Meaning, use and source

A'udhu billahi minash shaytanir rajim (أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ) means "I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the accursed". Rajim means the one driven away and stoned, cast out from Allah's mercy. Saying it is called the ta'awwudh or isti'adhah.

Before reciting the Quran

Allah says: "So when you recite the Quran, seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled" (Quran 16:98). So say a'udhu billah before you start reciting, then bismillah at the start of a surah.

When you are angry

Two men were arguing in front of the Prophet ﷺ, and one became red in the face with anger. The Prophet ﷺ said: "I know a word which, if he said it, what he feels would go away: a'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6115, Sahih Muslim 2610, from Sulayman ibn Surad).

Other times to seek refuge

When an evil thought or whisper comes: "And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah" (Quran 7:200).
When distracted in salah by whispers.
After a bad dream: spit lightly to the left three times and seek refuge in Allah (Sahih Muslim 2262).

In salah

Hanafi position

The ta'awwudh is a sunnah in the first rakah only, said quietly after the opening dua (thana) and before bismillah. It belongs to the recitation, so the imam and the one praying alone say it, and the follower does not, since he does not recite behind the imam. In the Eid prayer it comes after the extra takbirs.

Other madhhabs

Shafi'i: It is recommended quietly at the start of the recitation in every rakah, most strongly in the first.
Maliki: It is not said in the fard prayers in the well-known view of the school, though it is allowed in voluntary prayers.
Hanbali: It is said quietly in the first rakah, before the recitation.

Spellings

A'udhu billahi minash shaytanir rajim, audhubillahi minashaitanir rajeem, auzubillah minashaitan nirajeem and a'oodhu billah are all the same. Dh is the soft "th" of "this", which is why some write it with a z.

Quran 16:98 and 7:200, translation by Sahih International.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6115; Sahih Muslim 2610.
Sahih Muslim 2262.
Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Bab Sifat as-Salah. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.

The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.

Questions

Good to know

What does a'udhu billahi minash shaytanir rajim mean?

I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the accursed.

When do you say a'udhu billah?

Before reciting the Quran, when you feel anger, when an evil thought comes, and after a bad dream.

Do I say a'udhu billah before bismillah?

Yes. When you begin reciting, seek refuge first, then say bismillah at the start of a surah.

Do I say a'udhu billah in every rakah?

In the Hanafi school, only in the first rakah, before bismillah and Al-Fatiha. The Shafi'i school recommends it in every rakah.