Allah has told us in the Quran that Satan is our enemy and we should do everything to keep Satan out of our lives. Satan hurts us by misguiding us toward evil deeds, making the bad look acceptable, bringing misfortune in our lives and families, and so on. The more we succeed in keeping Satan’s tactics and curses away from our lives and our homes, the fewer will be the fights, arguments, misunderstandings, etc., and the more will we enjoy Allah’s peace and blessings.
Both Allah and the prophet (Sallellahu Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wa Sallam) have told us how to ward off Satan’s whispers and other evil tactics. For example, when entering a house, we should ensure that everyone welcomes the others at home by saying the Islamic greeting of “Assalamualaikum”.
Muslim reported in his Saheeh that the Messenger of Allah (Sallellahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:“When any one of you enters his home and mentions the Name of Allah when he enters and when he eats, the Shaytaan says (about himself): ‘You have no place to stay and nothing to eat here.’ If he enters and does not mention the name of Allah when he enters, [the Shaytaan] says (to himself), ‘You have a place to stay.’ If he does not mention the name of Allah when he eats, [the Shaytaan says], ‘You have a place to stay and something to eat.”
[Reported by Imaam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 3/346; Muslim, 3/1599].
Abu Dawood reported in his Sunan that the Messenger of Allah (Sallellahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:
“If a man goes out of his house and says, ‘Bismillaah, tawakkaltu ‘ala Allah, laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa Billaah’ (In the name of Allah, I put my trust in Allah, there is no help and no strength except in Allah), it will be said to him, ‘This will take care of you, you are guided, you have what you need and you are protected.’ The Shaytaan will stay away from him, and another shaytaan will say to him, ‘What can you do with a man who is guided, provided for and protected?”
[Reported by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi. Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 499]
Another tactic to keep Satan away from the house is for family members to recite Surah Al-Baqarah regularly. As this surah is long, family members can alternate in the recitation of the Surah.
The Messenger of Allah (Sallellahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said:
“Do not make your houses into graves. The Shaytaan flees from a house in which Soorat al-Baqarah is recited.”
[Reported by Muslim, 1/539]
He (Sallellahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) also said:
“Allah wrote a document two thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, which is kept near the Throne, and He revealed two aayaat of it with which He concluded Soorat al-Baqarah. If they are recited in a house for three consecutive nights, the Shaytaan will not approach it.”
[Reported by Imaam Ahmad in “al-Musnad”, 4/274, and others. “Saheeh al-Jaami’”, 1799]