Does the Remembrance of Allah Drive Away Shayṭān?
Source: Fatāwā Aminpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Aminpuri
Question
Does Shayṭān flee by the remembrance of Allah?
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
✿ Yes, through the remembrance of Allah, Shayṭān flees.
❀ Ḥaḍrat Abū Hurayrah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
يعقد الشيطان على قافية رأس أحدكم إذا هو نام ثلاث عقد، يضرب كل عقدة، عليك ليل طويل، فارقد، فإن استيقظ فذكر الله، انحلت عقدة، فإن توضأ ، انحلت عقدة، فإن صلى، انحلت عقدة، فأصبح نشيطا طيب النفس، وإلا أصبح خبيث النفس كسلان.
“When a person sleeps, Shayṭān ties three knots at the back of his head. On every knot he says: ‘You have a long night ahead, so sleep.’ If he wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone. If he performs wuḍūʾ, the second knot is undone. If he prays, the third knot is undone. Then he wakes up energetic and in good spirits. Otherwise, he wakes up in bad spirits and lazy.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1142, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 776)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (RA) (463 AH) said:
“This ḥadīth is proof that Shayṭān is driven away by the recitation, the remembrance of Allah, and the adhān.”
(al-Istidhkār 2/375)
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
