✿ Protection from Shayṭān Through the Remembrance of Allah ﷻ ✿
✍ Compiled by: Dr. Raza Abdullah Pasha ḥafiẓahullāh
How did Allah ﷻ warn Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā against Shayṭān?
Ḥārith al-Ashʿarī رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"إن الله أمر يحيى بن زكريا بخمس كلمات أن يعمل بها و يأمر بني إسرائيل أن يعملوا بها..."
And among those commands, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned:
"...وأمركم أن تذكروا الله، فإن مثل ذلك كمثل رجل خرج العدو فى أثره سراعا حتى إذا أتى على حصن حصين فأحرز نفسه منهم، كذلك العبد لا يحرز نفسه من الشيطان إلا بذكر الله"
[Musnad Aḥmad 2024 | Sunan al-Tirmidhī Ḥadīth 2872]
“Indeed, Allah commanded Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā with five instructions: to practice them himself and to command Banī Isrā’īl to do likewise.
Among them is this: Allah has commanded you to remember Him.
The example of this is like a man being chased swiftly by an enemy, and he reaches a strong fortress, where he secures himself from them.
Likewise, the **servant of Allah protects himself from Shayṭān only through the remembrance of Allah (dhikr).”
➤ This narration teaches that dhikr (remembrance of Allah) is a spiritual fortress.
➤ Just as a physical fortress protects a man from a pursuing enemy,
➤ Similarly, only dhikr shields a believer from the relentless attacks of Shayṭān.
Allah ﷻ warned Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā عليه السلام — and through him all believers — that:
✔ The greatest protection from Shayṭān lies in the constant remembrance of Allah.
✔ Dhikr acts as a barrier, a spiritual stronghold, where a believer is safe from satanic whispers and deception.
✍ Compiled by: Dr. Raza Abdullah Pasha ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ Question:
How did Allah ﷻ warn Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā against Shayṭān?
✔ Answer:
Ḥārith al-Ashʿarī رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"إن الله أمر يحيى بن زكريا بخمس كلمات أن يعمل بها و يأمر بني إسرائيل أن يعملوا بها..."
And among those commands, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned:
"...وأمركم أن تذكروا الله، فإن مثل ذلك كمثل رجل خرج العدو فى أثره سراعا حتى إذا أتى على حصن حصين فأحرز نفسه منهم، كذلك العبد لا يحرز نفسه من الشيطان إلا بذكر الله"
[Musnad Aḥmad 2024 | Sunan al-Tirmidhī Ḥadīth 2872]
“Indeed, Allah commanded Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā with five instructions: to practice them himself and to command Banī Isrā’īl to do likewise.
Among them is this: Allah has commanded you to remember Him.
The example of this is like a man being chased swiftly by an enemy, and he reaches a strong fortress, where he secures himself from them.
Likewise, the **servant of Allah protects himself from Shayṭān only through the remembrance of Allah (dhikr).”
❖ Reflection:
➤ This narration teaches that dhikr (remembrance of Allah) is a spiritual fortress.
➤ Just as a physical fortress protects a man from a pursuing enemy,
➤ Similarly, only dhikr shields a believer from the relentless attacks of Shayṭān.
✔ Summary:
Allah ﷻ warned Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā عليه السلام — and through him all believers — that:
✔ The greatest protection from Shayṭān lies in the constant remembrance of Allah.
✔ Dhikr acts as a barrier, a spiritual stronghold, where a believer is safe from satanic whispers and deception.
