Two Sunnah Forms of Ta'awwudh Before Recitation in Salah

❖ Question:​

What are the Sunnah wordings of Ta'awwudh (seeking refuge) before recitation—whether inside or outside of Salah?
Is reciting only “A‘ūdhu billāhi min al-shayṭān al-rajīm” sufficient and Sunnah in this context?

❖ Answer:​

الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!

✔ Sunnah Ta'awwudh Before Recitation of the Qur’an:​

Below is the detailed explanation regarding the Sunnah wording of Ta'awwudh before reciting the Qur’an:

Detailed Sunnah Ta'awwudh:​

"أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنْ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ، مِنْ هَمْزِهِ، وَنَفْخِهِ، وَنَفْثِهِ"
Sunan Abi Dawud: 775 — and its chain is authentic.


This form of Ta'awwudh is Sunnah and established by authentic Ahadith for recitation before Salah recitation.

Shorter, Well-Known Ta'awwudh:​

"أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ"


Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith: 6115)
Sahih Muslim (Hadith: 2610, Darussalam numbering: 6646)
Kitab al-Umm by Imam al-Shafi’i (1/107)
Mukhtasar Sahih Namaz-e-Nabawi, p. 11, Footnote to Section 6, Shahadat: April 2004


This shorter Ta'awwudh is also entirely authentic and Sunnah, and it is valid and sufficient to recite it before Qur’anic recitation, whether in Salah or outside of it.

❖ Summary:​

Before reciting the Qur’an—whether in Salah or otherwise—reciting
"أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ"
is completely correct and Sunnah.
If one recites the detailed form, such as
"أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ...",
that too is established through an authentic chain and conforms to the Sunnah.


ھٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب