Dua for Protection from All Harm: The Morning and Evening Shield
Every believer wants to leave home in the morning — and return at night — safe from illness, accidents, envy, the evil of people and jinn, and calamities that strike without warning. The beautiful thing is that the Sunnah does not leave us unprotected. The Prophet ﷺ taught his Ummah (community) specific words of protection for the morning, for the evening, for the night, and for every stop on a journey — a complete shield that takes only a few minutes a day.
These protection duas are part of the full morning azkar and evening azkar (azkar: the daily remembrances of Allah). But because so many people search for them on their own, we have gathered the most important ones here — each with its Arabic text, transliteration, meaning, and an authentic reference you can check for yourself.
1. Bismillahilladhi La Yadurru — Nothing Can Harm Alongside His Name
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Transliteration: Bismillahil-ladhi la yadurru ma’a ismihi shay’un fil-ardi wa la fis-sama’i wa Huwas-Sami’ul-‘Alim. Meaning: “In the name of Allah, when Whose name is mentioned nothing on Earth or in Heaven can cause harm, and He is the Hearer, the Knower.”
Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: whoever says these words three times in the evening will not suffer any sudden affliction until the morning. And whoever says them three times in the morning will not suffer any sudden affliction until the evening. Another narration puts it in the simplest possible terms: there is no servant who says them every morning and every evening except that nothing harms him. (Sunan Abu Dawud 5088 — Sahih · Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3388 — Hasan)
This is the cornerstone of the daily shield: short, comprehensive, and covering everything in the earth and the heaven — seen and unseen, known and unknown.
2. A’udhu bi Kalimatillahi at-Tammat — The Words for Every Stop and Every Place
أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّاتِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
Transliteration: A’udhu bi kalimatillahi at-tammati min sharri ma khalaq. Meaning: “I seek refuge in the Perfect Word of Allah from the evil of what He has created.”
Khawlah bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When anyone lands at a place, and then says: ‘I seek refuge in the Perfect Word of Allah from the evil of what He has created,’ nothing would harm him until he marches from that stopping place.” (Sahih Muslim 2708a — Sahih)
This is the dua of arrival. Say it when you reach a hotel, a new city, a relative’s house, a campsite, or even when you come home — it places that location, and everything in it, under the protection of Allah’s perfect words until you leave.
3. Ayat al-Kursi — A Guardian Appointed Over You All Night
The greatest verse of the Quran is itself a fortress:
“Allah: There is no god but He, the Living, the All-Sustaining. Neither dozing overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Who can intercede with Him without His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them; while they encompass nothing of His knowledge, except what He wills. His Kursiyy (Chair) extends to the Heavens and to the Earth, and it does not weary Him to look after them. He is the All-High, the Supreme.” (Quran 2:255)
Its protection at night is confirmed in a remarkable story. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) was guarding the Ramadan charity food when a thief kept coming at night. On the third night the thief — who was in fact a devil — said: “Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursi … till you finish the whole verse. (If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no satan will come near you till morning.” Abu Hurairah told the Prophet ﷺ, who replied: “He really spoke the truth, although he is an absolute liar.” And of the visitor he said: “It was Satan.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2311 — Sahih)
Recite Ayat al-Kursi before sleeping, and let it guard your house through the night.
4. The Three Quls — The Prophet’s Own Nightly Shield
The last three surahs of the Quran — Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas — are the protection the Prophet ﷺ chose for himself every single night. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “Whenever the Prophet ﷺ went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over it after reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas, Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face and front of his body. He used to do that three times.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5017 — Sahih)
Al-Falaq and An-Nas are themselves duas of refuge — refuge from the evil of creation, of darkness, of envy, and of the whisperer — so in reciting them you are asking Allah for protection in His own words. This short section is only a summary here, because these surahs are covered in detail in our guides to the morning and evening azkar; for protection, simply know that this was the Prophet’s ﷺ never-missed nightly habit, and make it yours.
5. La Ilaha Illallah, 100 Times — Protection from Shaytan for the Whole Day
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Transliteration: La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in Qadir. Meaning: “There is no god but Allah, the One, having no partner with Him. Sovereignty belongs to Him and all the praise is due to Him, and He is Potent over everything.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that whoever says these words one hundred times in a day receives the reward of freeing ten slaves, one hundred good deeds are written for him, and one hundred sins are erased from him. And it is a protection (a shield) for him from Shaytan for that day until the evening. (Sahih al-Bukhari 3293 · Sahih Muslim 2691 — Sahih)
Most people recite it after Fajr as part of the morning remembrances. However busy your day is, protect its beginning: a hundred repetitions take only a few minutes, and the shield lasts until nightfall.
6. Allahumma ‘Afini — Protection for Your Body, Hearing and Sight
اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي بَدَنِي، اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي سَمْعِي، اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي بَصَرِي، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
Transliteration: Allahumma ‘afini fi badani, Allahumma ‘afini fi sam’i, Allahumma ‘afini fi basari, la ilaha illa Anta. Meaning: “O Allah! Grant me health in my body. O Allah! Grant me good hearing. O Allah! Grant me good eyesight. There is no god but Thou.”
Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to supplicate with these words three times every morning and three times every evening. When his son asked him why, he said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ using these words as a supplication and I like to follow his practice.” (Sunan Abu Dawud 5090 — Hasan)
Health is the blessing we notice only when it leaves. This dua guards its three greatest doors — the body, the hearing and the sight — before anything goes wrong.
7. The Dua Against Loss of Blessings and Sudden Calamity
Protection is not only about harm coming; it is also about blessings leaving. For that, learn the dua the Prophet ﷺ made himself:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ زَوَالِ نِعْمَتِكَ، وَتَحَوُّلِ عَافِيَتِكَ، وَفُجَاءَةِ نِقْمَتِكَ، وَجَمِيعِ سَخَطِكَ
Transliteration: Allahumma inni a’udhu bika min zawali ni’matika, wa tahawwuli ‘afiyatika, wa fuja’ati niqmatika, wa jami’i sakhatik. Meaning: “O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from the withdrawal of Thine blessing and the change of Thine protection (from me) and from the sudden wrath of Thine, and from every displeasure of Thine.”
Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that these were among the very words with which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself used to supplicate. (Sahih Muslim 2739 — Sahih)
Read it slowly and think about what it covers: a blessing quietly withdrawn, health suddenly changed, a punishment that arrives without warning, and — the root of them all — the displeasure of Allah. Four lines, and every door of calamity is closed.
The Daily Shield at a Glance
- Morning: Bismillahilladhi la yadurru (3 times) · the tahlil (La ilaha illallah) 100 times · Allahumma ‘afini (3 times)
- Evening: Bismillahilladhi la yadurru (3 times) · Allahumma ‘afini (3 times)
- Before sleeping: Ayat al-Kursi · the three Quls, blown over the body
- Whenever you stop or arrive: A’udhu bi kalimatillahi at-tammat
- Any time: the dua against loss of blessings and sudden calamity (Muslim 2739)
You will find all of these inside the complete daily adhkar collections on DeenHub Global, arranged in their proper morning and evening order.
Common Questions
How many times should Bismillahilladhi la yadurru be read? Three times in the morning and three times in the evening, as the Prophet ﷺ taught in the hadith of Uthman ibn Affan (Abu Dawud 5088). Those few repetitions carry the promise that no sudden affliction will reach you in between.
Which dua should I say when travelling or staying somewhere new? The words A’udhu bi kalimatillahi at-tammati min sharri ma khalaq — the hadith promises that whoever says them when he stops at a place will not be harmed until he leaves it (Muslim 2708a). Say them in every hotel, every new home, and every stop on the road.
Can I read these protection duas over my children? Yes. Build the family’s bedtime routine around Ayat al-Kursi (Bukhari 2311) and the three Quls recited and blown over the body, following the Prophet’s own nightly practice (Bukhari 5017), and teach the children Bismillahilladhi as they grow until the shield becomes their own habit.
What if I miss the morning azkar? Say them when you remember. The protection duas are not tied to a courtroom deadline: the kalimat at-tammat can be said at any stop during the day, the tahlil can be completed whenever you find the minutes, and the evening set covers you through the night. Consistency on most days protects far more than perfection on a few.
Conclusion
Protection in Islam is not a charm or a superstition — it is a relationship. The same Lord who created every harm is the One who taught us the words that hold it back. He attached His promise to them: say them, and nothing harms you; recite His verse, and a guardian watches over you; stop at a place in His name, and you are safe until you leave. Take up the shield of the morning and the evening, teach it to your family, and walk through the world unafraid — because your protection is not in the words alone, but in the Allah to whom the words turn.