8/14/2019 Leaving or Entering Your House - Hadeeth Intro
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Whenever you Intend to Leave your House...
Compiled and revised by Abu Umayza ibn Abdur-Rahman
Abu Hurayrah ( ) narrated that the Prophet ( ) said: Whenever you intend to leave
your house, you should pray two rakah right before you leave. These rakah will protect you from harm while
outside. And when you return home you should pray another two rakah. They will safeguard you from harm
(while you are) in your house.
Al-Albani (rahimahullah) said in his Silsilah Saheehah 3/315: The isnaad of this hadeeth is acceptable and the
narrators are trustworthy men used by Bukhari. This hadeeth is mentioned in Al- Muntaqah (12/69/1), Bazaar
in his Musnad (81), Daylamee in his Musnad (1/1/108), and Abdul-Ghani in Akbar as-Salaah (1/67 and 2/68).
Islam is the Deen of mercy and forgiveness and Allh ( ) has made the means to achieve His Mercy
and forgiveness very easy. A Muslim understands the comprehensive nature of Islam and a way of life that
encourages him to be mutaqoon (righteous and God-fearing) and be conscious of Allh and be obedient to Him
by acting on all that He commands and abstaining from all that He prohibits.
Every aspect of a Muslims life involves opportunities to gain huge rewards by following the Sunnah of the
Messenger ( ) in everything that we do. We may use simple supplications that are
recommended for specific undertaking at specific times, or we may perform acts that receive divine
protection.
There are many Muslims who sincerely and ardently follow of the established Sunnah when it becomes known
to them. There are also Muslims who prefer to pay lip-service for their love of the Messenger ( and yet fall short in putting this love into practice by following him. Allh ( ) says: Indeed in the
Messenger of Allh you have a good example (Al-Ahzab: 21)
In the Quran, Allh ( ) has made obeying and following the Messenger ( ) a distinctcriteria for faith and success. A Muslim has a high sense of priorities; he conditions himself to complete the
faraid (the obligated matters) and then he supplements them with the recommended and the highly
encouraged acts that bring about the kind of reward that would be difficult to gain, even if we worked
tirelessly.
In todays fast-paced society where people are trying to utilise every moment of each day to maximise work
and profit, the wise Muslim never forgets that his welfare is from Allh ( ) and this awareness can
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only increase blessing and reward through obedience to Him and his Messenger ( )
Furthermore, this obedience is a means of increasing tawwakul (reliance) in Allh and it is a means of showing
gratitude and acknowledging Allhs sublimity as He is the best Disposer of affairs of His creation.
Therefore, do not let the distractions of life and the speed of life divert you from performing even the smallest
of Sunnah. Following a Sunnah like the subject matter, is a means of showing your strength of character in the
face of every-day obstacles. Umar ibn al Khataab ( ) narrated that the Prophet (
said: "If only you relied on Allh a true reliance, He would provide sustenance for you just as He does the
birds: They fly out in the morning empty and return in the afternoon with full stomachs." [Ahmad, An-NasaaI,
Al-Hakim and At-Tirmidhi who classed it as Hasan Saheeh]
You may ask: what does all this have to do with the Sunnah of praying two rakah before leaving your home
and praying two rakah after returning to your home? And what is the practice of this Sunnah if not reliance
upon Allh ( ), hoping for His reward and Mercy and protection from harm as He promised? Every
Sunnah, whether obligated or recommend is a means of receiving Allhs Mercy and forgiveness. Lets take the
example of eating food; a Muslim is recommended to make the following small supplication beforehand:
O Allh! Bless us in everything You give us, and protect us from punishment of the fire. In the Name of Allh (I begin)
Now a logical question may arise: What has seeking protection from the fire of hell got to do with eating food?
Again, the answer is very simple; it is due to Allhs infinite Mercy and Kindness that He allows us the means to
seek His Forgiveness and protection at every opportunity. The means to achieve such blessings are neither
difficult nor burdensome; and that is the why every Muslim must have the zeal to condition himself in a
manner where following the Sunnah is not seen as a mere choice or preference, but rather a stronglyencouraged recommendation that provides a high return from a small effort on our part.
Abu Hurayrah ( ) narrated that the Prophet ( ) said: Whenever you intend to leaveyour house, you should pray two rakah right before you leave. These rakah will protect you from harm while
outside. And when you return home you should pray another two rakah. They will safeguard you from harm
(while you are) in your house.
Allaamah Muhammad Abdur-Rauf Al-Munaawee (rahimahullah) said in Faydul Qadir: If a person intends
leave his home it is recommended that he prays two rakah which are considered sunnah. These rakah should
be short (i.e. recite a small Surah after Al Faatihah).
In summary, I hope that Muslims can see how privileged they are to be given a comprehensive way of life that
offers every conceivable means to earn Allahs pleasure, His Mercy, Forgiveness and rewards through
following the Sunnah of His final Prophet ( ). We seek Allhs aid alone is correcting our affairsand making it easy to implement the Sunnah of His beloved Messenger ( ) in our daily lives.
Note: I would like to thank Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight of Doha, Qatar, who translated the first two paragraphs of
the article; as well as the last paragraph on 01/27/1429 taken from http://abuaaliyah.multiply.com