The speech here is about the Adhkar (invocations and Remembrances said at certain times on a regular basis) which are desirable for a Muslim to say upon riding an animal and at traveling. They are blessed Adhkar with good impacts on the rider and the traveler in meeting his needs and protecting him from diseases and evils.

It is desirable for a Muslim when he enters a house to say: "I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of whatever He has created." When he says that, he shall be protected by the will of Allah and nothing shall harm him until he leaves the place which he entered.

It was reported in Sahih Muslim from the Hadith of Khawlah bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying: "Whosoever alights somewhere and says: A`udhu bikalimat-illahit-tammati min sharri ma khalaq (I seek refuge with the Perfect Words of Allah from the evil of what He has created),' nothing will harm him until he leaves that place." [Sahih Muslim No. 2708].

It is a great invocation which contains seeking refuge in Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted), going under His Shelter and seeking refuge in His Words unlike the case of the People of the Pre-Islamic Period who used to seek refuge in jinns and idols which did not benefit them anything but added troubles and hardships on them. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "And Verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the males among the jinn, but they (jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin and transgression." [Surat Al Jinns: 6]. So, Allah (Blessed and Exalted be He) rebuked them for that action and explained its bad consequences in this world and in the Hereafter. Moreover, Allah (Glory be to Him) ordained for His Servants seeking refuge only in Him and going under His Protection, for in Whose Hands are all matters and destinies of all people, whereas others do not own any benefit or harm for himself, so how could he possess benefit or harm for others?!

As for Prophet's saying: "A`udhu bikalimat-illahit-tamati," i.e., I seek refuge and I take shelter. "Bikalimat-illahi" is the Qur'an and it was said: The universal words. The meaning of "Tamati" is: Not defected as the speech of humans.

The Hadith is a proof on the permissibility of asking for protection by the attributes of Allah and that seeking protection is an act of worship that cannot be directed to other than Allah. The words of Allah including the Qur'an are not created because if they are created, it will not be permissible to use in seeking protection because seeking protection from a creature is not permissible but it is rather part of polytheism.

As for the Prophet's saying: "From the evil of what He has created," i.e., from every evil that exists in any animal, human, jinn, insect, wind, thunder, and all kinds of affliction.

As for the Prophet's saying: "Nothing will harm him until he leaves that place" because he is protected by Allah's Protection.

There are some conditions for this invocation which are: Sincere intention, good-thinking of Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted), and eagerness to repeat it in every place a person enters.

Al Qurtuby (may Allah bestow mercy on his soul) said: This is a true narration and a truthful saying which we knew its truthfulness by proofs and experience. Since I have heard this narration, I repeated it in every place and nothing could harm me until I did not say it one day which caused me to be stung by a scorpion at Al Mahdiyyah at night. I recalled what I did to deserve that and I found out that I had forgotten to say this invocation. Sheikh Sulayman ibn `Abdullah mentioned that narration in Taysir Al `Aziz Al Hamid (p. 214).

It is desirable for a Muslim when he wants to enter a village or a town to say: "O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and what they shade, Lord of the seven earths and what they carry, Lord of the devils and those that they misguide, Lord of the winds and what they blow away, I ask of You for the good of this city and the good of its inhabitants and the good of what is in it. I seek refuge in You from its evil and the evil of its inhabitants and the evil of what is in it" because the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say this whenever he saw a village he wanted to enter.

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