77 – On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): “Whenever the Prophet ﷺ entered the lavatory he would say, ‘O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the male and female devils.’” Reported by the Seven. (1)
Lexical notes:
• aʿūdhu: One says ʿudhtu bihi ʿawdh-an, ʿiyādh-an, and maʿādh-an, meaning “I sought refuge with him.” The noun maʿādh may designate the action, the place, or the time. Accordingly, aʿūdhu bika means, “I seek Your protection and take shelter with You.”
• al-khubth: it can be vocalised with a ḍamma on the bāʾ, making it the plural of khabīth (impure), or—preferably according to most linguists—with a silent bāʾ, in which case it signifies evil.
• al-khabāʾith: the plural of khabīthah; i.e., the beings of evil, the devils.
Ibn al-Aʿrabi said: “The root meaning of khubth in Arabic is ‘that which is repugnant.’ If it refers to speech, it is abuse; if to religions, it is disbelief; if to food, it is the unlawful; and if to drink, it is that which is harmful.”
Points derived from the ḥadith:
- The phrase “when he entered the privy” is meant as “when he intended to enter,” like Allah’s statement, “So when you recite the Qurʾan, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed” (Qurʾan 16:98), meaning: when you are about to recite it. Al-Adab al-Mufrad records from Anas that whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to enter the privy he would say, “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the male and female devils.”
- By this invocation a Muslim fortifies himself against the devil’s attempts to harm him.