Many others of this sort have appeared—among them al-Ḥārith the Damascene, who rose up in Syria during the reign of ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān claiming prophethood. The devils would slip his legs out of their shackles, keep weapons from wounding him, and make a slab of marble glorify Allah whenever he stroked it with his hand. He would also show the people figures, mounted on horses and floating in the air, and say, “These are the angels,” whereas they were nothing but jinn. When the Muslims seized him to execute him, the executioner thrust a spear at him but it did not penetrate. ʿAbd al-Malik said to the executioner, “You did not pronounce the Name of Allah.” So he pronounced the Name, thrust again, and killed him.

[Āyat al-Kursī Drives Away the Devils]

In the same way, those who live under satanic influences find that their devils depart whenever something that expels them is mentioned—such as Āyat al-Kursī. It is authentically reported in the Ṣaḥīḥ from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in the narration of Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that when the Prophet appointed him to guard the charity of al-Fiṭr, the Prophet would ask him, “What did your prisoner do last night?” He would reply, “He claimed he would not come back.” The Prophet would say, “He has lied to you; he will return.” When this happened the third time, the prisoner said, “Let me go and I will teach you something that will benefit you: When you lie down to sleep, recite Āyat al-Kursī—‘Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting…’ to the end of the verse—for then a guardian from Allah will remain with you, and no devil will come near you until morning.” When Abū Hurayrah reported this to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—