the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created. This is a plea for refuge in Allah and an appeal to His protection from every evil He has created; if you repeat it three times in the morning and three times in the evening, nothing will harm you. A man once complained to the Prophet ﷺ of having been stung by a scorpion, and he replied, “Had you said at nightfall, ‘I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created,’ it would not have harmed you.”

Another of the morning and evening remembrances is his saying: “O Allah, by Your leave we reach the morning, by Your leave we reach the evening, by Your leave we live, by Your leave we die, and to You is the resurrection,” to be recited in the morning; and in the evening: “O Allah, by Your leave we reach the evening, by Your leave we reach the morning, by Your leave we die, by Your leave we live, and to You is the final return.” A Muslim should be constant in these invocations transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ so that he may be counted among the men and women who remember Allah much. And Allah is the granter of success.

The “perfect words of Allah” are His universal commands, for He merely says to a thing, “Be!” and it is—by them He protects His servant.

1454 – From the same Companion: Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Messenger of Allah, instruct me in some words to say when I reach the morning and the evening.” He answered, “Say: ‘O Allah, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, Lord and Sovereign of everything. I testify that there is no deity but You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my own self and from the evil of Satan and his enticements.’ Recite it when you reach the morning, when you reach the evening, and when you lie down to sleep.” Reported by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī, who graded it sound (ḥasan).