“Whenever you Intend to Leave your House...

”
Compiled and revised by Abu Umayza ibn Abdur-Rahman

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Abu Hurayrah ('< ‫ ) ر= ا‬narrated that the Prophet (َ

َ ‫َ ْ ِ َو‬
َ 
ُ ‫ ا‬
َ ) said: “Whenever you intend to leave
your house, you should pray two rak’ah right before you leave. These rak’ah will protect you from harm while
outside. And when you return home you should pray another two rak’ah. 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 Allâh (&> ‫ و‬%?) 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 Allâh and be obedient to Him
by acting on all that He commands and abstaining from all that He prohibits.

Every aspect of a Muslim’s life involves opportunities to gain huge rewards by following the Sunnah of the
Messenger (َ
َ ‫َ ْ ِ َو‬
َ 
ُ ‫ ا‬
َ ) 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 (ََ ‫َ ْ ِ َو‬
َ 
ُ ‫ ا‬
َ )
and yet fall short in putting this love into practice by following him. Allâh (&> ‫ و‬%?) says: Indeed in the
Messenger of Allâh you have a good example… (Al-Ahzab: 21)

In the Qur’an, Allâh (&> ‫ و‬%?) has made obeying and following the Messenger (َ 
َ ‫َ ْ ِ َو‬
َ 
ُ ‫ ا‬
َ ) a distinct
criteria for faith and success. A Muslim has a high sense of priorities; he conditions himself to complete the
fara’id (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 today’s 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 Allâh (&> ‫ و‬%?) and this awareness can
only increase blessing and reward through obedience to Him and his Messenger (َ َ ‫َ ْ ِ َو‬
َ 
ُ ‫ ا‬
َ ).
Furthermore, this obedience is a means of increasing tawwakul (reliance) in Allâh and it is a means of showing
gratitude and acknowledging Allâh’s 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 ('< ‫ ) ر= ا‬narrated that the Prophet (ََ ‫َ ْ ِ َو‬
َ 
ُ ‫ ا‬
َ )
said: "If only you relied on Allâh 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-Nasaa’I,
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 rak’ah before leaving your home
and praying two rak’ah after returning to your home? And what is the practice of this Sunnah if not reliance
upon Allâh ( ), hoping for His reward and Mercy and protection from harm as He promised? Every
Sunnah, whether obligated or recommend is a means of receiving Allâh’s Mercy and forgiveness. Let’s take the
example of eating food; a Muslim is recommended to make the following small supplication beforehand:

O Allâh! Bless us in everything You give us, and protect us from punishment of the fire. In the Name of Allâh (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 Allâh’s 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 strongly
encouraged recommendation that provides a high return from a small effort on our part.

Abu Hurayrah ('< ‫ )ر= ا‬narrated that the Prophet (َ

َ ‫َ ْ ِ َو‬
َ 
ُ ‫ ا‬
َ ) said: “Whenever you intend to leave
your house, you should pray two rak’ah right before you leave. These rak’ah will protect you from harm while
outside. And when you return home you should pray another two rak’ah. They will safeguard you from harm
(while you are) in your house.”

Allaamah Muhammad Abdur-Ra’uf Al-Munaawee (rahimahullah) said in Faydul Qadir: “If a person intends
leave his home it is recommended that he prays two rak’ah which are considered sunnah. These rak’ah 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 Allah’s pleasure, His Mercy, Forgiveness and rewards through
following the Sunnah of His final Prophet (َ 
َ ‫َ ْ ِ َو‬
َ 
ُ ‫ ا‬
َ ). We seek Allâh’s aid alone is correcting our affairs
and making it easy to implement the Sunnah of His beloved Messenger (َ َ ‫َ ْ ِ َو‬
َ 
ُ ‫ ا‬
َ ) 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