Second: Remember Allah When Entering the Home, When Eating, and When Leaving It

When a Muslim enters his home, he mentions Allah and greets his family with salam, and when he begins eating, he mentions Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"When a man enters his house and mentions Allah upon entering and upon eating, Shaytan says: You have no place to spend the night and no dinner. But when he enters and does not mention Allah upon entering, Shaytan says: You have found a place to spend the night. And if he does not mention Allah upon eating, he says: You have found a place to spend the night and dinner." Narrated by Muslim.

When entering, it is enough to say: "Bismillah", then give salam by saying: "As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh."

Allah says:

{When you enter houses, greet one another with a greeting from Allah, blessed and good} [An-Nur 24:61].

Whoever forgets to say Bismillah at the beginning of food and then remembers should say: "Bismillahi awwalahu wa akhirah", as is established in the Sunnah.

When a Muslim leaves his home, he says:

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"When a man leaves his house and says: Bismillah, tawakkaltu ‘ala Allah, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, it is said at that time: You have been guided, sufficed, and protected. The devils move away from him, and another devil says to him: What can you do with a man who has been guided, sufficed, and protected?" Narrated by Abu Dawud, and authenticated by scholars.

Third: Recite Surah Al-Baqarah in the Home

Reciting Surah Al-Baqarah in the home is one of the clearest established Sunnahs for driving Shaytan away from it.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Do not make your houses like graves. Indeed, Shaytan flees from the house in which Surah Al-Baqarah is recited." Narrated by Muslim.

A Muslim or one of the household members may recite it, and it may be recited in portions according to ability, since there is no established condition that it must be recited in one sitting. There is no authentic hadith establishing that it must be recited every day or every three days, so a Muslim should not specify a number or schedule as a binding Sunnah without evidence. Rather, he should recite it often in his home.

The recitation of the household themselves is the foundation and is more complete, because it combines recitation, reflection, and worship. As for playing a recording of Surah Al-Baqarah, contemporary scholars differed over whether it enters into the meaning of the hadith. Some hoped that the intended benefit is achieved by it, while others held that the text relates to recitation performed by the people of the home. Therefore, a recording should not be made a substitute for their own recitation, even though listening to the Quran is good and beneficial in itself.

Shaytan fleeing at the time of recitation does not mean that he never returns after it ends. Therefore, a home needs continuous dhikr and obedience, not playing the surah once and then abandoning the Quran.

Fifth: Preserve the Adhkar of Morning, Evening, Night, and Sleep

The morning, evening, night, and sleep adhkar are a fortress for the Muslim. When members of the family preserve them, each of them is taking the legislated means of protection. Among the most important established adhkar at night and before sleep, each in its proper place, are the following:

Sixth: Seek Protection for Your Children and Teach Them the Adhkar

Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما said:

"The Prophet ﷺ used to seek protection for Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn, and he would say: Your father used to seek protection with it for Isma‘il and Ishaq: I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from every devil and poisonous creature, and from every harmful eye." Narrated by Al-Bukhari.

The wording "u‘idhukuma" also appears in narrations. A parent says for one child: "u‘idhuka", for two children: "u‘idhukuma", and for a group: "u‘idhukum". He teaches his children to say Bismillah before eating, the adhkar of entering and leaving, Ayat Al-Kursi, and the Mu‘awwidhat according to their ages.

Seventh: Act Upon the Prophetic Manners of the Night

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"When night begins, or when evening comes, keep your children in, for the devils spread out at that time. When a portion of the night has passed, let them go. Close the doors and mention the name of Allah, for Shaytan does not open a closed door. Tie your waterskins and mention the name of Allah, cover your vessels and mention the name of Allah, even if you only place something across them, and extinguish your lamps." Agreed upon.

The beginning of night is after sunset. Parents keep children in at the beginning of the night, then there is no harm in letting them go after part of its beginning has passed; the wording "a portion of the night" here does not necessarily mean sixty minutes by the modern measure. The household closes the doors while mentioning Allah’s name, covers food and drink, and extinguishes fire, lamps, or devices that may cause danger. The point is not that safe electric lighting must be turned off merely because night has entered; rather, the meaning of the Sunnah is dhikr, protection, and safety.

A Practical Daily Program to Protect the Home

1. Preserve the five prayers and teach the household prayer.
2. Morning adhkar after Fajr and evening adhkar in their time.
3. Saying Bismillah and salam at every entry, and saying the dhikr for leaving the home.
4. Saying Bismillah before food and drink.
5. Reciting Quran daily in the home, with recitation of Surah Al-Baqarah from time to time without believing in an unestablished number.
6. Praying Sunnah and voluntary prayers in the home.
7. Reciting Ayat Al-Kursi, Al-Ikhlas, and the Mu‘awwidhatayn before sleep, and reciting the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah at night.
8. Saying the tahlil one hundred times in the day for whoever is able.
9. Seeking protection for children and teaching them the adhkar gradually.
10. Closing doors and covering vessels while mentioning Allah’s name at night.
11. Removing amulets and obvious evils, and treating conflicts with justice and gentleness.