Notice:Editorial team review only - scholar review pending
The Prophet's du'a for children
Narrated by Ibn Abbas (radiy-Allahu anhu)
أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لاَمَّةٍI seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from every devil, every harmful creature, and every envious eye.
Recite this over your child when they sleep, when they leave the house, when they are unwell. Teach them, when they are old enough, to say it themselves. The phrase is short, easy to memorise, and addresses the three named harms together.
The Mu'awwidhat for the household
Narrated by Aishah (radiy-Allahu anha)
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ إِذَا أَوَى إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ جَمَعَ كَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ نَفَثَ فِيهِمَا فَقَرَأَ فِيهِمَا قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ وَ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ وَ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا مَا اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ يَبْدَأُ بِهِمَا عَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَوَجْهِهِ وَمَا أَقْبَلَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍWhenever the Prophet went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over them after reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas, Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face and front of his body. He used to do that three times.
For young children: a parent cups their hands, recites the three surahs, breathes softly into the hands, and wipes them over the child's head, face, and chest. Three times. The child does not need to understand the Arabic for the recitation to take effect; Allah hears the parent's sincerity.
How children learn the routine
- Make it visible. Recite within their hearing every night. Children imitate what they see.
- Teach Al-Ikhlas first. Four short verses, easy syllables, deep meaning. By age four or five most children can recite it.
- Add Al-Falaq and An-Nas. Slightly longer, but still within reach by school age.
- Teach the du'a of Ibrahim, the phrase from Sahih al-Bukhari 3371.
- Teach bismi-Allah for eating, entering the home, removing clothing.
- Pray with them. Begin with imitation, move to formal salah by age seven.
What NOT to do to a child
- Do not hang taweez on the child. The Sunnah is recitation, not enclosure. Sunan Abi Dawud 3883 (Sahih) is clear on this.
- Do not narrate jinn horror stories. A child who falls asleep frightened of an invented jinn in the closet is harder to protect, not easier.
- Do not take a child to a fortune-teller or fake raqi under any condition. A parent's pressure can do years of damage to a child's creed.
- Do not over-photograph and share publicly, particularly for the first year. The Sharia does not prohibit photos but does prescribe care against ayn.
If the child is ill
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (radiy-Allahu anhu)
مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ دَاءً إِلاَّ أَنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءًAllah has not sent down any disease without also sending down its treatment.
For severe symptoms - high fever in a young child, breathing difficulty, prolonged refusal to eat or drink, unusual lethargy - proceed to medical care immediately. Recite on the way. The two means are partners, never rivals.