Dua for Leaving Home and Entering Home: The Authentic Words
Contents
Your keys are in your hand and the door is half open. Before you step out, the Prophet ﷺ taught a few words that place the whole trip in Allah’s care. This is the dua for leaving home from Sunan Abi Dawud, a second dua Umm Salamah heard him say at her door, and what the authentic hadith teach about coming back in.
At a glance
- Source: Sunan Abi Dawud 5095 and 5094 (leaving); Sahih Muslim 2018 (entering)
- Narrated by: Anas ibn Malik; Umm Salamah; Jabir ibn Abdullah
- Grade: Sahih (al-Albani) for both leaving duas, with a grading note below; Sahih (Muslim) for entering
- Topic: What to say when leaving and entering home
- Practise it: Say it at the front door tomorrow morning, and say Bismillah when you come back in
The dua for leaving home
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ taught these words for the moment a person goes out of the house:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ
Bismillah, tawakkaltu ‘alallah, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah
In the name of Allah, I trust in Allah; there is no might and no power except by Allah.
Abu Dawud 5095 · Sahih (al-Albani) · Narrated by Anas ibn Malik · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
And this is what is said to the one who says them:
إِذَا خَرَجَ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ فَقَالَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ. قَالَ يُقَالُ حِينَئِذٍ هُدِيتَ وَكُفِيتَ وَوُقِيتَ فَتَتَنَحَّى لَهُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَيَقُولُ لَهُ شَيْطَانٌ آخَرُ كَيْفَ لَكَ بِرَجُلٍ قَدْ هُدِيَ وَكُفِيَ وَوُقِيَ
“When a man goes out of his house and says: ‘In the name of Allah, I trust in Allah; there is no might and no power but in Allah,’ it will be said to him at that time: ‘You are guided, sufficed and protected.’ The devils will move away from him, and another devil will say: ‘How can you deal with a man who has been guided, sufficed and protected?’”
Abu Dawud 5095 · Sahih (al-Albani) · Narrated by Anas ibn Malik · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
The dua of Umm Salamah when leaving the house
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), a wife of the Prophet ﷺ, said he never went out of her house without raising his eyes to the sky and saying:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَضِلَّ أَوْ أُضَلَّ أَوْ أَزِلَّ أَوْ أُزَلَّ أَوْ أَظْلِمَ أَوْ أُظْلَمَ أَوْ أَجْهَلَ أَوْ يُجْهَلَ عَلَىَّ
Allahumma inni a’udhu bika an adilla aw udalla, aw azilla aw uzalla, aw azlima aw uzlama, aw ajhala aw yujhala ‘alayya
O Allah, I seek refuge in You lest I stray or be led astray, or slip or be made to slip, or do wrong or be wronged, or act ignorantly or be treated ignorantly.
Abu Dawud 5094 · Sahih (al-Albani) · Narrated by Umm Salamah · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
Each pair has two sides: the harm we might do to others, and the harm others might do to us.
What to say when entering home
The authentic hadith give no set dua for entering home. What they teach is to mention Allah as you come in. Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) heard the Prophet ﷺ say:
إِذَا دَخَلَ الرَّجُلُ بَيْتَهُ فَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ عِنْدَ دُخُولِهِ وَعِنْدَ طَعَامِهِ قَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ لاَ مَبِيتَ لَكُمْ وَلاَ عَشَاءَ. وَإِذَا دَخَلَ فَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ اللَّهَ عِنْدَ دُخُولِهِ قَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ أَدْرَكْتُمُ الْمَبِيتَ. وَإِذَا لَمْ يَذْكُرِ اللَّهَ عِنْدَ طَعَامِهِ قَالَ أَدْرَكْتُمُ الْمَبِيتَ وَالْعَشَاءَ
“When a man enters his house and mentions Allah on entering and at his food, Shaytan says: ‘You have no place to spend the night and no supper.’ When he enters without mentioning Allah on entering, Shaytan says: ‘You have found a place to spend the night.’ And when he does not mention Allah at his food, he says: ‘You have found a place to spend the night and supper.’”
Muslim 2018 · Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
The Quran adds a second habit for the doorway: greeting the people inside.
لَّيْسَ عَلَى ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى ٱلْأَعْرَجِ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَى ٱلْمَرِيضِ حَرَجٌ وَلَا عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَن تَأْكُلُوا۟ مِنۢ بُيُوتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ ءَابَآئِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ إِخْوَٰنِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخَوَٰتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَعْمَـٰمِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ عَمَّـٰتِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ أَخْوَٰلِكُمْ أَوْ بُيُوتِ خَـٰلَـٰتِكُمْ أَوْ مَا مَلَكْتُم مَّفَاتِحَهُۥٓ أَوْ صَدِيقِكُمْ ۚ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَأْكُلُوا۟ جَمِيعًا أَوْ أَشْتَاتًا ۚ فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُم بُيُوتًا فَسَلِّمُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ تَحِيَّةً مِّنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ مُبَـٰرَكَةً طَيِّبَةً ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
There is not upon the blind [any] constraint nor upon the lame constraint nor upon the ill constraint nor upon yourselves when you eat from your [own] houses or the houses of your fathers or the houses of your mothers or the houses of your brothers or the houses of your sisters or the houses of your father’s brothers or the houses of your father’s sisters or the houses of your mother’s brothers or the houses of your mother’s sisters or [from houses] whose keys you possess or [from the house] of your friend. There is no blame upon you whether you eat together or separately. But when you enter houses, give greetings of peace upon each other – a greeting from Allāh, blessed and good. Thus does Allāh make clear to you the verses [of ordinance] that you may understand.
Surah An-Nur 24:61 · Translation: Saheeh International, from Quran.com
A note on the grading
Al-Albani graded both leaving duas Sahih in Abu Dawud 5095 and Abu Dawud 5094, and HadeethEnc lists the first one as authentic (HadeethEnc 3504). Darussalam graded the same wording Da’if in other collections: Tirmidhi 3426 for the first dua, and Tirmidhi 3427, Nasa’i 5486 and Ibn Majah 3884 for Umm Salamah’s dua. We use both with al-Albani’s grade and show the difference so you can check it yourself.
What it means
HadeethEnc explains that an angel calls out to the one who says the leaving dua: he has been guided to the straight path, his worries have been taken care of, and he has been protected from his enemies, so the devil assigned to him moves away (HadeethEnc 3504). Its last phrase, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah, is a treasure of Paradise in its own right.
On entering, HadeethEnc notes that mentioning Allah when you come in and before you eat keeps the devil from spending the night in the house and sharing its food, and that dhikr drives him away (HadeethEnc 3037).
Reflection: The leaving dua hands three things to Allah in one breath: your start (His name), your plans (trust in Him) and your strength (no power except by Him). It fits the moment the day is about to pull you in many directions.
How to practise it
- Say “Bismillah, tawakkaltu ‘alallah, la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah” as you step out of the door.
- Add Umm Salamah’s dua when you can, before a day of dealing with people.
- Say “Bismillah” as you come back in, and again before you eat (Sahih Muslim 2018).
- Greet the people of the house with salam (Quran 24:61).
- The Prophet ﷺ began with the siwak when he entered his house (Muslim 253): a small sunnah to bring home with you.
Questions people ask
Is there a set dua for entering home?
A popular one begins “Allahumma inni as’aluka khayral-mawlij…” (Abu Dawud 5096), but al-Albani graded it Da’if, so we do not use it here. The authentic teaching is to mention Allah when you enter (Sahih Muslim 2018).
Should I say salam when I enter my home?
Yes. The Quran tells us to greet one another when we enter houses (24:61). A well-known hadith telling Anas to greet his family (Tirmidhi 2698) is graded Da’if (Darussalam), so we rely on the verse.
What about the two angels at the door?
A narration in Ibn Majah 3886 says two angels answer each phrase of the dua. Darussalam graded it Da’if, so we do not use it. The Sahih wording in Abu Dawud 5095 already carries the same three promises: guided, sufficed and protected.
Key lessons
- Begin every outing with Allah’s name and trust in Him.
- The leaving dua brings guidance, sufficiency and protection.
- Seek refuge from wronging others and from being wronged.
- Mention Allah on entering, so Shaytan finds no place in your home.
- Greet your household with salam when you come in.
Part of our Dua series: see all our dua articles in one place.
Tomorrow morning, pause at the door for three seconds and say it. May Allah guide, suffice and protect every one of us on the way out, and bless our homes when we return.
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