Visit our YouTube channel for more
Questioner: [O] noble Shaykh, what is the reason for people’s neglect and reluctance to protect themselves with [the prescribed] dhikr ( ذكر )?
Shaykh: There are [several] reasons for this.
Among them is ignorance.
Many people are unaware of these supplications and invocations, and they do not know their benefits.
For this reason, the head of the household should be keen to teach his children and family these remembrances.
This is why the head of the household should be keen on teaching his sons, daughters, and his family these adhkaar ( أذكار ).
And all praise is due to Allaah [alone that] booklets on this subject are widely available.
Secondly: Weakness of eemaan.
Some people recite these invocations, but don’t truly believe that each time they read them, they are surrounding themselves with a strong protective barrier against the evil of the shayaateen.
Rather, some recite them merely for blessing, but they are only beneficial for those who recite them with complete and sincere belief, without [any] doubt, or a desire to “test” them.
And if he recites them while doubting, or only to ‘test’ whether they work, saying: ‘Let me see if this helps or not,’ then they will not benefit him.
Thirdly: People’s reliance on material matters, while being heedless of spiritual and heart-related matters.
For example, when a person gets sick, they rush to a doctor and don’t consider the [authentic] supplications mentioned for healing.
This is why you find a person – if afflicted with an illness – rushing to the doctor without considering the [authentic] supplications that have been prescribed for healing.
For instance, if a person feels the slightest pain in a joint or limb, he promptly and quickly goes to the doctor, even though the Sunnah states that if a person places their hand on the painful area and says:
أَعُوْذُ بِعِزّةِ اللّهِ وَ قُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرّ مَا أَجِدُ وَ أُحَاذِرُ
«I seek refuge in the might of Allaah and His power from the evil of what I find and what I fear»
– seven times, the pain will then certainly dissipate.
However, only if he says it with sincere belief.
Likewise, if he recites [soorah] al-Faatihah over someone who has been bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion, he will be cured, with the permission of Allaah.
As in the story of the Companions whom the Prophet ﷺ sent on a mission, and they stayed with a group of people who did not offer them hospitality, so they moved aside.
Then Allaah sent an affliction upon their chief, and he was bitten.
They asked:
They said:
So they came to the Companions رضي الله عنهم asking for someone to recite (ruqyah).
So they said:
So they gave them a flock of sheep.
Then the reciter went to recite over this bitten person with only soorah al-Faatihah, and the bitten person then stood up as if he had been freed from a binding rope.
When they came to the Prophet ﷺ and informed him, he said to the reciter:
So [soorah] al-Faatihah has an amazing effect when recited over the sick in general, and over those who have been bitten or stung in particular.
But as I said to you, people are heedless of this. They have come to depend solely on material matters.
This is why so many people nowadays suffer from fear, or even fall under the influence of jinn, or fall under the influence of sorcerers, and other than that – from that which has become more widespread recently.
We ask Allaah for safety for us, and for you.
Questioner: Aameen. May Allaah bless you, [O] noble Shaykh.
Translation originally published on 22 September, 2025
