Dua for Entering Home and Dua for leaving home

In Islam, we have a du’a or supplication for almost every action or deed. Such supplications are meant to add barakah (God’s blessing) to our daily activities. Reciting any du’a or supplication takes some seconds or a minute at most. Muslims should customarily recite du’a before any activity. One such dua is dua for entering the home.

• Dua for entering home – Supplication upon entering home

بِسْـمِ اللّهِ وَلَجْنـَا، وَبِسْـمِ اللّهِ خَـرَجْنـَا، وَعَلَـى رَبِّنـَا تَوَكّلْـنَا  

Bismillahi walajna, wabismillahi kharajna, wa’ala rabbina tawakkalna.

Translation:  

In the name of Allah we enter, and in the name of Allah we leave, and upon our Lord we place our trust.

Abu Dawud 4:325  

Reciting this dua is done to pray to Allah for His blessings upon us. One is supposed to recite the dua for entering a home before entering a place that has been vacant for a while. Regardless, you must say this dua for Allah’s sake, even if you merely return from a market or elsewhere.

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: When a person recites dua for entering the home before entering a place, the devil says to his companions that there is no night shelter here for them. When one enters someone’s home without reciting dua for entering the home, the devil says to his companions, « You have got yourselves a night shelter. »

Sahih/Authentic. – [Muslim] 

• Dua for leaving home – Supplication upon entering home 

As the Prophet Muhammad PBUH stated in a hadith that when a person leaves his/her home and recites the dua for leaving, only Allah has the authority to harm him in any way. For him, the devil flees far away, and he is always led and guarded.

Because Allah has given us a place to live and shelter, we must always express gratitude towards him through reciting dua for leaving home. The following two dua for leaving home are mentioned in Hadith.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْـتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُـوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ.  

Bismillahi tawakkaltu A’lallah, wala hauwla wala quwwata illa billah.

Translation: 

In the name of Allah, I place my trust in Allah, and there is no power nor might except Allah.

and

اَللَّهُـمَّ إِنِّي أَعُـوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَضِـلَّ أَوْ أُضَـلَّ، أَوْ أَزِلَّ أَوْ أُزَلَّ، 

 أَوْ أَظْلِـمَ أَوْ أَُظْلَـمَ، أَوْ أَجْهَلَ أَوْ يُـجْهَلَ عَلَـيَّ .

Allahumma innee aa’oothu bika an adilla auw udal, auw azilla auw uzall,  

auw azlima auw uzlam, auw ajhala auw yujhala aa’laiyya.

Oh, Allah, I take refuge with You lest I should stray or be led astray, or slip or be tripped, or oppress or be oppressed, or behave foolishly or be treated foolishly.’  

(slip: to sin unintentionally)

At-Tirmidhi 3:152 

Constant remembrance of Allah, Exalted, is vital for the prosperity of life and the afterlife. Mentioning Him before any activity is gratifying in both worlds. Prophet taught us numerous duas, for instance, dua for entering home, dua for leaving home, dua for eating, dua for sleeping, dua for entering and leaving the washroom, etc. Customarily adding these duas into our daily lives is rewarding for Muslims.  

Sunnah’s of Entering a place. 

It is indeed a Sunnah to supplicate before entering, but we’re also taught about the etiquette of entering a place through Sunnah. Following are some sunnah a good Muslim would follow.

-Avoid slamming the door shut or letting it close by itself – Discreetly close the door with your hands. As mentioned in a hadith, “every action is adorned with gentleness. The lack of gentleness spoils every action.”

-Right foot first when entering or leaving a place – Renowned hadith scholar Imam Abul Ala Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Hamazani was so dedicated to upholding this sunnah that if someone stepped into his home with their left foot first, he would instruct them to leave and come back with their right foot first.

-Be considerate when entering while others are asleep – Try being as calm and quiet as possible when entering or leaving an area where people are asleep. Be considerate and avoid making much noise. Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray and recite Quran at night; he’d only do it in a voice loud enough for awake people to hear and low enough not to disturb the ones asleep. 

-Knocking on the door – Knocking on the door before entering is basic etiquette that everyone must follow. This rule is applied to everyone present in residence, whether he/she’s a family member or not.

Do not repeatedly knock or ring the bell; it might aggravate the people inside. Light and gentle ringing or knocking are appropriate.

-Greet everyone present – It is essential for Muslims to try and say salaam to others first. It is rewarding. Salaam: Assalaamu Alaikum Warahmat u Allahi wa barakaatuh; it symbolizes peace in Islam and a sunnah that Muslims must follow.

-Make it apparent that you’ve entered – To avoid startling anyone or landing unexpectedly on them, make your presence known to the residents. It is suggested that when a person enters his house, he makes a noise by clearing his throat or tapping his shoes. More so, you can recite dua for entering home in a loud voice.  

-Respond when you’re asked, “Who is it?” – If you’re asked, “Who is it?” respond with your name instead of saying anything else, like, “it’s me” or “guess who.” I recall an anecdote of the Prophet’s (PBUH) life. When he questioned, “Who is it?” Jabir Ibn Abdullah replied, “It’s me.” He retorted, “It’s me, it is me.” After that, all his companions always responded with their names when asked, “Who is it?”

-Supplication – The prophet (PBUH) taught us the dua for entering and leaving home. As Muslims, we should always be mindful of it whenever we enter or leave a residence.