How To Protect The Muslim Home From Shaytaan
By Imam Abu Usamah At-Thahabi

Mentioning Allah's name when entering the home and when eating and drinking

Jaabir Ibn Abdullah (ÑÖí Çááå Úäåã) narrated that the Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) said: "If a man enters his home and he mentions Allah when he enters and when he eats, the Shaytaan says "You have no place to sleep tonight, nor do you have any dinner". And if a man enters his home and he doesn't mention Allah's name Shaytaan says, "You have found a place to sleep". And if he doesn't mention Allah when he eats Shaytaan says, "You have found a place to sleep and you have found your dinner". Muslim

Reading the Quran:

Abu Musa (ÑÖí Çááå Úäåã) narrated that the Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) said, "Verily everything has a peak, and the peak of the Quran is Sura Al-Baqarah. And verily if Shaytaan hears Sura Al-Baqarah being read, he leaves the home in which Sura Al-Baqarah is read in". Haakim

Abu Hurayrah (ÑÖí Çááå Úäåã) narrated that the Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) said, "Don't make your homes into graves, for verily the home that Sura Al-Baqarah is read in it, the Shaytaan doesn't enter it". Muslim

Maintaining good marital relations:

Jaabir (ÑÖí Çááå Úäåã) said that the Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) said, "Verily Iblis's throne is over the water, and he sends out his soldiers (to make fitnah). The one that is closes to him (he likes him the most) is the one that makes the most fitnah. One of them (his soldiers) comes to him and he says, "I have not left him (the person) until I have divided him and his wife". So Iblis brings him close to him and he says to him, "You've done good". Muslim

Making dua for the children:

The Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) said: "If one of you wants to have relations with his wife, then let him say: Bismillah! Oh Allah safeguard us from Shaytaan, and safeguard what you bestow upon us from Shaytaan. The Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) then said, "If a child has been decreed for them (from that relationship), then Shaytaan will never be able to harm that child". Bukhari/Muslim

The Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) use to make this dua over Hasan (ÑÖí Çááå Úäåã) and Hussein (ÑÖí Çááå Úäåã): "I seek refuge for you two, in the perfect words of Allah, from every Shaytaan, and from every poisonous reptile, and from every evil eye". After making this dua the Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) would say, "Verily, your father (Ibrahim) use to say this dua over Ismail and Ishaaq (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of them). Bukhari

Keeping music out of the home:

Allah says in the Quran, "Incite whoever you can among them with your voice, and assault them with your horses and foot soldiers, and become a partner in their wealth and their children, and promise them. But Shaytaan doesn't promise them except delusions". Al-Isra verse 64

The Taabi'ee Mujaahid (ÑÖí Çááå Úäåã) , explained part of this ayat by saying, "The voice of Shaytaan is music".

The Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) said, "There's going to be a group of people from my Ummah, who will make zina (fornication and adultery) and silk, and intoxicants, and musical instruments halal". Bukhari

Abdullah Ibn Masood said: "Music causes hypocrisy to grow in the heart just as water causes the plants to grow".

Every nation and every culture has been tried with the fitnah of music. It's one of the most affective weapons that Shaytaan uses to lead the majority of the sons and daughters of Adam (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) astray. The Ummah of Islam has not been exempt from this fitnah. Unfortunately, in many cases Muslims are more committed to music then they are to the Quran. The proof of this is they have memorized more lyrics to the rap songs and love songs of their favorite artist, than verses of the Quran Wallah-ul-Musta'aan.

Purifying the home of bells:

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said, "The bell is the flute of Shaytaan". He also narrated that the Messenger of Allah (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) said, "The angels do not accompany a group of people that have a dog or bell with them". Both hadith collected by Imam Muslim

Concerning this issue the Muslim may find himself being compelled to use a bell. For example, he's usually going to have a telephone, a doorbell, and maybe even an alarm clock that wakes him up for Salat.

If it's possible for him to avoid the usage of a bell he should try to do so. Like, in the case of having a grandfather's clock and the bell goes off at the top of every hour. But if the usage of a bell is inevitable, then Allah does not burden anyone beyond his ability.

Purifying the home of Crosses:

The cross is symbols of shirk and kufr, because it is what the Christians use to support their erroneous claim that Esa ibn Maryum (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) was crucified. The mere usage of this symbol shows how they are a group of people who do not think with their minds, but instead Shaytaan has thoroughly deceived them! No sane person should want to be reminded of a symbol that was instrumental in the killing of a loved one, not to mention his or her god Wallah-ul-Musta'aan.

As Muslims, we have a religious obligation to establish our Al-Baraa from this symbol, what it stands for, and those who believe in it.

The Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) said, "Whoever resembles a people then he is from them". Abu Daud

Based upon this hadith the Muslim should refrain from having a cross or anything shaped like a cross in his home, as this would be considered resembling the Christians.

It should also be understood that a person's intention has nothing to do with this prohibition. Whether the cross has been placed in his home intentionally or by accident is irrelevant. Once he sees it, he should destroy it or change it.

Aisha (ÑÖí Çááå Úäåã) said: "The Messenger of Allah (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) would never leave anything shaped like a cross in his house, except that he destroyed it". Bukhari

Concerning this statement of Aisha (ÑÖí Çááå Úäåã), it is not conceivable that the Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) or anyone from his purely monotheistic and blessed household could have intentionally brought a symbol of shirk and kufr into his home! Inspite of that fact, we find him destroying any and everything shaped like a cross if he saw it in his home.

Purifying the home from the black dog:

In general, it is not permissible for the Muslim to own a dog except in three cases. And this is in accordance with the statement of the Messenger of Allah (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã) who said, "Whoever uses a dog, except the hunting dog, or the dog that's used for his flock, or the dog that's used for his agriculture, the reward of his actions will be decreased everyday by two qeeraats". Tirmizi

In one hadith a qeerat has been explained as being the size of mount Uhud. Therefore, if the Muslim is forced to have a dog to protect his home or his property, he should be careful not to choose the black dog. And that is due to the statement of the Prophet (Õáí Çááå Úáíå æ Óáã), "The black dog is Shaytaan". Muslim

May Allah purify our hearts and our homes from all forms of shirk and kufr, and may He divinely protect us from the Shayaateen who enter our homes and they dwell there with our knowledge and those who are present in our homes and we know nothing of their presence.