What Do We Say Before Reading the Quran?
ماذا نقول قبل البدء بقراءة القرآن الكريم؟
“We seek refuge with Allah from the accursed devil.” Allah the Almighty says: (So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].) [An-Nahl 16:98]
نعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم.
قال الله تعالى: (فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ) [النحل 16: 98]
1. A Recommendation, Before the Recitation | أمر ندب قبل التلاوة
Ibn Kathir explains that 16:98 is a command from Allah to His servants to seek refuge with Him from Satan the accursed when they want to recite the Quran, and that it is a recommendation, not an obligation; Ibn Jarir and other imams reported consensus on this. Most scholars hold that seeking refuge comes before the recitation, and Ibn Kathir calls this the correct view, because of the hadiths showing that it comes first.
فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ (سورة النحل: 98)
قال ابن كثير: هذا أمر من الله تعالى لعباده على لسان نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم: إذا أرادوا قراءة القرآن أن يستعيذوا بالله من الشيطان الرجيم، وهو أمر ندب ليس بواجب، حكى الإجماع على ذلك الإمام أبو جعفر بن جرير وغيره من الأئمة، وذهب الجمهور إلى أن الاستعاذة إنما تكون قبل التلاوة، والصحيح الأول لما تقدم من الأحاديث الدالة على تقدمها على التلاوة.
2. Why Before the Recitation | المعنى في الاستعاذة عند القراءة
Ibn Kathir gives the reason: so that Satan does not confuse the reader’s recitation or mix it up for him, and does not keep him from reflecting and pondering. Why we seek refuge from Satan is explained in why we seek refuge in Allah from Satan when reading the Quran; seeking refuge still applies at the start of Surah At-Tawbah, which has no Basmala, as explained in which surah does not start with the Basmala.
قال ابن كثير: والمعنى في الاستعاذة عند ابتداء القراءة لئلا يلبس على القارئ قراءته ويخلط عليه، ويمنعه من التدبر والتفكر.
3. The Same Words in the Sunnah | الصيغة نفسها في السنة
Two men insulted each other in front of the Prophet, and one of them grew angry until his face turned red. The Prophet said: I know a word which, if he said it, what he feels would leave him: if he said, a’udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim, I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed (Sahih al-Bukhari 6115).
استب رجلان عند النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، وأحدهما يسب صاحبه مغضبا قد احمر وجهه، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: "إني لأعلم كلمة لو قالها لذهب عنه ما يجد، لو قال: أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم" (صحيح البخاري 6115).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What do we say before reading the Quran?
A’udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim: we seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed.
Which verse commands it?
An-Nahl 16:98: when you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed.
Is seeking refuge before reading obligatory?
No. Ibn Kathir says it is a recommendation, and Ibn Jarir and other imams reported consensus on this.
Does it come before or after the recitation?
Before it, according to most scholars; Ibn Kathir calls this the correct view.