Duas for travel Before departing on a journey, one should perform a two-unit (rak‛āt) prayer. In the first cycle, recite Sūrah al-Fātiḥah followed by Sūrah al-Kāfirūn, and in the second cycle recite Sūrah al-Fātiḥah followed by Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ. After the prayer, raise your hands and supplicate to Allāh with absolute sincerity and a truthful intention, saying: All praise be to Allāh; O Allāh! Bestow blessings and peace on our master Muḥammad and his family. O Allāh! You are our Companion during this journey, and the One in whose care we leave our family, wealth, children and friends; Protect us from all kinds of illnesses and disasters. O Allāh! We ask You on this journey for righteousness, mindfulness of You, and deeds that please You. O Allāh! We ask You to shorten the distance for us, make this journey easy for us, keep our body, faith, and wealth safe, and let us reach our destination. O Allāh! We seek refuge in You from the difficulties of this journey, and from a sorrowful return, any distressing sight concerning our family, wealth, children, or friends. O Allāh! Place us and them in Your protection, and do not take away the blessings and well-being You have granted us and them; and may the blessings and peace of Allāh be upon our master Muḥammad, his family and his companions. Praise be to Allāh, Lord of all the Worlds. When leaving your house at the door, say:
In the name of Allāh, I place my trust in Allāh. There is no ability to change from one state to another, nor any strength, except by Allah. O Allah, I take refuge in You lest I stray or be led astray, or humiliate myself or be humiliated, or slip or be made to stumble, or oppress or be oppressed, or behave foolishly or be treated foolishly.
O Allāh! I beseech You by the right of those who supplicate to You, and by the right of those who turn to You in hope, and by this journey I undertake seeking You, for I have not gone out in arrogance, pride, ostentation, or seeking fame, but I have gone out to avoid Your displeasure and to seek Your pleasure. I ask You to protect me from the Hellfire, to admit me into Paradise, and to forgive my sins, for none but You can forgive sins. When leaving the house, say the following supplication which has been proven as protection:
In Your Name, O Allāh, we have departed, and it is You who have enabled our departure. O Allāh! Keep us safe and keep us from harming others, and return us safely, and grant each of us the good You grant those who return with gain.
Allāh! There is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither slumber nor sleep can overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the Heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what will happen to (His creatures) in this world and what will happen to them in the Hereafter; nor shall they comprehend anything at all of His Knowledge except as He Wills. His Throne encompasses the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not burden Him in the slightest. He is the Exalted, the Magnificent. If the supplicant is walking, he/she says:
O Allāh! It is by You that I set out. In You I put my trust. To You I turn for protection, and to You I direct myself. O Allāh! You are the one I place my trust in, and You are my hope. Take care of what concerns me and what escapes my notice, for You know better than I do. Exalted is Your protection and exalted is Your praise, and there is no god but You.
O Allāh! Grant me mindfulness of You, forgive my sins, and direct me towards good wherever I may go. One recites this on entering each dwelling. If the supplicant is riding, he/she says:
In the Name of Allāh, and by Allāh. Allāh is Supreme. I place my trust in Allāh. There is no ability to change from one state to another, nor any strength, except by Allah, the Most High, the Most Great. Whatever Allāh wills will be, and whatever He does not will shall not be.
O Allāh! I turn my face towards You, I entrust all my affairs to You, and I rely upon You for all my affairs; You are sufficient for me, and what an excellent Guardian You are. When seated in the transport, the supplicant says:
O Allāh! You are the One who carries us on these conveyances, and You are the One whose help we seek in all our affairs. In the Name of Allāh, and all dominion belongs to Allāh.
They have not shown Allah His proper reverence—when on the Day of Judgment the whole earth will be in His Grip, and the heavens will be rolled up by His command. Glorified and Exalted is He above what they associate with Him! One riding in a car, plane or ship adds:
{And he said, “Board it! In the Name of Allah it will sail and cast anchor. Surely my Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”} {Glory be to the One Who has subjected these for us, for we could have never done so ˹on our own˺. And surely to our Lord we will return.}
In the Name of Allāh, and the Kingdom belongs to Allāh; O Allāh! O the One to Whom the seven heavens are obedient, and the seven earths are humble, and the high mountains stand in awe, and the swelling seas are fearful. Protect us, You are the best of protectors, and You are the Most Merciful.
﴿ فَقَدَرْنَا فَنِعْمَ ٱلْقَـٰدِرُونَ ﴾
We ˹perfectly˺ ordained. How excellent are We in doing so!
Praise be to Allāh (3 times), Allāh is Great (3 times), Glory belongs to You. Indeed, I have wronged myself; forgive me. Indeed, none forgives sins except You. Then smile. Supplication of Amīr al-Mu’minīn ‛Ali (peace be upon him) - a guaranteed protection for the traveler and whatever he possesses: Read Sūrah Al-Fātiḥah (3 times). Then say:
O Allāh! Keep me safe, and keep all that is with me safe. Protect me and protect all that is with me. Bring me to my destination, and bring all that is with me. (3 times). Then read Sūrah Qadr (3 times). Then read Ayat al-Kursi (3 times). Then read Sūrah Al-Ikhlāṣ (3 times). And then: Then read:
Most certainly, the One Who has ordained the Quran for you will bring you back to the place of return. [Sūrah Qaṣaṣ (28), Verse 85] Then repeat the supplication for fending off grief as follows:
There is no god but Allāh, the Magnificent, the Forbearing. There is no god but Allāh, Lord of the magnificent throne. There is no god but Allāh, Lord of the Heavens, Lord of the earth, and Lord of the noble throne. After completing this, the supplicant says:
as many times as the number of His creation, to the extent of His pleasure, to the weight of His Throne, and the ink it would take to write His Words. It will be good if he adds Ayat al-Kursi once, then Surah Alam Nashrah (seven times), then Surah Qadr (seven times), then Surah Quraysh. Allāhu lā ilāha illā huwal ḥayyul qayyūm; lā ta’khudhuhū sinatuw walā nawm; lahū mā fissamāwāti wa mā fil’arḍ, Man dhalladhī yashfa‛u ‛indahū illā bi’idhnihī, ya‛lamu mā bayna aydīhim wa mā khalfahum, wa lā yuḥīṭūna bishay’im min ‛ilmihī illā bimā shā’, wasi‛a kursiyyuhus samāwāti wal arḍ, wa lā ya’ūduhū ḥifẓuhumā, wa huwal ‛aliyyul ‛aẓīm. Bismillāhir raḥmānir raḥīm. Alam nashraḥ laka ṣadrak. Wa waḍa‛nā ‛anka wizrak. Alladhī anqaḍa ẓahrak. Wa rafa‛nā laka dhikrak. Fa’inna ma‛al ‛usri yusrā. Inna ma‛al ‛usri yusrā. Fa’idhā faraghta fanṣab. Wa ilā rabbika farghab. (7 times) Bismillāhir raḥmānir raḥīm. Innā anzalnāhu fī laylatil qadr. Wa mā adrāka mā laylatul qadr. Laylatul qadri khayrum min alfi shahr. Tanazzalul malā’ikatu warrūḥu fīhā bi’idhni rabbihim min kulli amr. Salāmun, hiya ḥattā maṭla‛il fajr. (7 times) Bismillāhir raḥmānir raḥīm. Li’īlāfi quraysh. Ῑlāfihim riḥlatash shitā’i waṣṣayf. Falya‛budū rabba hādhal bayt. Alladhī aṭ‛amahum min jū‛iw wa āmanahum min khawf. If he fears anyone, he should read Sūrah Quraysh, and say:
O Allāh! We set You against them, and we seek refuge in You from their evils. O Allāh! Lord of the Heavens and Lord of the Honoured Throne; be my protector against their evil, and from the evil of jinn and mankind, and from the evil of their helpers and followers. Exalted is Your protection and exalted is Your praise, and there is no god but You. When the supplicant ascends an elevated place, he should say:
Allāh is Supreme! O Allāh! All honour belongs to You above every honour. To You belongs all praise under all circumstances. And when he descends, he glorifies Allāh. When the supplicant fears forlornness in his travels, he/she says:
Glory be to the Sovereign, the Holy, the Lord of the Angels and the Spirit (Jibrīl). You have clothed the heavens in might and dominion. When night falls, the supplicant says:
O earth, my Lord and your Lord is Allāh. I seek refuge in Allāh from your evil, the evil within you, the evil of what was created within you, and the evil of all that moves upon you. I seek refuge in Allāh from the evil of every lion, every serpent, every snake, every scorpion, the evil of every inhabitant of the land, and the evil of every progenitor and its offspring.
To Him belongs whatever exists in the day and night. And He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing. When the supplicant looks out over their own city or another, they should read:
Allāh is Great (3 times); There is no god but Allāh alone; He has no partner. To Him belongs all Authority and for Him is all praise, and He has power over all things; as many times as there are atoms, multiplied a millionfold. We return (from our journey) repentant, worshipping and praising our Lord. Allāh was true to His promise, gave victory to His servant, and He alone defeated the confederates.
“My Lord! Let me land with Your blessings in a blessed landing place. For You alone can provide the best of landings.” [23:29] “My Lord! Grant me an honourable entrance and an honourable exit and give me a supporting authority from Yourself.” [17:80]
O Allāh! Lord of the seven Heavens and all that they overshadow; Lord of the seven earths and all they contain; Lord of the Satans and all that they lead astray; Lord of the winds and all that they scatter; and Lord of the seas and all that flows within them. I ask You for the good of this town, the good it holds, the good of its inhabitants, and the good disposition You have instilled in it and its people; and I seek refuge in You from the evil of this town, the evil it holds, the evil of its people, and the evil disposition You created in it and its people. And avert from us the evil of their wicked ones.
O Allāh! Bless us in it (3 times). Make us dear to its people and make the righteous among them dear to us. [Then he recites what is easy for him to do so from the Qur’ān, and gifts the reward to the souls of the deceased and the living. Our master Imām Aḥmad bin al-Ḥasan al-‛Aṭṭas al-‛Alawī, who passed away in Ḥurayḍah in Ḥaḍramawt 1334 Hijri, used to encourage this and said: “These righteous actions are written on the scrolls of the living, and are a mercy for the deceased, and are the best of all gifts for them.”] Supplication when entering the house: The supplicant greets the occupants of the house upon entering it, and if no one is present, he says:
Peace be upon you, O Prophet, may Allāh’s mercy and blessings be upon you. Peace be upon us and upon all Allāh’s righteous servants. Peace be upon us from our Lord—a blessed and beautiful greeting from Allāh. O Allāh, bestow blessings and peace upon our master Muḥammad and his family.
“My Lord! Grant me an honourable entrance and an honourable exit and give me a supporting authority from Yourself.” [17:80] “My Lord! Let me land with Your blessings in a blessed landing place. For You alone can provide the best of landings.” [23:29] Then read Sūrah Al-Fātiḥah and Sūrah Al-Ikhlāṣ thrice, and Ayat al-Kursi. It is guaranteed for wealth for oneself and their neighbours. Bismillāhir raḥmānir raḥīm Alḥamdulillāhi rabbil ‛ālamīn. Arraḥmānir raḥīm. Māliki yawmid dīn. Iyyāka na‛budu wa iyyāka nasta‛īn. Ihdinaṣ ṣirāṭal mustaqīm. Ṣirāṭalladhīna an‛amta ‛alayhim, ghayril maghḍūbi ‛alayhim walaḍ ḍāllīn. Āmīn (3 times) Bismillāhir raḥmānir raḥīm Qul huwal lāhu aḥad. Allāhuṣ ṣamad. Lam yalid wa lam yūlad. Wa lam yakul lahū kufuwan aḥad. (3 times) Allāhu lā ilāha illā huwal ḥayyul qayyūm; lā ta’khudhuhū sinatuw walā nawm; lahū mā fissamāwāti wa mā fil’arḍ, Man dhalladhī yashfa‛u ‛indahū illā bi’idhnihī, ya‛lamu mā bayna aydīhim wa mā khalfahum, wa lā yuḥīṭūna bishay’im min ‛ilmihī illā bimā shā’, wasi‛a kursiyyuhus samāwāti wal arḍ, wa lā ya’ūduhū ḥifẓuhumā, wa huwal ‛aliyyul ‛aẓīm. When the Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allāh be upon him, returned from his travels and came to his family, he would say: