Among the most powerful protection duas in the entire Sunnah is a single short sentence the Prophet ﷺ promised would shield the believer from any sudden harm — illness, accident or affliction — between when they say it in the morning and when they say it again in the evening. It is part of the daily morning and evening adhkar (Adhkar as-Sabah wal-Masa').
The dua for protection from sudden harm
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Bismillahilladhi la yadurru ma'asmihi shay'un fil-ardi wa la fis-sama'i wa Huwas-Sami'ul-'Alim.
In the name of Allah, with whose name nothing on earth or in the heaven can cause harm — and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
(Sunan Abi Dawud 5088 — narrated by Uthman ibn Affan (RA), graded Sahih)
The Prophet's promise — recite it three times
Whoever says three times in the morning and three times in the evening: 'Bismillahilladhi la yadurru ma'asmihi shay'un fil-ardi wa la fis-sama'i wa Huwas-Sami'ul-'Alim' — nothing will harm him.
When 'morning' and 'evening' are
- Morning adhkar: ideally between Fajr and sunrise. If missed, before Dhuhr is acceptable.
- Evening adhkar: ideally between Asr and Maghrib. If missed, before sleeping is acceptable.
- Recite this dua three times in each session — that is the full Sunnah method.
- Combine with: Sayyid al-Istighfar, Ayat al-Kursi, the last three surahs (al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, an-Nas) — three times each — and 'Hasbiy Allahu la ilaha illa Hu' (Surah at-Tawbah 9:129) seven times.
Why this dua is so powerful
The dua is not magic — it is the believer placing the day under the protection of the One who created harm itself. By saying 'with His name nothing can harm', the Muslim acknowledges that no illness, accident, person or jinn moves except by Allah's permission. The protection follows the sincerity of that conviction.
Hadith reference
The dua and its promise are reported in Sunan Abi Dawud (5088), Jami at-Tirmidhi (3388) and Sunan Ibn Majah (3869) on the authority of Uthman ibn Affan (RA), the third caliph. The hadith is graded Sahih by both Imam at-Tirmidhi and Imam al-Albani.