The doorway of your home is one of the busiest spiritual checkpoints of your day. You leave needing protection. You return needing barakah. The Prophet ﷺ taught a short dua for each — both quick to memorise and easy to make a daily habit for the whole family.
The dua when leaving the home
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
Bismillah, tawakkaltu 'ala Allah, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah.
In the name of Allah, I place my trust in Allah, and there is no might nor power except with Allah.
(Sunan Abi Dawud 5095, Jami at-Tirmidhi 3426 — narrated by Anas ibn Malik (RA), graded Sahih)
The promise attached to it
Whoever says — when he leaves his house — 'In the name of Allah, I place my trust in Allah, and there is no might nor power except with Allah', it is said to him: 'You are guided, you are protected, and you are sufficed.' And shaytan stands aside from him.
The dua when entering the home
When you return, the Prophet ﷺ recommended that you greet your household with salaam — even if no one is at home, by greeting yourself in the words taught by Allah in Surah an-Nur (24:61). A common Sunnah dua is also reported on entering:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَلَجْنَا، وَبِسْمِ اللَّهِ خَرَجْنَا، وَعَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّنَا تَوَكَّلْنَا
Bismillahi walajna, wa bismillahi kharajna, wa 'ala Allahi Rabbina tawakkalna.
In the name of Allah we enter, in the name of Allah we leave, and upon Allah, our Lord, we place our trust.
(Sunan Abi Dawud 5096)
Then greet the household
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
As-salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh.
Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
(Surah an-Nur 24:61)
Why this matters
The Prophet ﷺ said that mentioning Allah's name when entering the house and when starting a meal closes the door on shaytan, who otherwise tries to spend the night in homes where Allah is not remembered (Sahih Muslim 2018). A few seconds at the door, repeated daily, become a quiet form of household protection.
How to make this a family habit
- Stick the dua on a small card by the inside of your front door at eye level.
- Teach children the leaving-home dua first — it is short and rhythmic.
- Greet the family with salaam loudly when you walk in, even after a short trip out.
- Pair the leaving dua with another Sunnah: stepping out with the right foot first.
Hadith reference
The leaving-home dua is reported by Anas ibn Malik (RA) in Sunan Abi Dawud (5095) and Jami at-Tirmidhi (3426), graded Sahih. The entering-home dua is in Sunan Abi Dawud (5096). The salaam greeting is from the Qur'an itself, Surah an-Nur (24:61).