Ta'awwudh

{{Short description|Arabic phrase asking for God's protection}}

The Ta`awwudh (Arabic: تعوذ) is the phrase A`ūdhu billāhi min ash-shaitāni r-rajīmi (أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّـيْطٰنِ الرَّجِيْمِ). This is an Arabic sentence meaning "I seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, the accursed one".{{cite book |last1=Pantić |first1=Nikola |title=Sufism in Ottoman Damascus: Religion, Magic, and the Eighteenth-Century Networks of the Holy |date=29 September 2023 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-96261-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0KPREAAAQBAJ&dq=Ta%60awwudh&pg=PT96 |access-date=20 January 2024 |language=en}} It is often recited by Muslims before reciting the Qur'an and before beginning a task. It is often followed by the Basmala.{{cite book |last1=Press |first1=Raqeem |title=Salat: The Muslim Prayer Book |date=1 January 2016 |publisher=Islam International Publications Ltd |isbn=978-1-84880-856-0 |page=35 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N7u9DwAAQBAJ&dq=Ta%60awwudh&pg=PA35 |access-date=20 January 2024 |language=en}}

Ta'awwudh and basmalah are pronounced along with the formulation of the niyyah (intention).{{cite book |last1=Glassé |first1=Cyril |title=The New Encyclopedia of Islam |date=2001 |publisher=Rowman Altamira |isbn=978-0-7591-0190-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=focLrox-frUC&dq=Ta%60awwudh&pg=PA157 |access-date=20 January 2024 |language=en}} The recitation of ta`awwudh is considered a subcategory of dua.{{cite book |last1=Tümkaya |first1=Erkan |title=Migrant Lives: Experiences of ʿAlawiness in Germany |date=29 December 2023 |publisher=Springer Nature|page=113 |isbn=978-3-662-68448-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OJjrEAAAQBAJ&dq=Ta%60awwudh&pg=PA113 |access-date=20 January 2024 |language=en}} It is also described in the hadith as a supplication to reduce or remove rage or wrath.