Sunan Abu Dawud, hadithi 4

Anas ibn Malik, who served the Prophet ﷺ in his home for years, describes a habit he observed: whenever the Prophet ﷺ went to "al-khala'," he would seek refuge in Allah. The word "khala'" literally means an empty, secluded place, because in that era people went out to open land away from homes to relieve themselves; later it came to mean any toilet or washroom. Anas tells us that before going in, the Prophet ﷺ would say a short prayer asking Allah for protection.

Abu Dawud, the compiler, is careful to tell us exactly how each of his teachers' teachers reported the words. In the version of Hammad ibn Zayd, the words were "O Allah, I seek refuge in You." In the version of 'Abd al-Warith, they were "I seek refuge in Allah from al-khubuth and al-khaba'ith." He then adds that Shu'bah narrated it from the same source with both forms, and that Wuhayb narrated it as an instruction: "let him seek refuge in Allah." This precision shows how seriously the hadith scholars took every word. The fuller wording, combining both parts, is well known from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from al-khubuth and al-khaba'ith."

The words "al-khubuth" and "al-khaba'ith" are commonly explained as male and female devils, the unseen harmful beings that Islamic teaching says frequent places of filth. Another explanation is that "al-khubuth" means evil and impurity in general, and "al-khaba'ith" means those who are evil. In another hadith in Sunan Abi Dawud, narrated by Zayd ibn Arqam, the Prophet ﷺ explained that such places are "attended," which is why one should seek refuge when going to them.

Why such a prayer at such a place? Because it is a moment of vulnerability: a person is alone, uncovered, and in a place far from the remembrance of Allah. Rather than leaving that moment unprotected, the Prophet ﷺ taught us to step into it under Allah's care. Scholars note that it is said before entering, because once inside one avoids speaking Allah's name out of respect. The lesson for everyone, Muslim or not, is that faith in Islam is not limited to the mosque. Even the most private, ordinary parts of life are brought into a relationship with God.

There is no specific occasion recorded for this hadith; it describes a regular habit of the Prophet ﷺ rather than a statement made at one event. Anas ibn Malik was well placed to observe it, as he lived and worked in the Prophet's household in Madinah for about ten years. Sahih al-Bukhari also records Anas describing how he and another boy would carry a container of water for the Prophet ﷺ to use for washing after relieving himself.

In the Madinah of that time there were no indoor toilets in most homes. People went out to open areas or, later, used simple enclosures built away from living spaces. The Prophet's teaching on toilet etiquette covered privacy, cleanliness, and remembrance of Allah, and these teachings were gathered by the hadith scholars into chapters such as this one, which Abu Dawud placed at the very beginning of his book on purification.

Al-Khattabi, in Ma'alim as-Sunan, his commentary on Sunan Abi Dawud, discusses the wording and meaning of "al-khubuth wal-khaba'ith." He explains that the phrase refers to male and female devils, and he made a linguistic point that many narrators pronounced the first word as "al-khubth" (with the middle letter silent), which he considered a mistake, holding that the correct form is "al-khubuth" as the plural of "khabith," meaning a wicked one.

An-Nawawi, in Sharh Sahih Muslim, comments on the same supplication as it appears in Sahih Muslim. He accepts both pronunciations as correct Arabic, explaining that the silent form is a recognised lightened pronunciation, and so he did not agree with al-Khattabi that it was an error. He also notes that this supplication is recommended for everyone, whether in a building or in open land.

Ibn Hajar, in Fath al-Bari, discussing the same hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, explains that other wordings clarify that the Prophet ﷺ said it when he was about to enter. Scholars therefore advise saying it before stepping inside a building, and in open land when about to sit down or uncover. Shams al-Haqq al-'Azimabadi, in 'Awn al-Ma'bud, his later commentary on Sunan Abi Dawud, gathers these explanations and the different versions Abu Dawud lists, showing how the commentators brought them together into one consistent practice.

• Memorise the supplication "Allahumma inni a'udhu bika minal-khubuthi wal-khaba'ith" and say it today every time, just before you enter the bathroom.
• Learn the supplication for leaving as well: "Ghufranak" (I ask for Your forgiveness), reported from 'A'ishah in Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami' at-Tirmidhi.
• Follow the recommendation of scholars to enter with the left foot and leave with the right.
• Teach the supplication to a child in your home, perhaps by placing a small reminder card on the outside of the bathroom door.
• Keep bathroom visits brief and modest, and avoid taking items bearing Allah's name or Qur'anic verses inside.

This hadith reveals the Prophet's ﷺ consistency and modesty. His remembrance of Allah was not reserved for public worship or impressive moments; it ran through the most private parts of his day, where no one but a young servant might notice. He also taught such matters openly and without embarrassment, because he cared about guiding people in every part of life. Companions recorded that even the disbelievers of his time remarked that he taught his followers everything, even toilet etiquette, and the companion Salman al-Farisi replied, as recorded in Sahih Muslim, "Yes, indeed."

Anas ibn Malik was brought to the Prophet ﷺ by his mother, Umm Sulaym, when he was about ten years old, soon after the Prophet's arrival in Madinah, so that he could serve him. He served the Prophet ﷺ for about ten years, and he later said, in a report recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim, that in all that time the Prophet ﷺ never once said "uff" to him or scolded him for something he did or did not do.

The Prophet ﷺ prayed for Anas to be blessed with abundant wealth and children, and Anas lived to see that prayer answered, with a large family and a long life. He became one of the companions who narrated the most hadith, numbering over two thousand. He later settled in Basra and died there around 93 AH, among the very last of the Companions to pass away.

Scholars have differed on a practical question related to this hadith: what should a person do if they forget to say the supplication before entering and only remember once inside? Some scholars held that they should say it in their heart without speaking, out of respect for Allah's name in such a place. Others permitted saying it quietly if the area is large or open, or if the person has not yet started relieving themselves.

They also discussed whether the supplication applies in modern bathrooms that are clean and attached to homes; the general view is that it still applies, since the purpose is seeking protection in a place set aside for relieving oneself. These are differences in detail, while all agree on the recommendation itself.

Picture an ordinary morning: you wake up late, grab your phone, rush to the bathroom, then to breakfast, then out the door. By the time you reach work or school, you realise you have not remembered Allah once, even though your day is already well under way.

The Prophet ﷺ turned even the doorway to the toilet into a moment of remembrance. Which small "doorways" in your own daily routine could you turn into moments of connection with Allah?