What 70 things did the Prophet ﷺ seek protection from?
The Prophet ﷺ would often seek refuge in his supplications from a wide range of trials, weaknesses, and dangers. Scholars have gathered these invocations, and among them are seventy specific matters from which he ﷺ asked Allah for protection.
1. Weaknesses of the body and mind
• Inability / helplessness
• Laziness
• Cowardice
• Miserliness
• Old age
• Wretched old age
• Madness
• Deafness
• Mutism
• Ignorance / misguidance (Dalal)
• Ignorance / stupidity (Jahl)
2. Diseases and physical afflictions
• Leprosy
• Vitiligo / skin disease
• Hunger
3. Harmful deaths and calamities
• Destruction
• Drowning
• Burning fire
• Death from snake/scorpion bite
• Poisonous creatures
4. Spiritual and moral dangers
• Disbelief
• Shirk
• Fisq – sinful rebellion
• Hypocrisy
• Insincerity
• Heedlessness
• Hard-heartedness
• Fame
• Knowledge of no benefit
• A heart that is not humble
• A soul that is not satisfied
• A prayer that is not answered
• An eye that does not shed tears
• Evil of the self
• Whisperings of hypocrisy in belief
• Bad morals
5. Social and worldly harms
• Dependency on others / destitution
• Humiliation
• Neediness
• Extreme poverty
• Overpowering debt
• Sin and heavy debt
• Domination of men / subjugation
• Injustice and oppression
• Betrayal
• Bad neighbours
• Envy of the envier
• Evil of created beings
• Bad destiny / fate
• Loss of safety
• Removal of blessings
6. Emotional burdens
• Grief
• Sadness
• The depths of misery
7. Trials and tests (fitan)
• Discord / disunity
• All-encompassing trials
• Tribulations
• Tribulation of wealth
• Tribulation of the world
• Tribulation of the Dajjal
• Tribulations of life and death
8. Punishments and the Hereafter
• Sudden punishment
• All things that provoke Allah’s anger
• Punishment of the grave
• Hellfire
• The devil
• To die while fleeing battle
• The evil joy of enemies
9. Natural forces and unseen harms
• Evil of the wind
10. Slips and shortcomings
• Slips, mistakes or lapses
Seeking Refuge in Salah
At the end of the prayer, the Prophet ﷺ would teach his companions to focus on what matters the most. Though he ﷺ sought protection from many things, if we had to pick four things out of all of them, the most important would be four which he mentioned in the hadith
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن النبي ﷺ كان يقول:
«اللَّهُمَّ إني أعوذ بك من عذاب القبر، وأعوذ بك من عذاب جهنم، وأعوذ بك من فتنة المحيا والممات، وأعوذ بك من شر فتنة المسيح الدجال»
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet ﷺ used to say:
“O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave, and I seek refuge with You from the punishment of Hellfire, and I seek refuge with You from the trials of life and death, and I seek refuge with You from the evil of the trial of the false messiah (al-Masiḥ al-Dajjal).” (Muslim)
Four Matters of Refuge
Why are these four things so important?
- The punishment of the Hellfire (ʿadhāb al-jahannam)
Jahannam is not something that will only be created in the future; it already exists. In the Night Journey (al-Israʾ wa-l-Miʿraj), the Prophet ﷺ was shown both Paradise and Hellfire. Narrations describe Hell restrained by seventy thousand chains, each held by angels of immense size and strength. Its punishment is severe because its people, if left to live for thousands of years, would persist in harming others and spreading corruption without end. Thus their punishment is without end.But seeking refuge is not meant to be lip service. It is a contradiction to pray, “O Allah, protect me from Hellfire,” while one actively pursues what leads to it, such as intoxicants, gambling, usury, oppression, or other major sins. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim remarked that duʿaʾ without action is a form of mockery. Asking for protection must therefore be coupled with striving to avoid what incurs that punishment.
- The punishment of the grave (ʿadhab al-qabr)
Once a person enters the grave, their actions are sealed. There is no chance to add or amend deeds. This is why the Prophet ﷺ emphasised the need to prepare for this stage. The grave is not a place of neutrality; it is either a garden from the gardens of Paradise or a pit from the pits of Hell. - The trials of life and death (fitnat al-mahya wa-l-mamat)
Life brings endless tests – desires, doubts, temptations, injustices, and distractions that can lead one astray. Death too brings its trial, when the angels question the soul. Success in these tests depends on how one lived, believed, and acted. - The trial of the false messiah (fitnat al-Masīḥ al-Dajjal)
This is described as the greatest tribulation to ever face humanity, marked by deception, false miracles, and mass misguidance. Every prophet warned their people about the Dajjāl, and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ urged us to seek refuge from him regularly in our prayers.
The end of salah is not simply a moment for reciting words on autopilot. It is a daily training in focus and refocus, reminding ourselves of ultimate realities. Protection from Hellfire, from the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the Dajjal are not abstract concepts but anchors for our consciousness. When we remember them sincerely, our duʿa becomes active: not only asking Allah but aligning our deeds with what we ask.
Shaykh Haytham Tamim Hadith Class 13th September 2025