The Forgotten Sunnah of Leaving and Returning Home
Bismillāhi r-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.
O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad,
the Opener of what was closed,
the Seal of what came before,
the Helper of the Truth by the Truth,
and the Guide to Your straight path.
And upon his family,
according to his immense worth and the greatness of his rank.
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Allah — Exalted is He — says:
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
“Say: If you truly love Allah, then follow me;
Allah will love you and forgive your sins.”
(Āl ʿImrān, 3:31)
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A saying of Seyyidinā Shaykh Aḥmad Tijānī
(may Allah sanctify his precious secret)
“All goodness lies in following the Sunnah,
and all evil lies in diverging from the Sunnah.”
This statement mirrors the preceding Qur’anic meaning:
goodness, light, and felicity reside in following the Prophet ﷺ,
distancing oneself from his path gives rise to darkness and loss.
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The Hadith on Reviving the Sunnah
The Messenger of Allah Muhammad ﷺ said:
“Whoever revives one of my traditions truly loves me,
and whoever loves me will be with me in Paradise.”
— Reported by at-Tirmidhī and authenticated by leading scholars of Hadith.
To revive the Sunnah is to rekindle the light of the Beloved ﷺ within one’s heart.
It is to prove love through actions,
and it is the sign of a living, pure, and sincere heart.
It is, in truth, to walk in the footsteps of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ.
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A Sunnah Forgotten by Many Muslims
A Sunnah that must be revived within ourselves and around us, by the Grace of Allah.
It is a precious tradition,
simple in form yet immense in its blessings:
to pray two rakʿahs before leaving one’s home,
and two rakʿahs upon returning.
The Hadith on the Two Rakʿahs Before Leaving and Upon Returning
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“When you wish to leave your home, pray two rakʿahs,
for they will ward off you from all harm outside.
And when you return, pray two rakʿahs,
for they will ward off you from all harm within your home.”
— Reported by al-Bazzār and al-Bayhaqī in Shuʿab al-Īmān,
and judged ḥasan (sound) by leading scholars of Hadith.
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Spiritual Meaning
Through this Sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ teaches us
that the believer never leaves his home
without entrusting his soul to the protective Hands of Allah,
the Most Generous Giver,
and never returns without thanking his Lord with his heart.
These two prayers are an invisible shield,
a protective light along the steps of the traveler,
and a blessing within the home of the believer.
Whoever acts in this way lives in the presence of Allah,
and walks under the shade of the Beloved Prophet ﷺ
and Divine Mercy.
As for the one who neglects prophetic guidance,
let him blame none but himself
if he is afflicted in his own person
or within his home.
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O Allah, send blessings upon our master Muhammad,
the Opener of what was closed,
the Seal of what came before,
the Helper of the Truth by the Truth,
and the Guide to Your straight path.
And upon his family,
according to his immense worth and the greatness of his rank.
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The poor servant in Allah and disciple of Shaykh Aḥmad Tijānī
(may Allah sanctify his precious secret),
Mohammed El Mansour El Mohieddine Tidjani