Short answer

  • Auzubillah minashaitan nirajeem means "I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed." In Arabic the phrase is A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem. It is a short statement of seeking protection, recited by Muslims most often before reciting the Quran, and also in prayer and at moments of anger or troubling suggestion, as documented in the sources cited in this article. Allah is the Arabic word for God, so translations that read "I seek refuge with God" and translations that read "I seek refuge with Allah" are translating the same word in two different ways. The second half of the phrase names what refuge is sought from: ash-shaytan, Satan, described as ar-rajeem, the accursed, the rejected, or the expelled one, depending on the translation. The phrase has a direct scriptural basis. Quran 16:98 instructs the reader of the Quran to seek refuge in Allah from Satan the expelled one before reciting. This article explains the wording word by word, the verses behind it, the full and shorter forms in documented use, the occasions on which it is recited, and the spelling variants a reader is likely to meet online. It describes documented meaning and practice in a neutral, explanatory way and makes no ruling about what any individual reader should do.

The Arabic Wording and How It Is Written in Latin Letters

The full Arabic wording is أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم. Written with standard scholarly transliteration, it reads:

A’udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem.

Each part of that transliteration corresponds to one Arabic element:

  • A’udhu: I seek refuge.
  • billahi: with Allah, or in Allah.
  • min: from.
  • ash-shaytan: Satan. The “ash” at the start reflects a pronunciation rule in Arabic in which the “l” of the definite article is absorbed before certain letters, including “sh.”
  • ir-rajeem: the accursed one. The same absorption rule turns the article into “ir” before the letter “r.”

The spelling in this article’s title, auzubillah minashaitan nirajeem, is a joined, informal spelling of the same words. The sounds have been run together and simplified, so “minashaitan” combines min and ash-shaytan, and “nirajeem” combines a linking sound with ar-rajeem. A reader who sounds the title spelling out slowly will hear the same four elements in the same order. The difference is in the spelling conventions, not in the phrase.

Transliteration is not standardized for general audiences, which is why the same phrase appears online as auzu billahi, audhu billahi, a’udhu billah, audhubillah, and in several other forms. The opening sound of a’udhu begins with the Arabic letter ayn, a deep throat sound with no exact equivalent in English, and writers represent it with an apostrophe, the letter “a,” the letter “u,” or nothing at all. None of these spellings changes the meaning.

Word by Word Meaning

A’udhu: I seek refuge

A’udhu is a first person verb: I seek refuge, I take shelter, I seek protection. Its root gives the related Arabic words for seeking refuge as a concept, including isti’adha, the noun commonly used for the act of seeking refuge, and ta’awwudh, another noun for the same act. The verb is in the present tense and spoken in the first person, which is why English translations begin with “I.” The speaker is not describing refuge in general. The speaker is performing the request in the act of saying it.

The image behind the word is of turning toward a protector for shelter rather than relying on oneself alone. That is the sense carried through the whole phrase: protection is asked for, and it is asked from Allah specifically.

Billahi: With Allah

Billahi combines the preposition bi, meaning with or in, with the name Allah. Together they give “with Allah” or “in Allah.” English translations vary between “I seek refuge with Allah,” “I seek refuge in Allah,” and, where the translator renders the name into English, “I seek refuge with God.” All three render the same Arabic.

For background on the wider religious context in which this phrase is used, the Amberaisle guide to whether Islam and Muslim mean the same thing explains the basic terms a new reader is likely to meet alongside this phrase.

Min: From

Min is a short preposition meaning from. It marks the direction of the refuge: protection is sought with Allah, and it is sought from something specific, which the next words name.

Ash-shaytan: Satan

Ash-shaytan is Satan. In Islamic teaching as presented in the Quran, Satan is presented as a source of harmful suggestion and temptation, often described in translations as whispering or incitement. That presentation is visible in the related verses discussed below: Quran 7:200 speaks of an evil suggestion from Satan, Quran 41:36 speaks in similar terms, and Quran 23:97 speaks of the incitements of the devils. The phrase names Satan directly rather than speaking of evil in the abstract, which matters for the translation question covered later in this article.

Ar-rajeem: The accursed, the rejected, the expelled

Ar-rajeem is an adjective describing Satan. Its root, r-j-m, carries the core sense of stoning or pelting, and by extension cursing, expelling, and driving away, as recorded in the Quranic Arabic Corpus dictionary entry for the root, which lists the nominal form rajim with glosses including “the rejected” and “the accursed” in Quranic usage, including at 16:98 itself. Because of that range, published translations differ:

  • Sahih International at Quran 16:98 reads “Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].”
  • Pickthall reads “Satan the outcast.”
  • Yusuf Ali reads “Satan the rejected one.”
  • Other widely used translations read “the accursed” or “the cursed one.”

These are not different phrases or different doctrines. They are different English choices for one Arabic adjective whose sense covers rejection, expulsion, and cursing. A reader comparing translations should expect this word, more than any other in the phrase, to vary.

Put together, the structure is threefold and complete in a single short sentence: I seek refuge (the request), with Allah (the protector), from Satan, the accursed (what protection is sought from, and how it is described).

The Quranic Basis: Quran 16:98

The direct basis for reciting this phrase before Quran recitation is Quran 16:98, in Surah An-Nahl. The Arabic of the verse contains the same key elements as the spoken phrase: seek refuge, in Allah, from Satan, the accursed. Sahih International translates the verse: “So when you recite the Qur’an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].”

The commentary hosted on Quran.com, drawing on Ibn Kathir, introduces this verse under the heading “The Command to seek Refuge with Allah before reciting the Qur’an” and explains it as an instruction that when a person wants to read the Quran, they should first seek refuge with Allah from the cursed Satan. That reading explains the most widely documented use of the spoken phrase: it is said at the start of recitation, in response to this verse.

Two points of precision help a reader understand the relationship between the verse and the phrase. First, the verse gives the instruction in general terms, “seek refuge,” and the fixed spoken wording A’udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem is the conventional wording used to carry out that instruction, matching the verse’s own vocabulary closely. Second, translations of the verse place the seeking of refuge first, before the recitation begins, even though the Arabic word order can look different at a glance. Sahih International marks this with the bracketed word “[first].”

Readers who want the background of the Quran itself can consult the Amberaisle history explainer on who wrote the Quran, which sets out the traditional account and the historical discussion with each attributed.

Quran 16:98 is the verse tied specifically to recitation, but it is not the only Quranic instruction to seek refuge from Satan. Three related passages widen the picture and explain the other documented occasions of use.

Quran 7:200: Seeking refuge at an evil suggestion

Quran 7:200, in Surah Al-A’raf, reads in Sahih International: “And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing.” Here the trigger is not recitation but an intrusive harmful suggestion. The verse presents seeking refuge as the response at the moment the suggestion arrives.

Quran 41:36: The parallel instruction

Quran 41:36, in Surah Fussilat, contains a closely parallel instruction, rendered in the commentary tradition quoted on Quran.com as: “And if an evil whisper from Shaytan tries to turn you away (from doing good), then seek refuge in Allah. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” The pairing of 7:200 and 41:36 is longstanding in commentary, and both verses frame the same response to provocation or distraction.

Quran 23:97 to 98: A refuge prayer in the first person

Quran 23:97 to 98, in Surah Al-Mu’minun, gives the seeking of refuge as a spoken prayer: “And say, ‘My Lord, I seek refuge in You from the incitements of the devils, and I seek refuge in You, my Lord, lest they be present with me.’” This passage uses the same verb, a’udhu, as the phrase in this article’s title, and it shows the pattern of the wording inside the Quran itself, addressed to Allah and directed against the suggestions of the devils.

Taken together, these verses explain why the phrase is associated in documented practice with more than one setting: before recitation, by the instruction of 16:98, and at moments of provocation or intrusive suggestion, by the instructions of 7:200 and 41:36.

Names for the Phrase: Isti’adha and Ta’awwudh

Scholarly and reference writing usually does not call this phrase “auzubillah.” It uses two Arabic technical terms:

  • Isti’adha (also written isti’adha, isti’aadha, or isti’adhah): the act of seeking refuge in Allah. This is the most common term in commentary on Quran 16:98.
  • Ta’awwudh (also written ta’awwudh or ta’awwuz): a second noun for the same act, and in many prayer manuals the label for the spoken formula itself.

“Auzubillah” is the popular short name, taken from the opening words a’udhu billahi run together. It works the way a hymn or prayer is often named by its first words in English. Knowing the technical terms is practically useful, because a reader searching reference works, translation notes, or hadith collections for this phrase will find far more under isti’adha and ta’awwudh than under any of the popular spellings.

The phrase belongs to a family of short Arabic expressions of remembrance and reliance whose meanings readers often look up together. A close companion in that family is the expression covered in the Amberaisle guide to subhanallahi wa bihamdihi meaning, which pairs glorification with praise rather than seeking refuge. For readers working through Arabic wording more generally, the guide to amara meaning in Arabic shows the same word by word method applied to a name and its roots.

The Full Form, the Short Reference, and Longer Documented Forms

Confusion about “full” and “short” versions of this phrase is common, so the distinctions are worth setting out plainly.

The standard full wording is the complete sentence: A’udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem, “I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed.” This is the wording referenced, for example, in Hisn al-Muslim entry 193, the short reference work entry for what to say when angry, which gives exactly this Arabic and translates it “I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast,” citing Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

The short reference is simply naming the phrase by its opening: auzubillah, or a’udhu billah, “I seek refuge with Allah.” Used alone as a name, it points to the full sentence. One precision matters here. The single word a’udhu by itself means only “I seek refuge.” The element that says with whom refuge is sought, billahi, “with Allah,” is a second element. Popular writing that glosses auzubillah alone as “I seek refuge” is compressing the two elements, and a careful reader should hold the fuller gloss: “I seek refuge with Allah.”

A longer documented form also exists, and it is not an invention of popular websites. Sunan Abu Dawud 775 records that, on rising for night prayer, after the opening words of the prayer, the reported wording was: “I seek refuge in Allah, All-Hearing and All-Knowing from the accursed devil, from his evil suggestion (hamz), from his puffing up (nafkh), and from his spitting (nafth),” after which recitation followed. This extended form adds two divine descriptions, the All-Hearing and the All-Knowing, and adds a threefold detail about the devil’s activity. It is a documented prayer context wording, distinct from the standard short sentence, and the two should not be merged into one hybrid quotation.

What does not belong to the standard phrase is an added word for “evil” placed before Satan’s name, producing renderings such as “from the evil of Satan the outcast.” The Arabic of Quran 16:98 and of the standard formula contains no separate word for evil in that position. Constructions with the word sharr, meaning evil, do appear in other Quranic refuge prayers, such as the opening of Surah Al-Falaq, “I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak from the evil of that which He created” pattern, but that is a different text with a different wording. If a website presents the “evil of Satan” wording, it is either paraphrasing the sense loosely or blending two different refuge texts, and the word by word check in this article is the way to tell.

When the Phrase Is Recited: Documented Occasions

This section describes documented practice, with each occasion tied to its source. It does not add occasions that the sources do not support.

Before reciting the Quran

This is the occasion established by Quran 16:98, discussed above. Reference works on the etiquette of recitation describe the isti’adha as said when starting to read or recite the Quran, and commentary discussions address practical follow on questions, such as whether it is repeated after a long interruption, under the same verse.

In prayer, before recitation

Sunan Abu Dawud 775, cited above, places a seeking refuge wording inside the prayer, after the opening and before recitation of the Quran. On that basis, prayer manuals describe a quiet seeking of refuge before the recitation of Al-Fatihah in the first unit of prayer, while noting that schools of law differ on details such as repetition in later units and on whether it is said silently. This article reports the documented presence of the practice and the existence of those differences without ruling between them, because a ruling would require a legal source and a qualified authority, neither of which a general explainer can supply.

When angry

Sahih al-Bukhari 6115, also recorded in Sahih Muslim, narrates an occasion on which two men argued angrily in the Prophet’s presence, one man’s face reddening with anger. The narration reports the Prophet saying that he knew a word which, if the man said it, what he felt would go away: “I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast.” Hisn al-Muslim 193 preserves the same application under its heading for what to say when angry, citing Al-Bukhari 7/99 and Muslim 4/2015 in its older referencing. This is the documented basis for the phrase’s association with anger and with pausing before reacting.

At a troubling suggestion or temptation

Quran 7:200 and 41:36, discussed above, instruct seeking refuge when an evil suggestion or whisper from Satan arrives. Documented practice follows that framing: the phrase is said at the moment of provocation, persistent distraction, or felt temptation, as the Quranic response the verses themselves prescribe. This article describes that documented framing and does not present the phrase as a treatment for any medical or mental health condition. Readers dealing with intrusive thoughts, anxiety, or anger that affects daily life should seek qualified professional support alongside any personal religious practice.

For the setting in which communal prayer and recitation take place, the Amberaisle explainer on the place of worship for Muslims gives the basic background a general reader may want.

How this phrase differs from the Basmala

A frequent mix up pairs this phrase with the Basmala, Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem, “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” The two are different statements with different functions. The Basmala names Allah at the start of an action and is the phrase broadly associated with beginning everyday tasks. The isti’adha seeks protection from Satan and is tied by its sources to recitation, to prayer before recitation, and to moments of provocation. Popular summaries that say auzubillah is said “before beginning work that needs focus” are usually blending the general beginning an action association of the Basmala with the specific, sourced occasions of the isti’adha. Keeping the two distinct is the accurate picture, even though in recitation practice the two can occur in sequence, refuge first and then the Basmala at the head of a chapter, with a well known exception at the opening of Surah At-Tawbah noted in recitation manuals.

Pronunciation and Spelling Variants

A reader searching this phrase will meet many spellings, and a short guide prevents most confusion:

  • A’udhu, audhu, auzu, aozu, authu: attempts at the first word, whose opening ayn sound and whose “dh” sound, a voiced interdental, are handled differently by different writers.
  • Billahi, billah, billahe: the words “with Allah,” written joined to the verb or separately.
  • Minashaitan, min ash-shaitan, minash shaitan, minashaytan: “from Satan,” joined or separated, with or without the absorbed article shown.
  • Nirajeem, ir-rajeem, ar-rajeem, rajeem, rajim: “the accursed,” with or without the article and with the long “ee” vowel shown or shortened.

The reliable test is sound and structure, not letter count. Sound the spelling out and check it against the four elements in order: I seek refuge, with Allah, from Satan, the accursed. If those four elements are present in that order, the spelling is a variant of this phrase, however unusual it looks. If an element is missing or a different protector or a different object appears, a different phrase is likely meant and deserves its own search rather than a forced match.

Pronunciation details that spelling often hides are worth one note. The “dh” in a’udhu is pronounced with the tongue lightly against the teeth, closer to the “th” in the English word “the” than to a hard “d” or “z.” The spellings with “z,” including the one in this article’s title, are approximations chosen for ease of typing and searching, not precise phonetics. The doubled sounds in ash-shaytan and ir-rajeem, where the article is absorbed, are also real pronunciation features that joined spellings tend to flatten.

Meaning for Readers Searching in Urdu

Search data for this phrase consistently includes readers looking for its meaning in Urdu, and the underlying need is the same one this article serves in English: to understand what the Arabic words say. The Arabic phrase does not change when the explanation language changes. Urdu speaking Muslims recite the same Arabic wording, and an Urdu explanation is a translation of the same sentence, “I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed,” broken into the same elements set out in the word by word section above.

This article does not print a word for word Urdu rendering, because printing one responsibly would require verification against a fluent Urdu source, which was not available to this adaptation. A reader who already uses a trusted Urdu translation of the Quran can check this phrase directly at Quran 16:98 in that translation and will find the same instruction and the same elements. The English word by word breakdown in this article can be read alongside it.

Common Misunderstandings

Four misunderstandings recur in popular coverage of this phrase, and each can be settled from the sources already cited.

First, the spellings are not different phrases. Auzu, audhu, and authu forms differ only in how Latin letters approximate Arabic sounds. The Arabic is one fixed wording.

Second, “Allah” and “God” in translations are not different referents introduced by different phrases. Allah is the Arabic name for God, used in the Arabic text itself, and translators either carry it into English as Allah or render it as God.

Third, the added “evil of” wording is not part of the standard formula, as explained in the forms section above. Translations that read “from Satan, the accursed” are complete. Nothing is missing from them.

Fourth, the phrase is not presented in its sources as a guarantee, a charm, or a substitute for action. Quran 16:98 presents it as the instructed prelude to recitation. Quran 7:200 and 41:36 present it as the instructed response to a harmful suggestion. The Bukhari narration presents it as words that would help an angry man at a specific moment. An explainer can report those framings accurately without extending them into promises the sources do not make.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the translation of A’udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem?

“I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed.” Published translations vary slightly on the last word, which also appears in English as the expelled one, the outcast, the rejected one, or the cursed one, and some translations render Allah as God. The Arabic is the same in every case.

What does auzubillah mean on its own?

Auzubillah is the joined popular spelling of a’udhu billahi, “I seek refuge with Allah.” It is used as the short name for the full phrase. The single word a’udhu alone means only “I seek refuge.” The element billahi adds “with Allah.”

What is the difference between isti’adha and ta’awwudh?

Both are Arabic technical terms for seeking refuge in Allah. Isti’adha is the term most common in commentary on Quran 16:98. Ta’awwudh is used widely in prayer manuals for the same act and for the spoken formula. They do not name two different phrases.

Is audibillah, or auzu billahi, the same phrase?

Yes. Those spellings are transliteration variants of a’udhu billahi, the opening of the same phrase. The differences reflect different choices for writing the Arabic ayn and dh sounds in Latin letters, not a difference in meaning.

When is this phrase recited?

Documented occasions are: before reciting the Quran, on the basis of Quran 16:98; in prayer before recitation, as recorded in Sunan Abu Dawud 775; when angry, as recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 6115 and Sahih Muslim; and at an evil suggestion or provocation, on the basis of Quran 7:200 and Quran 41:36. Schools of law differ on some details of practice, and this article makes no ruling on those details.

Is this phrase in the Quran word for word?

The instruction and its key vocabulary are in Quran 16:98, which orders the reader to seek refuge in Allah from Satan the accursed. The fixed spoken sentence A’udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem is the conventional wording that carries out that instruction and mirrors the verse’s wording closely. Related first person refuge wording also appears at Quran 23:97 to 98.

How is this phrase different from Bismillah?

Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem means “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” and is associated with naming Allah at the start of an action. A’udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem seeks protection from Satan and is tied to recitation, prayer, anger, and provocation in its sources. They are distinct statements that can occur near each other in recitation without being the same phrase.

Sources & references

  • Quran.com, Surah An-Nahl, Ayah 16:98, Arabic text and Ibn Kathir (Abridged) commentary headed "The Command to seek Refuge with Allah before reciting the Qur'an." https://quran.com/an-nahl/98
  • Legacy Quran.com, Surat An-Nahl 16:98, Sahih International translation: "So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy]." https://legacy.quran.com/16/98-110
  • Quran.com, Surah Al-A'raf, Ayah 7:200, Sahih International translation: "And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing." https://quran.com/al-araf/200?translations=20
  • Legacy Quran.com, Surat Al-Mu'minun 23:97 to 98, Sahih International translation. https://legacy.quran.com/23/97-103
  • Sunnah.com, Hisn al-Muslim 193, "When angry": A'udhu billahi minash-Shaytan ir-rajeem, "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast," reference Al-Bukhari 7/99, Muslim 4/2015. https://sunnah.com/hisn:193
  • Sunnah.com, Sahih al-Bukhari 3282 and Sahih al-Bukhari 6115 (Sulayman ibn Surad narration, the angry man). https://sunnah.com/bukhari/59/91
  • Sunnah.com, Sunan Abu Dawud 775 (Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narration, seeking refuge wording in night prayer before recitation). https://sunnah.com/abudawud/2/385
  • Quranic Arabic Corpus, Quran Dictionary, root r-j-m (rajim listed as "the rejected" and "the accursed," including at 16:98). http://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?root=rjm

Emma Hudson

Editor of Amberaisle — clear, thoughtful explainers for curious readers. More about the editor →