Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. Qul a‘udhu bi-Rabbil-falaq. Min sharri ma khalaq. Wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab. Wa min sharrin-naffathati fil-‘uqad. Wa min sharri hasidin idha hasad.
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Giver of Mercy. Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak, from the evil of what He created, from the evil of darkness when it falls, from the evil of those who blow on knots, and from the evil of an envier when he envies.
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. Qul a‘udhu bi-Rabbin-nas. Malikin-nas. Ilahin-nas. Min sharril-waswasil-khannas. Alladhi yuwaswisu fi sudurin-nas. Minal-jinnati wan-nas.
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Giver of Mercy. Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of humankind, the King of humankind, the God of humankind, from the evil of the retreating whisperer, who whispers into people's hearts, from among jinn and humankind.
A‘udhu billahi minash-shaytan.
I seek refuge in Allah from Satan.
The dream-specific account
Sahih Muslim 2262 describes spitting to the left three times, seeking refuge from Satan three times and turning from the side on which the person was sleeping. Learn how this is practised respectfully from a competent teacher.
That report gives directions to seek refuge without quoting the full Arabic formula displayed in the general-refuge card. The distinction preserves both the instruction and the quotation accurately.
Bedtime recitation is another setting
Al-Falaq and An-Nas are included here as protective Quranic reading. The bedtime practice involving the short surahs is reported separately in Sahih al-Bukhari 5017.
Do not infer that a nightmare proves you missed a bedtime step, that someone has harmed you or that a dream predicts a future event. The texts do not supply that diagnostic conclusion.
Responding calmly
Give yourself time to settle and orient yourself after waking. If nightmares repeatedly disturb sleep or follow distressing experiences, consider appropriate health support as well as spiritual care.
Avoid paying for an alleged guaranteed dream-clearing ritual or making decisions about another person based on dream content. A frightening image is not evidence for accusing them.
Common questions
Is the general refuge phrase quoted verbatim in Muslim 2262? No; it is separately sourced. Are the counts invented? The dream report itself supplies its counts. Does a bad dream mean I lack faith? That conclusion is not established. Where can I prepare before sleep? The bedtime page explains its separate supplication and recitation evidence.