Duas for bad dreams & night fears. When you wake frightened in the night
The Prophet ﷺ taught that a disturbing dream is from Shaytan and will not harm the one who seeks refuge with Allah (SWT) from it. Here are his instructions for waking from a bad dream and the words he taught for fear in the night. If you wish, get up and pray as well (Sahih Muslim 2263).
5 sourced Du'as Arabic, transliteration, meaning, and source
“When one of you sees a dream he dislikes, let him spit lightly to his left three times, seek refuge with Allah from Shaytan three times, and turn over from the side he was lying on.”
Sahih Muslim 2262 · Sahih Muslim 2261
These are the Prophet's ﷺ instructions rather than a fixed formula: the refuge is sought in your own words, such as A'udhu billahi mina-sh-shaytani-r-rajim. In Sahih Muslim 2261 he ﷺ said to seek refuge with Allah (SWT) from the dream's evil and not to tell anyone about it, for then it will not harm you.
Rabbi a'udhu bika min hamazati-sh-shayatin, wa a'udhu bika Rabbi an yahdurun.
“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.”
Quran 23:97-98
A direct Quranic prayer for refuge from the prompting of devils and from their presence. It fits moments of temptation, agitation, recurring harmful thoughts, or spiritual unease.
Qul a'udhu bi Rabbi-l-falaq. Min sharri ma khalaq. Wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab. Wa min sharri-n-naffathati fi-l-'uqad. Wa min sharri hasidin idha hasad.
“Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak. From the evil of what He has created. From the evil of the darkening night as it descends. From the evil of those who blow into knots. And from the evil of the envier when he envies.”
Qul a'udhu bi Rabbi-n-nas. Maliki-n-nas. Ilahi-n-nas. Min sharri-l-waswasi-l-khannas. Alladhi yuwaswisu fi suduri-n-nas. Mina-l-jinnati wa-n-nas.
“Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind. The King of mankind. The God of mankind. From the evil of the whispering one who withdraws. Who whispers in the breasts of mankind. From among the jinn and mankind.”
A'udhu bi kalimati-llahi-t-tammati min ghadabihi wa 'iqabih, wa sharri 'ibadih, wa min hamazati-sh-shayatini wa an yahdurun.
“I seek refuge in Allah's perfect words from His anger and punishment, from the evil of His servants, and from the whispers of the devils and from their presence.”
Jami at-Tirmidhi 3528 (hasan) · Sunan Abi Dawud 3893
The Prophet ﷺ said that when one of you is frightened in his sleep, let him say this, and it will not harm him. Al-Albani graded it hasan; Zubair Ali Za'i graded it weak (da'if).