What is the du'a for leaving the house?

The first du'a

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِBismillah, tawakkaltu 'ala Allah, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah"In the name of Allah, I place my trust in Allah, and there is no might nor power except with Allah."

Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

"Whoever says when he leaves his house: 'In the name of Allah, I place my trust in Allah, and there is no might nor power except with Allah,' it is said to him at that moment: 'You are sufficed, protected and guided,' and Shaytan moves away from him, and another Shaytan says: 'How can you reach a man who has been guided, sufficed and protected?'"— Sunan Abu Dawud, from Anas ibn Malik; graded hasan by its chain

The second du'a

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَضِلَّ، أَوْ أُضَلَّ، أَوْ أَزِلَّ، أَوْ أُزَلَّ، أَوْ أَظْلِمَ، أَوْ أُظْلَمَ، أَوْ أَجْهَلَ، أَوْ يُجْهَلَ عَلَيَّAllahumma inni a'udhu bika an adilla, aw udalla, aw azilla, aw uzalla, aw azlima, aw uzlama, aw ajhala, aw yujhala 'alayya"O Allah, I seek refuge in You from going astray or being led astray, from slipping or being made to slip, from wronging or being wronged, from acting ignorantly or being treated ignorantly."

Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها said:

"The Prophet ﷺ never left my house except that he raised his gaze to the sky and said: 'O Allah, I seek refuge in You from going astray or being led astray...'"— Sunan Abu Dawud 5094, from Umm Salamah; its chain is sound

What the words are asking for

The second du'a pairs each harm with its mirror: adilla (I go astray) with udalla (I am led astray), azilla (I slip) with uzalla (I am made to slip), azlima (I wrong) with uzlama (I am wronged), ajhala (I act ignorantly) with yujhala 'alayya (I am treated ignorantly). The servant asks protection on both sides — from the wrong he might commit and from the wrong he might suffer. That is why the scholars place it at the moment of departure: the road, the dealings and the company ahead are all covered by it.

When to say them

Both belong to the moment of stepping out — Shaykh Ibn Baz gathered them in his chapter on what is said when leaving the home for the mosque or elsewhere. The place of the dhikr is at the exit itself. Shaykh Abd al-Muhsin al-Abbad was asked about someone who forgets and remembers on the road, and his answer was that the sunnah has missed its place, since the dhikr belongs to the point of leaving — and one may not recall it until he is already on his way back.

Key takeaways

• Say "Bismillah, tawakkaltu 'ala Allah, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" as you step out; the hadith promises sufficiency, protection and guidance, and Shaytan withdraws.
• Add the second du'a — "Allahumma inni a'udhu bika an adilla aw udalla..." — which the Prophet ﷺ said with his gaze raised to the sky.
• Both are said at the door, at the moment of leaving, not later on the road.
• The second du'a asks protection both from wronging others and from being wronged, so it covers the journey and everyone you meet on it.

Further reading

• Shaykh Ibn Baz, Majmu' al-Fatawa — the chapter on what is said when leaving the home
• Ibn al-Qayyim's al-Wabil al-Sayyib on the dhikr of coming and going

And Allah knows best.