If you learn one verse for protection, learn this one. It is the verse the Prophet (peace be upon him) identified as the greatest in the Quran, and the narrations about it are unusually specific about what it does.
The verse
Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 255:
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ
"Allah — there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what will be after them, and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great."
Read that again, slowly, and notice what it is actually about. It is not a formula. It is a description of Allah's absolute power and complete knowledge, and the protection follows from what the words mean. That is why the second condition of ruqyah is that you understand what you recite.
The narration of the thief
This is one of the more striking accounts in Sahih al-Bukhari, and it is worth knowing in full.
Abu Hurayrah was appointed to guard the zakat of Ramadan. Someone came at night and began scooping up the food. Abu Hurayrah seized him. The man pleaded that he was in need, and Abu Hurayrah let him go. This happened three nights running.
On the third night, the man said: let me teach you something by which Allah will benefit you. When you go to your bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi — for a guardian from Allah will remain with you and no devil will approach you until morning.
Abu Hurayrah reported this to the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:
"He has told you the truth, though he is a liar. Do you know who you have been speaking to for three nights, Abu Hurayrah? That was a devil." — Sahih al-Bukhari 2311
Two things are worth taking from this. The protection is real and it is specified. And truth can arrive from an unreliable source, which is precisely why we cite references rather than asking you to take our word for anything.
After every obligatory prayer
"Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi after every obligatory prayer, nothing stands between him and entering Paradise except death." — Sunan an-Nasa'i 9928
Five recitations a day, one after each fard prayer. It takes under a minute in total across the whole day, and it is the single easiest thing in this entire library to make permanent.
How to use it
After each obligatory prayer. Once, before you stand up.
Before sleeping. Once, as in the narration above. Follow it with the three Quls recited into cupped hands and wiped over the body, as described in the ruqyah method.
During ruqyah. Three times, as part of the sequence.
Teach it to your children. It is short enough for a child to memorise, and it is the first protection most Muslim families hand on. For younger children, pair it with the dua the Prophet recited over Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn.
Recite it yourself — that is the part nobody can do for you
The narrations attach this protection to reciting it. That is the act the Prophet (peace be upon him) described, and it is the one thing in this whole library that nobody else can perform on your behalf.
So recite it: after every obligatory prayer, and before sleeping. It needs no one's permission and no one's help. If someone offers to recite it for you, you now know that you do not need them — and neither does anyone else.
Whether a taweez may carry Quranic writing is a separate question, and we answer it here.
If you cannot read Arabic yet
Start with the transliteration and the meaning together, and learn the Arabic gradually, a line at a time. Reciting it imperfectly while you learn is far better than not reciting it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said the one who struggles with the Quran has two rewards.
Sources
- Quran 2:255
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2311 — the narration of Abu Hurayrah and the thief
- Sunan an-Nasa'i 9928 — recitation after every obligatory prayer