In my early childhood my granny used to tell us that when we had any fear of darkness or we found ourselves in any lonely place, we should recite

Aaoozu billahi min ash Shaitan ir rajeem

She told us that when we recited this, the Shaitan or the evil spirits, if they were around, would run away. She asked us to recite this whenever we came out of our home, while going to school or any other place. She also asked us to say these words before we said:

Bismillahir Rehman ir Raheem,

Before eating our food or commencing any work. Later on, during our theology classes at the school I learnt about the basics of Ista-Aaza.

Recently I have read a compendium of transcripts of 30 lectures, Sermons, given by the Shaheed e Mehrab Ayatolla Dasteghaib Shirazi. The erudite scholar has very skillfully encompassed all the aspects of Ista-Aaza drawing references from the authentic traditions and the Holy Book. Without going into the technicalities, which are for the scholar and the researcher to delve in, the Ayatollah has given a very apt explanation of the concept for the layman to understand. What really surprises me is that every individual Muslim, from the very childhood, gets used to seeking, Ista-Aza --- Allah's Protection against the machinations of the Satan. This is done as a force of habit cultivated through the instruction of the elders at home. But the details of the need for doing it are known to but a few.

A reading of the transcripts of the 30 lectures convinced me that they must be available to as wide a group of Muslims as possible.

Hence this translation! I pray to Allah that the translation gets published, gets widely circulated, and the Ajr goes to the Shaheed Dasteghaib. Insha Allah!