Three specific things a devil does
Said before beginning to recite.
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ مِنْ هَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِهِ
Aʿūdhu bi-Llāhi-s-samīʿi-l-ʿalīmi mina-sh-shayṭāni-r-rajīm, min hamzihi wa nafkhihi wa nafthih
“I seek refuge in Allah, the Hearing, the Knowing, from the rejected Satan: from his prodding, his puffing up, and his blowing.”
Where this comes from
It does not just name him. It names the three things he actually does. The prod that makes a person snap, the puff that inflates them, and the breath of something whispered into a chest.
The full narration
Abu Sa'eeed Al Khudri narrated:"When Allah;s Messenger stood for Salat during the night, he would say the Takbir (Allahu Akbar), then say: (Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika wa Tabarakasmuka wa Ta'ala Jadduka wa la ilaha ghairuk.) 'Glorious You are O Allah, and with Your praise, and blesses is Your Name, and exalted is Your majesty, and none has the right to be worshipped but You' Then he would say: (A'udhu Bilahi As-Sami'il-Alimi min Ash-Shaitanir-Rajimi, min Hamzihi Wa Nafkhihi wa Nafthihi.)" 'Allah is undoubtedly the greatest.' (Allahu Akbaru Kabira). Then he would say: 'I seek refuge in Allah the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the cursed Shaitan, from his madness, his arrogance, and his poetry
Source
Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī · 242
- Ahmad Muhammad Shakir: Sahih
- Al-Albani: Sahih
- Zubair Ali Zai: Isnaad Hasan