Duas for seeking refuge with Allah

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought refuge from four things:

First: (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the removal of Your favor), the religious and the worldly, and to remain steadfast on Islam and keep away from falling into sins that eliminate blessings.

Second: (The change of Your well-being) by replacing it with misfortune. So, I ask You to grant me continuous well-being and freedom from agonies and diseases.

Third: (The suddenness of Your calamity) in the form of misfortune or affliction, as when affliction and punishment come all of a sudden and unexpectedly, there is no time for repentance and making amends, and this makes the adversity graver and more intense.

Fourth: (And all of Your wrath) and the causes that incur Your wrath, as the one whom You are displeased with is, indeed, doomed and ruined.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used the word "all" to include all the causes; words, deeds, and beliefs that lead to His wrath.

Benefits

• The Prophet's need for Allah Almighty.
• This blessed form of seeking refuge has comprised: guidance to expressing gratitude for blessings, and protection against falling into sins because they eliminate blessings.
• Keenness on avoiding whatever incurs the wrath of Allah Almighty.
• The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought refuge from the suddenness of Allah's calamity because if He exacts vengeance on His slave, then such a slave is afflicted with misfortune that he cannot ward off and that cannot be warded off by all of the creation, even if they got together.
• The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought refuge from the change of Allah's well-being because if Allah has privileged him with His well-being, then he has won the goodness of both abodes, and if it is taken from him, then he is afflicted with the evil of both abodes, as well-being entails the soundness of the religious and worldly affairs.

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One of the supplications of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was: "O Allah, I seek refuge with You" and turn to You alone "from inability", meaning the inability to act effectively, "indolence", meaning the lack of will to act. The incapable cannot act, and the lazy does not want to. "Cowardice", which is refraining from doing what ought to be done, "miserliness", which is withholding what must be given, "decrepitude", which leads to the weakening of the body, "and torment of the grave", and from the causes that lead to it. "O Allah, grant me the sense of piety” and guide my soul to obey You and avoid disobedience, "and purify my soul" and cleanse it from vices and lowly traits. "You are the best to purify it" and no one can purify it except You. "You are its Protector", its helper, caretaker, "and its "Guardian", the One Who manages its affairs, its Lord, Owner, and Bestower of blessings. "O Allah, I seek refuge with You from knowledge that is not beneficial," such as astrology, sorcery, magic, or any knowledge that brings no benefit in the Hereafter, or knowledge that is not acted upon. "From a heart that does not fear" You, that neither submits nor finds peace and stillness in Your remembrance. "From a soul that is not satisfied", always greedy and discontent with what Allah has lawfully provided. "And from a supplication" that is rejected and "not answered".

Benefits

• It is recommended to seek refuge with Allah from the things mentioned in the Hadīth.
• Encouraging piety, spreading knowledge, and acting upon it.
• Beneficial knowledge is that which purifies the soul and generates in it fear of the Almighty Lord that flows to all body parts.
• The submissive heart is that which fears and trembles at the remembrance of Allah, then softens and finds tranquility.
• Condemnation of greed for the worldly life and the inability to be satisfied with its desires and pleasures, for the craving, greedy soul that longs for worldly gains is a person's worst enemy. That is why the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought refuge from it.
• A servant should avoid the causes that lead to rejection of supplication and its lack of response.
• An-Nawawi said: This Hadīth and other supplications that include rhymed phrases serve as evidence for what the scholars have stated—that the blameworthy rhyming in supplication is that of affectation, for it takes away humility, submissiveness, and sincerity, and distracts from earnest pleading, neediness, and an attentive heart. But as for what occurs without effort or affectation, due to perfect eloquence and the like, or what is memorized, then there is no harm in it—rather, it is good.

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The noble Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought refuge in Allah from four things. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “O Allah, verily I seek refuge in You from the trial of the Fire", which means a trial that leads to Hellfire, so that there would be no repetition in the supplication. Trial of the Fire could also mean the question that keepers of the Fire ask to reproach the inmates of Hell. This question was referred to in the verse in which Allah, the Almighty, says: {Every time a company is thrown into it, its keepers ask them: "Did there not come to you a warner?"} [Sūrat al-Mulk: 8] “Torment of the Fire”, means I seek refuge in You that I become one of the inhabitants of the Fire. These are the disbelievers who will be tormented in the Fire. The monotheists, however, will be disciplined and refined by the Fire, not tormented by it. “Torment in the grave”, the grave is the transitory abode where one is placed after death. The word 'grave' is particularly used because this is what commonly happens to people when they die; otherwise, any place where one’s body rests after death is considered one's grave. “Trial of the grave”, refers to the confusion one experiences in answering the two angels. "From the evil trial of affluence", refers to arrogance, tyranny, gaining wealth unlawfully, spending it in disobedience, and boasting of wealth and fame. “From the evil trial of poverty”, refers to envy towards the wealthy, coveting their wealth, and self-abasement by doing what brings disgrace to one's dignity and saps one's religion. Trial of poverty also includes lack of contentment with what Allah portioned for man and other things that could lead to an undesirable end. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought refuge from the trial of affluence because it motivates man to collect money from unlawful channels and withhold what is required to be spent and given away. What is meant by the trial of poverty is the poverty in which man cannot show patience or religious prudence. This kind of poverty will cause man to behave improperly, not caring what ill-gotten money he gains.

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The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say in his supplication: (O Allah, I seek refuge), turn to You, and seek protection (in You) and in none but You from (evil) and detestable things that are prohibited by Allah and His Messenger, (morals) such as malice, envy, and arrogance, and from evil (deeds) such as insulting and cursing, and from all (desires) that the soul longs for but which go against the teachings of the Shariah.

Benefits

• The merit and recommendation of this supplication.
• The believer is keen to avoid blameworthy morals and evil actions, and he is cautious of following his desires and falling into temptations.
• The division of morals, actions, and desires into two categories: evil and good.

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The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought refuge with Allah from hunger, which is indeed an evil companion because it prevents one's heart and body from feeling comfortable. He also sought refuge from betraying the trust of people and the trust of Allah, for, indeed, it is an evil trait that is hidden in a person's heart.

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In this Hadīth, Shakl ibn Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) searching for the good of this world and the Hereafter. He did not ask the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for a perishable worldly pleasure, a handful of money, or a measure of food. Rather, he went seeking supplication. He asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to teach him a supplication that would benefit him in his religion and his worldly affairs. That was the attitude of the Companions; seeking bounty from Allah and His good pleasure. So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) directed him to this splendid sublime supplication, saying to him: Say 'O Allah', invoking Allah using His Name that comprises all of His Most Beautiful Names. "I seek refuge in You from the evil of my hearing", meaning I seek Allah's protection from the evil of hearing, which includes the forbidden things that a person might hear, such as false testimony, heresy, slander, disparaging the religion, and all other forbidden things that reach a person's hearing. "From the evil of my sight", meaning the sin of using it to look at forbidden things, such as indecent movies and shameless scenes. "From the evil of my tongue", meaning from every forbidden speech that can be uttered, such as false testimony, insults, cursing, disparaging Islam and Muslims, speaking about others' affairs or abandoning speaking about what should concern one. "From the evil of my heart", meaning filling the heart with anything other than the remembrance of Allah, the Almighty, or devoting heart-related acts of worship to others than Allah, the Almighty, like hope, fear, awe, and exaltation, or refraining from devoting the heart-related acts of worship to the Lord, Glorified and Exalted. "From the evil of my semen", meaning from the evil of my private parts by using them to commit what Allah has forbidden, or that they lead me to the preludes of adultery, like the (forbidden) look, touch, walk to the place of sin, determination to commit sin, and things of that nature. This blessed supplication includes preservation of the senses, which are among the blessings of Allah, the Exalted, upon His creation. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered him to seek refuge in Allah only from the evil of these blessings, not from these blessings themselves by saying for example: "I seek refuge in Allah from my hearing", because these are blessings by means of which one worships Allah, the Almighty. They are not evil in the absolute sense such that refuge is sought from them; rather, refuge is sought from the evil that they might produce. Their preservation is achieved by using them in what they were created for and not using them to approach any act of disobedience or spread any vice, because one is held responsible for these blessings on the Day of Judgment, as Allah, the Exalted, says: {And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those (one) will be questioned.} [Sūrat al-Isrā': 36]

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In this Hadīth the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) seeks refuge in Allah from specific illnesses. However, when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) seeks refuge in Allah from them, this means that they are very dangerous and have a very bad effect. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought Allah's refuge from a group of particular diseases, then he asked Allah to keep him healthy and safe from all evil and bad diseases in general. This supplication includes a specific and detailed part followed by a general and comprehensive part. To clarify, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought refuge in Allah from leucoderma, a disease in which white spots appear on the skin, that makes people turn and run away from the one who has it. This causes man to become isolated and thus feel discontented - Allah forbids. Insanity refers to the disappearance of one's mind. The mind is the thing which makes one competent for religious assignment, and with it one worships his Lord as well as ponders and reflects on Allah's creation and holy Speech. Hence, absence of mind means that man does not exist. For this reason, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are three (kinds of people) whose actions are not recorded: (one of them is) and the insane until his mind is back." "Leprosy" is a type of sickness that eats at one's organs until they fall off, Allah forbids. It is a contagious disease, and this is why it was mentioned in another Hadīth: "Flee from the leper as you would flee from a lion." "Evil and bad diseases are the disabilities that make one feel disdained and rejected in the society, such as cancer, blindness, paralysis, etc. This is because these types of diseases are serious and need a lot of money for treatment. They also need great patience that are only shown by those whom Allah, the Almighty, grants patience and strengthens their hearts. This Hadīth shows the greatness of Islam that protects the Muslim's religion and cares for his body.

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