Seeking Refuge from the Devil

Each Arabic line is a button. Press it to go through its words, then press a word for its meaning.

رُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدِ الْخُدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ

It was narrated from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said:

رَأَيْتُ إِبْلِيسَ اللَّعِينَ فِي الْمَنَامِ مَنْكُوسًا

I saw the accursed Iblis upside down in a dream.

فَهَمَّتُ أَنْ أَقْرَعَهُ بِالْعَصَا

I intended to strike him with the stick.

فَقَالَ لي يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ أَمَّا عَلِمْتَ أَنِّي لَا أَخَاف مِنَ الْعَصَا وَلَا مِنَ الأَسْلِحَةِ

So he said to me, "O Abu Sa'id, did you not know that I do not fear the stick or the weapons?"

قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ يَا مَلْعُونُ فَمَا الَّذِي تَخَافُهُ

He said, so I said to him, "O accursed one, what is it that you fear?"

قَالَ أَخَافُ مِنْ شَيْئَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا اِسْتِعَاذَةُ الْمُسْتَعِيذِينَ وَالثَّانِيُ شُعَاعُ مَعْرِفَةِ الصَّادِقِينَ

He said, "I fear two things: one of them is the seeking of refuge by those who seek refuge, and the other is the radiance of the knowledge of the truthful ones."

وحُكيَ عَن الْجُنَيْد رَحْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ أَنه قَالَ

And it was narrated about al-Junayd, may God have mercy upon him, that he said:

رَأَيْت إِبْلِيس فِي الْمَنَام عُرْيَانًا يَتَلَاعَبُ بِالنَّاسِ

I saw Iblis in a dream, naked and toying with the people.

فَقُلْتُ أَمَا تَسْتَحِيُ مِنَ النَّاسِ

So I said, "Aren't you ashamed of the people?"

فَقَالَ الْمَلْعُونُ بِاللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ هَؤُلَاءِ عِنْدَكَ نَاسٌ

Then the accursed one said, "For God's sake, these people are with you."

لَو كَانُوا مِنَ النَّاس مَا تَلاَعَبْتُ بِهِمْ

If they had been from the people, I would not have toyed with them.

كَمَا يَتَلاَعَبُ الصّبيان بِالْكُرَّةِ

Just as the boys play with the ball.

فَقلت لَهُ يَا مَلْعُون وَ مَنْ النَّاس

So I said to him, "O accursed one, and who among the people?"

قَالَ ثَلَاثَة نَفَرٍ بِمَسْجِد الشِّيرَازِيّ

He said, "Three people in the mosque of the Shirazi."

كَذَا سُمِّيَ الْمَسْجِدُ

Thus the mosque was named.

أَمْرَضُوا كَبِدِي وأنحلوا جِسْمِي

They made my liver sick and they wasted away my body.

كُلَّمَا هَمَمْتُ بِهِمْ أَشَارُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَىٰ

Whenever I intended against them, they would point to Allah, the Exalted.

فَأَكَادُ أَنْ أَحْتَرِقَ

I am about to burn.

قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ فَإِنْتَبَهْتُ

Al-Junayd said, and I became aware.

وَقَد بَقِي مِنَ اللَّيْل بَقِيَّة

And part of the night still remained.

فَخَرَجْتُ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الَّذِي ذَكَرَ الْمَلْعُونُ فَدَخَلْتُهُ

So I went out to the mosque which the accursed had mentioned, and I entered it.

فَإِذَا بِثَلَاثَةِ نَفَرٍ قُعَّادٍ رُؤُوسُهُمْ فِي مُرَقَّعَاتِهِمْ

Then three people were sitting with their heads in their cloaks.

فَقَالَ لِيَّ أَحَدُهُمْ يَا أَبَ الْقَاسِمُ أَنتَ

Then one of them said to me, "O Abu al-Qasim, are you?"

كُلَّمَا قِيلَ لَكَ شَيْئًا تَقَبَّلْهُ

Whenever something is said to you, accept it.

يَا أخي اعْلَم أَن مِنَ تَعَوَّذَ بِاللَّه مِنَ الشَّيْطَان الرَّجِيم

My brother, know that whoever sought refuge in God from the accursed Satan.

فَقَدْ ثَبَتَ عَلَى الدِّينِ الْقَوِيمِ

Indeed, he remained steadfast in the upright religion.

وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ أَخْبَرَ عَنْ إِبْلِيسِ اللَّعِينِ

And that is because God, glorified be He, has informed us about the accursed Iblis.

لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُم صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقيم

I will set your straight path before them.

وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَاطِعًا طَرِيقَ الدِّينِ

And that is because Allah, exalted be He, sent him to sever the path of religion.

كَمَا أَنَّ اللُّصُوصَ قَوَاطِعُ لِطُرُقِ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ

Just as thieves are highwaymen who block Muslims' access to the ways of the world.

فَإِبْلِيسُ لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ قَاطِعُ طَرِيقِ الْعُقْبَى لِيَصُدَّكُمْ عَنِ الْحَقِّ وَالْهُدَى

So Iblis, may God curse him, is a blocker of the path to the ultimate goal, seeking to turn you away from the truth and guidance.

فَإِذا اسْتَعَذْتَ مِنْهُ هَرَبَ مِنْك وَلم يَقْدِرْ عَلَى قطع طَرِيق الدّين

When you seek refuge from him, he flees from you and cannot cut off the path of religion.

وَقَدْ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عِبَادَهُ أَنْ يَقُولُوا فِي الصَّلٰوَةِ

And Allah, the Exalted, has commanded His servants to say in the prayer.

سَبْعَ عَشْرَةَ مَرَّةً فِي سَبْعِ عَشْرَةِ رَكْعَةٍ

Seventeen times in seventeen rak'ahs.

وَهِيَ عَدَدُ رَكْعَاتِ الْفَرْضِ

And it is the number of obligatory units of prayer.

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاط الْمُسْتَقيم

Guide us to the straight path.

فَأَنَّى يَضُرُّكَ كَيْدُ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

How then could the plotting of the accursed Satan harm you?

اعْلَم يَا أَخِي أَن الْبَيْت الْمَعْمُور كَانَ فِي الأَرْض

Know, my brother, that the Frequented House was on the earth.

إِلَى وَقْتِ طُوفَانِ نُوحِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ

until the time of the Flood of Noah, peace be upon him.

فَحُفِظَ مِنَ الْغَرْقِ وَسُلِمَ مِنَ الطُّوفَانِ

So it was preserved from drowning and saved from the flood.

وَرفع إِلَى السَّمَاءِ

And was raised up to the heavens.

وَقَلْبُ الْمُؤْمِنِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ الْبَيْتِ الْمَعْمُورِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ أَلْفِ أَلْفٍ مَرَّةٍ

And the believer's heart is better than the Frequented House by more than a thousand thousand times.

فَهُوَ بِالْحِفْظِ أَوْلَى لِأَنَّ الْبَيْتَ الْمَعْمُورَ مَعْمُورٌ بِعِبَادَةِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ

So he is more deserving of preservation, for the Much-Frequented House is filled with the worship of the angels.

وَقَلْبُ الْمُؤمن مَعْمُورٌ بِنَظَر الْخَالِق إِلَيْهِ

And the believer's heart is filled by the Creator's gaze toward him.

فَشْتَانَ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا

How vast the difference between them is.

ذِكْرٌ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

It was narrated from Abu Sa'id that he said concerning the words of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious.

إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ

Indeed, My servants, you have no authority over them.

كَأَنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنْ كَانَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ تَلَاقِيَهُمْ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ اللَّهِ

It is as if he is saying that if you had power over them to cast them into disobedience to God.

فَلَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ تَمَنُّعِهِمْ مِنْ مَغْفِرَةِ اللَّهِ

You have no authority over them to prevent them from God's forgiveness.

وَقَول آخَرٌ إِن كَانَ للشَّيْطَان سُلْطَان فِي إِلْقَاء العَبْد فِي الْمَعْصِيَة

And another view says that if the devil has power to cast the servant into sin.

فَأَوْلَى أَنْ يَكُونَ لِمَغْفِرَةِ اللَّهِ سُلْطَانٌ فِي تَطْهِيرِ الْعَبْدِ مِنَ الْخَطِيئَةِ

It is more fitting that God's forgiveness have the power to cleanse the servant of sin.

وَلَيْسَتْ قُوَّةُ الشَّيْطَانِ بِأَكْثَرِ قُوَّةٍ مِنْ مَغْفِرَةِ الرَّحْمَنِ فِي قُلُوبِ أَهْلِ الإِيمَانِ

Satan's power is not greater than the forgiveness of the Merciful in the hearts of the believers.