Fiqh al-Adiyah wa-al-Adhkar - Abd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr - (3/101)

Fiqh al-Adiyah wa-al-AdhkarAbd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr

Thus, raising one’s gaze toward heaven entails belief that Allah is above, just as raising one’s hands toward heaven entails belief that Allah—Glorious and Exalted—is above. The hadith master of the Maghreb, Abū Umar ibn Abd al-Barr, said in his book al-Tamhīd, while presenting the proofs that Allah is above:

“Another proof that He—Glorious and Exalted—is upon the Throne, above the seven heavens, is that all who affirm divine oneness, Arabs and non-Arabs alike, raise their faces toward heaven and seek deliverance from their Lord—Mighty and Majestic—whenever some matter distresses them or hardship befalls them. This is too well known among the elite and the general public to require more than simply relating it, for it is an instinctive response for which no one has ever rebuked them and which no Muslim has ever condemned.”1 End of his words—may Allah have mercy on him.

The proofs that Allah is above His creation are too numerous to enumerate. The Quran, the sunnah, scholarly consensus, the natural disposition, and reason all establish that Allah is above. This is not the place to set out those proofs at length. Raising one’s gaze toward heaven also indicates the importance of remaining conscious that Allah Most High is watching: He—Exalted is He—sees His servants and knows them, and nothing whatsoever about them is hidden from Him. The reins of all affairs are in His hand; whatever He wills comes to pass, and whatever He does not will does not come to pass.

As for the Prophet’s words—peace and blessings be upon him—in this supplication, “O Allah, indeed I seek refuge in You…” and so forth, the meaning of seeking refuge has already been explained: it is to seek Allah’s protection—Glorious and Exalted—and turn to Him. In this supplication, the servant turns to Allah—Glorious and Exalted—asking Him to protect him from falling into any of the things mentioned: going astray or being led astray, slipping or being made to slip, wronging someone or being wronged, and acting foolishly toward someone or being treated foolishly.

It is well known that anyone who leaves his home must necessarily mix and interact with people. A person who sincerely seeks his own good fears that, through this mixing and interaction, he may be afflicted

(1) *Al-Tamhīd*, 7/134.

فَرَفْعُ الطرفِ إلى السماءِ فيه إيمانٌ بعلوِّ الله، كما أنَّ رَفعَ الأيدي إلى السماء فيه إيمانٌ بعلوِّ الله ﷿، قال حافظُ المغرب أبو عمر بن عبد البر في كتابه التمهيد وهو بصدد ذكره الأدلَّةَ على علوِّ الله: "ومن الحُجَّةِ أيضاً في أنَّه ﷿ على العرش فوق السموات السبع أنَّ الموحِّدين أجمعين من العرب والعجم إذا كربهم أمرٌ أو نزلت بهم شِدَّةٌ رفعوا وجوهَهم إلى السماء يستغيثون ربَّهم ﵎، وهذا أشهر وأعرفُ عند الخاصَّة والعامة من أن يُحتاج فيه إلى أكثر من حكايتِه؛ لأنَّه اضطرارٌ لَم يُؤنبهم عليه أحدٌ ولا أنكره عليهم مسلم"١ اهـ. كلامه ﵀. والأدلةُ على علوِّ الله على خلقه كثيرةٌ لا تُحصَى، وقد دلَّ على علوِّ الله الكتابُ والسُّنَّةُ والإجماع والفطرةُ والعقولُ، ولا مجال هنا لبسط هذه الأدلَّة. وفي رفع الطرف إلى السماء دلالةٌ على أهميّة استشعار مراقبة الله تعالى وأنَّه سبحانه مطَّلعٌ على عباده، عليمٌ بهم لا تخفى عليه منهم خافية، وأنَّ أزمّة الأمور بيده، فما شاء كان وما لم يشأ لم يكن. وقوله ﷺ في هذا الدعاء: "اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ ... " إلى آخره الاستعاذة سبق بيانُ معناها وأنَّها اعتصامٌ بالله ﷿ والتجاءٌ إليه سبحانه، وفي هذا الدعاء التجاءٌ إلى الله ﷿ بأن يَحميَ العبدَ من أن يقع في شيء من هذه الأمور المذكورة، وهي أنْ يَضِلَّ أَوْ يُضَلَّ، أَوْ يَزِلَّ أَوْ يُزَلَّ، أَوْ يَظْلِمَ أَوْ يُظْلَمَ، أَوْ يَجْهَلَ أَوْ يُجْهَلَ عليه. ومن المعلوم أنَّ مَن يخرجُ من بيته لا بدَّ له في خروجه من مخالطةِ الناس ومعاشرتِهم، والنّاصِحُ لنفسه يخاف أن يبتلى بسبب هذه المخالطة والمعاشرة

١ التمهيد (٧/١٣٤) .