His words, “and by Your aid I charge,” mean: by Your aid I advance against the enemy. The Arabic expression denotes a charge or assault.

His words, “and by Your aid I fight,” mean: with Your help I fight my enemy.

Among the supplications for this situation is the report narrated by Abu Dāwūd from Abu Mūsā al-Ashʿarī—may Allah be pleased with him: “Whenever the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—feared harm from a people, he would say: ‘O Allah, we place You before them, and we seek refuge in You from their evil.’”1.

His words, “O Allah, we place You before them,” mean: directly before the enemy, asking You to protect us, defend us, and stand as a barrier between us and them so that they cannot inflict any kind of harm upon us. Their throats are singled out for mention because an enemy faces his opponent with his throat in battle. Perhaps mentioning the throat also expresses hope that, through support and aid from Allah, the believers will slay every last one of them.

His words, “and we seek refuge in You from their evil,” mean: from their inflicting any kind of evil upon us. You are the One who wards off their evil, suffices us against them, and stands as a barrier between us and them.

Another prescribed statement for a Muslim in such a situation is: “Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.” In Sahīh al-Bukhārī, ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās—may Allah be pleased with him and his father—said: “Abraham—peace be upon him—said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs,’ when he was cast into the fire. Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—also said it when they were told: ‘Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.’ But this only increased them in faith, and they said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.’” (2) 3.