Fiqh al-Adiyah wa-al-Adhkar - Abd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr - (3/270)

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

It is recommended for a Muslim who intends to enter a village or town to say: “O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and all that they overshadow; Lord of the seven earths and all that they bear; Lord of the devils and all whom they lead astray; and Lord of the winds and all that they scatter: indeed, we ask You for the good of this settlement, the good of its inhabitants, and the good within it; and we seek refuge in You from its evil, the evil of its inhabitants, and the evil within it.” This is because the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would say this whenever he saw a settlement that he intended to enter.

Al-Nasā’ī and others narrated from Suhayb—may Allah be pleased with him: “Whenever the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—saw a settlement that he intended to enter, he would say upon seeing it: ‘O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and all that they overshadow; Lord of the seven earths and all that they bear; Lord of the devils and all whom they lead astray; and Lord of the winds and all that they scatter: indeed, we ask You for the good of this settlement, the good of its inhabitants, and the good within it; and we seek refuge in You from its evil, the evil of its inhabitants, and the evil within it.’” 1.

The word “settlement” designates a place where people congregate, comprising dwellings, buildings, and estates. It may also refer to cities, as in the words of Allah Almighty: “And present to them an example: the people of the city, when the messengers came to it” 2. It has been said that this city was Antioch, while Mecca is called the Mother of Cities. Accordingly, this supplication is said when entering either a village or a city.

The words, “O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and all that they overshadow,” constitute an appeal to Allah—Glorified and Exalted is He—by virtue of His lordship over the seven heavens and everything beneath their shade: the stars, the sun, the moon, the earth, and all that is upon it. The phrase “all that they overshadow” derives from the verb meaning “to cast shade”; that is, everything above which they rise and tower, forming a canopy over it.

(1) *Amal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah* by al-Nasā'ī, no. 547; authenticated as sound by al-Albānī, may Allah have mercy on him, in *al-Silsilah al-Sahīhah*, no. 2759. (2) Surah Yā Sīn, verse 13.

ويُستحبُّ للمسلم إذا أراد دخولَ قريةٍ أو بلدةٍ أن يقول: اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ السَّمَوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَمَا أَظْلَلْنَ، وَرَبَّ الأَرْضِينَ السَّبْعِ وَمَا أَقْلَلْنَ، وَرَبَّ الشَيَاطِينِ وَمَا أَضْلَلْنَ، وَرَبَّ الرِّيَاحِ وَمَا ذَرَيْنَ، فَإِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ خَيْرَ هَذْهِ القَرْيَةِ، وَخَيْرَ أَهْلِهَا، وخَيْرَ مَا فِيهَا، وَنَعُوذ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهَا وَشَرِّ أَهْلِهَا وَشَرِّ مَا فِيهَا"؛ لأنَّ النبيَّ ﷺ كان يقول ذلك كلَّما رأى قريةً يريد دخولَها. روى النسائي وغيرُه عَنْ صُهَيْبٍ ﵁: "أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَمْ يَرَ قَرْيَةً يُرِيدُ دُخُولَهَا إِلاَّ قَالَ حِينَ يَرَاهَا: اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ السَّمَوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَمَا أَظْلَلْنَ، وَرَبَّ الأَرْضِينَ السَّبْعِ وَمَا أَقْلَلْنَ، وَرَبَّ الشَيَاطِينِ وَمَا أَضْلَلْنَ، وَرَبَّ الرِّيَاحِ وَمَا ذَرَيْنَ، فَإِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ خَيْرَ هَذْهِ القَرْيَةِ، وَخَيْرَ أَهْلِهَا، وخَيْرَ مَا فِيهَا، وَنَعُوذ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهَا وَشَرِّ أَهْلِهَا وَشَرِّ مَا فِيهَا" ١. والقريةُ اسمٌ للموضع الذي يجتمع فيه الناسُ من المساكن والأبنية والضياع، وقد تُطلق على المدن كما في قوله تعالى ﴿وَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ مَثَلاً أَصْحَابَ الْقَرْيَةِ إِذْ جَاءَهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ﴾ ٢ فقد قيل إنَّها أنطاكية، ويقال لمكَّةَ أمُّ القرى. وعليه فإنَّ هذا الدعاءُ يقال عند دخول القرية أو المدينة. وقولُه: "اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ السَّمَوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَمَا أَظْلَلْنَ" فيه توسُّلٌ إلى الله ﷿ بربوبيته للسموات السبع وما أظلَّت تحتها من النُّجوم والشمس والقمر والأرض وما عليها، فقولُه "وما أظللن" من الإظلال: أي ما ارتفعت عليه وعلت وكانت له كالظلَّة.

١ عمل اليوم والليلة للنسائي (رقم:٥٤٧) ، وصحَّحه الألباني ﵀ في السلسلة الصحيحة (رقم:٢٧٥٩) . ٢ سورة: يس، الآية (١٣) .