his deeds and his words, so that blessing may permeate them and they may leave a wholesome imprint upon the deeds that follow. It is an emphatically confirmed sunnah, yet it has been neglected and forsaken; whoever revives it will receive its reward and the reward of all who act upon it, without their reward being diminished in the least.
12 – Works come about through the servant’s own means and his will, which is itself bound to Allah’s will; yet behind those means and that will stands a Lord who manages and disposes of every affair. When the material causes and human resolve are coupled with seeking Allah’s help, relying on Him, and consigning all matters to Him—and when the servant places before his actions and their outward means a spiritual power and a charge of faith drawn from dependence upon Allah—the result is blessing, and success in those works is attained by Allah’s permission.
13 – Shaykh al-Islam said: “The three pillars contained in the sermon of Ibn Masʿūd are: al-hamdu lillāh (praise belongs to Allah), nastaʿīnuhu (we seek His help), and nastaghfiruhu (we ask His forgiveness).”
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir and al-Shādhilī said: “The concise, beneficial formulas are: al-hamdu lillāh (all praise is due to Allah), astaghfirullāh (I seek Allah’s forgiveness), and lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh (there is no might nor power except with Allah).”
Upon careful examination, it is the first three that are the truly comprehensive expressions.
This sermon is recommended whenever addressing people in matters of knowledge—teaching the Book and the Sunnah, imparting jurisprudence, or admonishing the public. It is not confined to marriage alone; rather, it is a sermon suitable for every need, with marriage being merely one instance of its application.
Observing the Prophetic sunnahs in word and deed across all acts of worship and customary practices constitutes the perfection of the Straight Path. End of quote.
14 – The phrase “from the evils of our own souls” attributes the evils to the selves and does not attribute them to Allah, even though every matter occurs by His decree and management; what issues from Allah is not, in and of itself, evil.