Thus he attributed to his Lord every perfection in these acts, while attributing their imperfections—illness and sin—to himself.

This occurs frequently in the Quran. We cited many examples in al-Fawā’id al-Makkiyyah (Meccan Benefits), where we explained the subtle reason for the wording of 2: 121 “Those to whom We have given the Scripture” and 2: 101 “Those who were given the Scripture,” and the distinction between the two passages. Wherever the agent is named, those to whom He gave the Scripture are mentioned in a context of praise. Wherever the agent is omitted, those given the Scripture are either censured or divided into praiseworthy and blameworthy groups. This is among the subtle secrets of the Quran.

A similar example is:

35: 32 “Then We caused those whom We chose from among Our servants to inherit the Scripture.”

And He says:

42: 14 “Indeed, those who were made to inherit the Scripture after them are in troubling doubt about it.”

And He says:

7: 168 “Then they were succeeded by descendants who inherited the Scripture, taking the fleeting gains of this lower life.”

In short, everything attributed to Allah Most High is goodness, wisdom, benefit, and justice. Evil is not attributable to Him.

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His words, “From the evil of what He has created,” include seeking refuge from every evil, whatever created thing it resides in: an animal or anything else, whether a human, a jinn, a creeping creature, a beast, a wind, a thunderbolt, or any other kind of calamity.

If you ask, “Does ‘what’ here have a general scope?”

I answer: Its generality is restricted by a descriptive qualification; it is not unrestricted. The meaning is: from the evil of every created thing in which there is evil. Its scope is general in this respect. It does not mean seeking refuge from the evil of everything Allah has created, for Paradise and all it contains have no evil in them. Likewise, the angels and the prophets are entirely good, and all good has come through them. Thus, seeking refuge from the evil of what He has created encompasses the evil of every created thing in which there is evil, every evil in this world and the Hereafter, and the evil of