of this. For he seeks refuge in Him from an enemy whom he knows Allah sees, and whose scheming and evil Allah knows. Allah Most High therefore informs this seeker of refuge that He hears his plea—that is, He answers it—and knows his enemy’s scheming, seeing and observing him, so that the seeker’s hope may grow and he may turn wholeheartedly to supplication.
Consider the wisdom of the Quran: when speaking of seeking refuge from Satan, whose existence we know but whom we cannot see, it uses the words “the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing” in Surahs al-A'rāf and Hā Mīm al-Sajdah. Yet when speaking of seeking refuge from the evil of human beings, who can be perceived and seen with the eyes, it uses “the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing” in Surah Hā Mīm al-Mu'min. He says:
40:56 “Indeed, those who dispute concerning the signs of Allah without any authority having come to them have nothing in their hearts but pride, whose aim they will never attain. So seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
This is because their deeds are observable acts, seen with the eyes. Satan’s incitements, however, are whisperings and passing thoughts that he casts into the heart, which are apprehended through knowledge. Thus, regarding these, He commands seeking refuge in the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing; while regarding what is seen with the eyes and apprehended through sight, He commands seeking refuge in the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. And Allah knows best.
The second means is fearing Allah and being mindful of Him by observing His commands and prohibitions. Whoever fears Allah, Allah undertakes to protect him and does not entrust him to anyone else. Allah Most High says:
3:121 “And if you are patient and fear Allah, their scheming will not harm you at all.”
The Prophet ﷺ said to ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās: “Be mindful of Allah, and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him before you.”
Whoever is mindful of Allah, Allah protects him, and he finds Him before him wherever he turns. If Allah protects him and is before him, whom should he fear? Of whom should he beware?
The third means is bearing patiently with his enemy, neither fighting him nor complaining about him, nor even entertaining the thought of harming him. Nothing brings a person victory over his envier and enemy like bearing patiently with him and relying upon Allah. He should not grow impatient with the delay or his enemy’s continued aggression. Whenever his enemy wrongs him, that wrongdoing becomes an army and a source of strength for the wronged and envied person, by which the aggressor fights against himself without realizing it. His aggression is like arrows he shoots from himself at himself. If the wronged person could see this, he would rejoice at his enemy’s aggression against him.
But because his insight is weak, he sees only the outward form of the aggression, not its eventual outcome and consequences. Allah Most High has said:
22:60 “And whoever retaliates with the equivalent of what he has suffered, and is then subjected to further aggression, will surely be helped by