its good and seek refuge in Allah from its evil.”

The judge then said:

Know that our shaykh Abū ‘Abd Allāh mentioned this hadith in his book and ruled out taking it in its apparent sense—that the wind is an attribute pertaining to the Divine Essence. He is correct in this. Rather, it means that the wind is among the means by which Allah Most High brings relief to those burdened by distress and sorrow. Thus, nafas (breath) here has the meaning of tanaffus (relief). This usage is familiar in such expressions as “I relieved so-and-so,” meaning “I eased his distress,” and “I spoke to so-and-so about granting his debtor respite.” Likewise, “May Allah relieve so-and-so’s distress” means “May Allah grant him relief.” It is also related in a hadith:

“Whoever relieves a distressed person of a hardship, Allah will relieve him of a hardship on the Day of Resurrection.”