turning his back to the right: ‘I find the breath of the Most Merciful coming from here.’ Ibn Battah also related, in a letter to one of his friends, through his chain of transmission from Abū Hurayrah, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Faith is Yemeni, wisdom is Yemeni, and I find the breath of your Generous Lord coming from the direction of Yemen.’

Al-Qādī said: Its meaning is as explained concerning the preceding hadith: I find Allah bringing me relief and easing my distress by granting me support from the direction of Yemen. For when the Emigrants and the Ansār supported him, Allah relieved His Prophet of the harm he suffered from the polytheists, and Allah killed them at the hands of the Emigrants from Yemen and the Ansār. He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, frequently praised the people of Yemen; thus, it is related that he said: ‘Faith is Yemeni, and wisdom is Yemeni.’

This interpretation is required because of what was explained concerning the preceding hadith, which indicates that the breath is created: he associated it with the wind, and the wind is created, since it is commanded to bring mercy and punishment. It was therefore necessary to interpret this