requires contending against the devils among humankind and jinn, and repelling decreed evil through the good that Allah has decreed. Alongside this, he must seek Allah’s help, for there is no power or strength except through Him, and his deeds must be sincerely devoted to Allah. Allah accepts only deeds done seeking His Face. This is the true meaning of your saying:

“You alone we worship,”

while the preceding requirement expresses the true meaning of:

“And You alone we ask for help.”

He must therefore worship Allah by doing what He has commanded and avoiding what He has forbidden, while seeking Allah’s help in doing so. Worshipping Allah and obeying His commands includes removing the evil He has decreed through the good He has decreed, and averting the evil Satan intends and strives to bring about before it arrives, through the good by which Allah repels it.

Allah Most High says:

“Were it not for Allah checking some people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted.”

Thus, the evil that disbelievers and evildoers harbor within themselves and strive to bring about is repelled by rightful means, such as preparing military strength and keeping horses ready for battle, or through supplication and charity, both of which ward off affliction. As the hadith states:

“Supplication and affliction meet and wrestle between heaven and earth.”

Sometimes the cause of an evil has already taken shape and the evil is feared, so it is prevented from reaching its target—as when disbelievers are repelled if they advance upon Muslim lands. At other times, the evil has already occurred, so it is removed and evil deeds are replaced with good deeds. All of this comes under repelling decreed evil through decreed good. This is sometimes obligatory and sometimes recommended. What the shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—mentioned is therefore what Allah and His Messenger have commanded.