forbidden, it is nevertheless deficient and inferior, for the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

The precise point is that the words:

“Praise be to Allah. We seek His help and His forgiveness”

are comprehensive, as in the Prophetic hadith of Ibn Mas‘ūd, which mentions this and that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was granted comprehensive expressions, their conclusions and their openings, as in Ubayy’s two surahs. Seeking guidance is included in seeking help, while repeating “We praise Him” is unnecessary after saying “Praise be to Allah.” Elaborating, however, is permissible, as in the qunūt supplication:

“O Allah, we seek Your help, Your guidance and Your forgiveness. We believe in You and rely upon You. We offer You every good word of praise. We thank You and are not ungrateful to You. We renounce and abandon whoever disobeys You.”

This is one of Ubayy’s two surahs. It opens with seeking help, which, together with what follows it in the Opening of the Book, constitutes the servant’s half. The second surah reads:

“O Allah, You alone we worship; to You we pray and prostrate. Towards You we strive, hastening to serve You. We hope for Your mercy and fear Your punishment. Indeed, Your severe punishment will overtake the disbelievers.”

This opens with worship, which, together with what precedes it in the Opening of the Book, constitutes the Lord’s half. Thus, the two surahs of qunūt correspond to the Opening of the Book, and both correspond to the address for occasions of need. All of this belongs to the openings, comprehensive expressions and conclusions of speech.

As for his words:

“We seek refuge in Allah from the evils within ourselves and from our evil deeds,”

there are two kinds of things from which refuge is sought. One is something already present: refuge is sought from its harm, which has not