al-Hasan ibn Shaqīq narrated to us; ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak narrated to us, from Sufyān, from Ibn Abī Laylā, from al-Hakam, from Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ‘Abbās, who said:

“If a woman has difficulty giving birth, the following should be written:

‘In the name of Allah. There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, the Most High, the Magnificent. There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, the Forbearing, the Generous. Glory be to Allah, and exalted is He, Lord of the Mighty Throne. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds.’

‘On the Day they see it, it will be as though they had remained only an evening or its morning.’

‘On the Day they see what they are promised, it will be as though they had remained only an hour of a day. This is a proclamation. Will any be destroyed except the defiantly disobedient people?’”

‘Alī said: “It is written on a piece of paper and tied to the woman’s upper arm.”

‘Alī said: “We have tried it and have seen nothing more remarkable. Once she has given birth, she should promptly untie it, then wrap it in a cloth or burn it.”

Here end the words of Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah sanctify his soul and illuminate his grave.