Explanation

These narrations comprise a set of supplications that the Prophet ﷺ habitually offered. Among them is his prayer for protection with Allah from reprehensible morals, sinful deeds, wayward desires, and harmful diseases. In another wording the phrase appears as “from the evil of deeds and the evil of character.” The evil of deeds—that is, disobedience—refers to acts of sin, whereas the evil of character denotes mistreating others. With regard to desires (ahwāʾ), every person has inclinations: some align their desire with what the Messenger ﷺ has brought, while others let it follow their own whims. As for afflictions (adwāʾ), they are illnesses; a believer ought to beg Allah’s protection from them, for if Allah shields him, he gains tremendous good.

He ﷺ also sought refuge from leucoderma, insanity, leprosy, and every grievous ailment. These are likewise diseases that strike body and mind. Leprosy is an illness that may attack a person’s extremities—Allah protect us—so that the affected limb erodes bit by bit until it overtakes the entire body. Because of this, the scholars have held that lepers should not mix with the public and that the ruler must place them in a separate area, what is now called quarantine. Leprosy, Allah preserve us, is among the most contagious illnesses, spreading as easily as air. Hence they say the ruler is obliged to keep those afflicted with leprosy in a designated place so that they do not mingle with the people.