Points gleaned from the ḥadīth:

1. Seeking refuge (istiʿādhah) is an act of worship.
2. The only prescribed form of istiʿādhah is that which is sought through Allah, or by invoking His names and attributes.
3. Allah’s speech is uncreated, because He has legislated seeking refuge in it; and since seeking refuge in a created being is, as noted earlier, an act of polytheism, this proves that His speech cannot be created.
4. This concise supplication enjoys great virtue.
5. The forelocks—that is, the destiny—of all creatures are in Allah’s hand.