Explanation of the author's statement: And his saying (… nothing harmed him until he departed from that dwelling) narrated by Muslim.

The Shaykh : The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The student: .

The Shaykh : In our version, the meaning is valid; both this and that are valid.
His saying: The word "thing" is an indefinite noun in a context of negation, so it encompasses every thing, whether from the devils of mankind or the devils of the jinn, whether apparent or hidden, until he departs from that dwelling. This is a report that cannot be contradicted by its reporter, because the report of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is truth and veracity. However, if this report is contradicted, it is due to the presence of a barrier that prevents the effect of this report from occurring.
The same applies to everything the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reported regarding the legislative causes: if they are performed but the effect does not occur, that is not due to a defect in the cause, but due to the presence of a barrier. Yes, reciting al-Fatihah for the sick is a cure, and some people recite it, but the patient is not cured. Why? Because of the presence of a barrier. What is it? It is not due to a deficiency in the cause; the cause is… but the barrier is what stands between the cause and its effect. And this may occur, and the devil may harm the child. Why? Because of the presence of a barrier that prevents the effect of this cause from occurring. So you must investigate what the barrier is so that you can remove it, and then the effect of the cause will occur for you. And his saying: its apparent meaning is that whether the dwelling is in a city or in the desert, if you enter a dwelling and you say that, nothing will harm you. Al-Qurtubi said: I have tested that. Al-Qurtubi and others say: "I tested that, to the extent that I once forgot, and then I entered my dwelling without saying this, and a scorpion stung me" Yes, because I did not say this thing. In any case, if the believing person says such hadiths, such words, there is no doubt that he… and if this is contradicted, it is due to the presence of a barrier.
The point of the hadith: His saying: And the author says in the heading: Seeking refuge in other than Allah. Here, he sought refuge in the words and did not seek refuge in Allah. We say: Because the words of Allah are among His attributes. Therefore, the scholars used this hadith as evidence that the speech of Allah is among His attributes and is not created. Because seeking refuge in a created thing is not permissible. If the words were created, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not have guided to seeking refuge in them; he did not guide to seeking refuge in them. Therefore, the author's saying: Seeking refuge in other than Allah means: or in one of His attributes. It is said regarding the sick person: The sick person, if he is pained by something, places his hands on it and says: I seek refuge in the majesty of Allah. He did not say "in Allah," but "in the majesty of Allah." But majesty is one of the attributes, and the attributes of Allah the Exalted are not created. Therefore, it is permissible to swear by Allah and it is permissible to swear by one of His attributes, because the attributes of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, are not created.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : What… Allah, despite the presence of this cause. The origin of it is that the person says: This cause is decreed, and its prevention of harm is decreed. So if he does what is decreed for him by performing the cause, the harm is averted. Everything is decreed, meaning, but if Allah has decreed that a snake will sting him, he does not say this dhikr, or he says it, but a barrier occurs.
The student: … if something happens to him… .

The Shaykh : Because nothing harms him?
The student: Yes, nothing harms him.

The Shaykh : Then it does not contradict the hadith, because the Messenger said: He did not say "nothing struck him," he said "nothing harmed him." So it may strike him but not harm him. Yes.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : We have previously discussed swearing by the verses of Allah, and I think you remember this. We said that if he means the legislative verses, it is correct, and if he means the cosmic verses, it is not correct. But most of the common people mean the legislative verses, because when they say "I swear by the verses of Allah," they do not think of anything other than the Qur'an. Yes, and every person has what he intends. We remain with seeking refuge in a created thing. It is known among the scholars that seeking refuge in a created thing does not occur, and that it is shirk (associating partners with Allah), that it is not permissible, and that it is shirk, as transmitted by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and others. He said: "It is not permissible to seek refuge in a created thing according to any of the Imams" But this is not absolute; rather, their intention is regarding that which only Allah is capable of. Seeking refuge from that which only Allah is capable of is not done with a created thing, because no one can protect you from the evil that only Allah is capable of except… except Allah. Similarly, seeking refuge in a created thing in that which does not benefit, for example, if you seek refuge in the owner of a grave, this does not benefit you and is not permissible. But seeking refuge in a created thing in that which he is capable of is permissible. The commentator Sulayman ibn 'Abdullah pointed to this in *Taysir al-'Aziz al-Hamid*, and it is also the implication of the hadiths reported in the hadith of Muslim. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the trials, he said: And I mentioned that he seeks refuge with anything other than Allah, with a created thing, but he turns to him. And similarly in the story of those who seek refuge in the Haram and the Ka'bah, and the like of that. And similarly in the story of the man who sought refuge in Umm Salama, and the woman who sought refuge in the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and many of these texts all indicate that seeking refuge in a created thing in that which he is capable of is permissible, because it is not shirk. But attaching the heart to a created thing, and turning to this created thing alone in everything that befalls him, is undoubtedly shirk and not permissible. Rather, you seek refuge in some of the specific issues that befall you with one who is capable of protecting you from them; this is permissible. Yes, and this is what the texts require. And thus, the Shaykh's (may Allah have mercy on him) statement that the Imams do not permit seeking refuge in a created thing is restricted to what? To that which only Allah is capable of. It is restricted. And if the texts had not come with this, we would have taken the statement absolutely and said that it is not permissible to seek refuge in other than Allah absolutely. But since the texts have come with this, and it is also the implication of reflection, that you turn to a person who turns you away from this matter, is there shirk in this? No, there is no shirk. For example, if bandits caught up with me, I sought refuge in a person and said, "Protect me from them," there is nothing wrong with it, and it is not shirk. But shirk is that you attach your heart, your hope, your fear, and you direct all your affairs to a specific person, making him a refuge. This is only for Allah. Or you seek refuge in one who does not protect you, believing that he protects you, like seeking refuge in whom? In the owners of graves. Or you seek refuge in one who is not able to protect you from a matter, and you believe that he has a secret by which he can protect you from it. All of this is shirk in lordship and is not permissible. Yes.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : This is what is permissible, because this is nonsense. And if it were not for the belief that this person has a secret power by which he can do it, you would not have gone to seek refuge in him. If a strong man cut off a person's leg and he went to seek refuge in a child, this is foolishness. The important point is that even if it does not reach the level of shirk, if he does not have the belief that this man has an unknown secret by which he can repel harm without a tangible, physical cause, it is nonsense, and it is between two things: either shirk or nonsense.

The questioner : It is necessary to verify the capability of the created thing regarding…

The Shaykh : Yes, it is necessary, and no one seeks refuge in another unless he knows that he is capable of it.

The questioner : It may be… .

The Shaykh : Because if he is not capable… .