What is the meaning of: {And they do not harm anyone thereby except by the permission of Allah}?
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Question:
We ask for clarification of the saying of Allah the Exalted regarding the soothsayers and those similar to them, who left the path of Allah and went to the devils to learn from them what they use to separate a man from his wife[Al-Baqarah 2:102] the verse [Surat al-Baqarah: 102]. How does this happen? And does this harm occur to the believers who are open sinners? And what is the path of protection from these evils and harms, given that many soothsayers promote to the common people their ability to do so?
Answer:
These wicked methods may be a service of the devils, and a service of those who engage in these matters, and their companionship with them, and their learning from them, are among the types of sorcery, and of the soothsayers, the fortune-tellers, the diviners, and others of the magicians; they engage in these matters for the sake of money, and to seize the minds of people, and so that people will exalt them and say: they know such and such and know such and such.
And this is a reality, and Allah tests His servants with ease and hardship, and tests His servants with the wicked and the righteous; so that the truthful is distinguished from the liar, and so that the close friend of Allah is distinguished from the enemy of Allah, and so that the one who worships Allah, and strives for the safety of his religion, and fights disbelief, hypocrisy, sins, and superstitions, is distinguished from the one who is weak in that, or one who is given over to laziness and weakness.
And Allah distinguishes people by what He tests them with of ease and hardship, and severity and ease, and the unleashing of enemies and jihad; so that the close friends of Allah are distinguished from His stubborn enemies against the religion of Allah, and so that the people of strength in the truth are distinguished from the weak and the insignificant.
And this is a reality without doubt, and protection against it is prescribed—by the praise of Allah—indeed, it is obligatory, and Allah has prescribed for His servants to protect themselves from their evil by what He, the Exalted, has prescribed of the seekings of refuge and the lawful remembrances of Allah, and all the permissible means.
So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 2708a It was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
And as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed:,
And as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed: that whoever reads the Verse of the Throne when he lies down on his bed, nothing will harm him until he rises. And this is from the favor of Allah .
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) informed: that whoever reads Surat al-Ikhlas: (Say: He is Allah, the One), and the two Surahs: (al-Falaq) and (al-Nas) three times when he sleeps, nothing will harm him.
So they are among the causes of safety from all evil, if the believer reads them when he sleeps (three times), and likewise after the five daily prayers, and it is prescribed to repeat them after the Fajr and Maghrib prayers three times, and that is after he finishes from the glorification, the praise, the saying of Allahu Akbar, and the saying of La ilaha illa Allah. And that is from the favor of Allah upon His servants, and His guidance for them to the causes of well-being, and protection from the evil of the enemies.
And likewise among the lawful causes: the frequenting of the four words: Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah, and Allahu Akbar, for they are among the causes of safety and well-being; due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 2137a. It was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih. And likewise the care for reading the Noble Qur'an, and the frequenting of it with reflection and understanding, and the care for the matter of Allah by obeying Him and leaving His sins.
And likewise the frequenting of saying: La ilaha illa Allah, He alone has no partner, His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is over all things capable, all of which are among the causes of safety, and it is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6403. It is agreed upon on its authenticity.
And among what gathers all the good for the Muslim: the care for the Book of Allah, and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in speech and action, and taking what Allah has advised His servants and commanded them with in His Noble Book and the Sunnah of His trustworthy Messenger; and among that is that He advised His servants to have mindfulness of Allah and commanded them with it in many verses, and there is no doubt that mindfulness of Allah is the greatest of the advices; for it is the advice of Allah , and the advice of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is comprehensive of all the good.
And among the parts of mindfulness of Allah: the care for the Book of Allah, to which falsehood does not come from before it or from behind it; a revelation from the Wise, the Praiseworthy, and Allah has advised with that, so He, the Glorious and Exalted, said: [Surat al-An'am: 155], and He, the Glorious and Exalted, said: [Al-An'am 6:151] And do not approach the property of the orphan except in the best manner until he reaches maturity, and fulfill the measure and the balance with justice, We do not burden a soul except with what it can bear, and when you speak, be just even if it is a close relative, and fulfill the covenant of Allah, that is what He commands you with so that you may remember [Surat al-An'am: 151-152], then He said after that: [Surat al-An'am: 153].
So He said: First:, then He said: , then He said: .
And the wisdom in that—as a group of the people of exegesis said—is that if a person understands what he was created for and what he was commanded with, and what he was addressed with, and looks at it and reflects on it, he will attain thereby the remembrance of what is obligatory upon him and what he should leave, and after that comes mindfulness of Allah; by doing the commands and leaving the prohibitions; and by that the servant completes the care for what he read or what he heard, for he begins with understanding and remembrance, then action, which is the intended goal.
So the advice regarding the Book of Allah in speech and action includes: calling to it, defending it, and acting by it; for it is the Book of Allah, and whoever holds fast to it is saved, and whoever deviates from it is destroyed, and it is established in the authentic hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised with the Book of Allah, and that was when Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa was asked: Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advise with anything? He said: Yes, he advised with the Book of Allah, so the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) advised with the Book of Allah; for it gathers all the good.
And in (Sahih Muslim), from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised with the Book of Allah in the Farewell Pilgrimage, so he said:, and in (Sahih Muslim) also, from Zayd ibn Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 2408a.
So he urged regarding the Book of Allah and encouraged it, then he said:Sahih Muslim 2408a.
So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised with the Book of Allah, as Allah advised with His Book.
Then the advice regarding the Book of Allah is advice regarding the Sunnah; for the Qur'an advised with the Sunnah and commanded its exaltation, so the advice regarding the Book of Allah is advice regarding the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And they are the two weighty things, and they are the two foundations which are necessary, whoever holds fast to them is saved, and whoever deviates from them is destroyed, and whoever denies one of them disbelieves in Allah, and his blood and his wealth become lawful, and it came in another narration:. It was narrated by al-Hakim with a good chain.
And you have known—O Muslim—that the advice regarding the Book of Allah and the command regarding the Book of Allah, is advice regarding the Sunnah and command regarding the Sunnah; for Allah the Exalted says: [Surat al-Nur: 56], and He, the Exalted, says: [Al-Hashr 59:7] the verse [Surat al-Hashr: 7], and He also says: [Surat al-Nisa: 80].
And there are many verses in which He, the Exalted, commands obedience to Him, and obedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
And the beneficial knowledge is that which is received from them and derived from them, so this is the knowledge, so knowledge: Allah the Exalted said and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and what came from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) ; for they are more knowledgeable of the Book of Allah and more knowledgeable of the Sunnah; so their derivation and their sayings help the student of knowledge, and guide the student of knowledge to the correct understanding of Allah, and of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then seeking help with the speech of the people of knowledge after that: the imams of guidance like the Tabi'un and the generation after the Tabi'un and those after them from the scholars of guidance, and likewise the imams of language, their speech is sought for help in understanding the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
So the student of knowledge cares for the Book of Allah the Exalted and cares for the Sunnah, and seeks help with that by the speech of the people of knowledge transmitted from the Companions and those after them in the books of exegesis and hadith, and the books of the people of knowledge and guidance; so that he knows the meanings of the Book of Allah, so he learns it and acts by it and teaches it to the people; for in that is the great reward and the abundant recompense, and among that is the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 1452Sahih (Al-Albani), and his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 2699a.
And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) urged the preservation of the Book of Allah and the reflection on its meanings; for in that is the great reward, such as the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): It was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
And his Companions: they are those who act by it, as came in the other hadith, and it is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Mishkat al-Masabih 2121 It was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
And the verses and hadiths regarding the virtue of the Qur'an and acting by it, and the virtue of the Sunnah and holding fast to it, are very many.
So we ask Allah by His beautiful names and His exalted attributes, that He may guide us and the Muslims to hold fast to His Book, and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and to act by them, indeed He is Generous, Bountiful.
We ask for clarification of the saying of Allah the Exalted regarding the soothsayers and those similar to them, who left the path of Allah and went to the devils to learn from them what they use to separate a man from his wife
But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah.
وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِAnswer:
These wicked methods may be a service of the devils, and a service of those who engage in these matters, and their companionship with them, and their learning from them, are among the types of sorcery, and of the soothsayers, the fortune-tellers, the diviners, and others of the magicians; they engage in these matters for the sake of money, and to seize the minds of people, and so that people will exalt them and say: they know such and such and know such and such.
And this is a reality, and Allah tests His servants with ease and hardship, and tests His servants with the wicked and the righteous; so that the truthful is distinguished from the liar, and so that the close friend of Allah is distinguished from the enemy of Allah, and so that the one who worships Allah, and strives for the safety of his religion, and fights disbelief, hypocrisy, sins, and superstitions, is distinguished from the one who is weak in that, or one who is given over to laziness and weakness.
And Allah distinguishes people by what He tests them with of ease and hardship, and severity and ease, and the unleashing of enemies and jihad; so that the close friends of Allah are distinguished from His stubborn enemies against the religion of Allah, and so that the people of strength in the truth are distinguished from the weak and the insignificant.
And this is a reality without doubt, and protection against it is prescribed—by the praise of Allah—indeed, it is obligatory, and Allah has prescribed for His servants to protect themselves from their evil by what He, the Exalted, has prescribed of the seekings of refuge and the lawful remembrances of Allah, and all the permissible means.
So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
When anyone lands at a place, and then says:" I seek refuge in the Perfect Word of Allah from the evil of what He has created," nothing would harm him until he marches from that stopping place.
من نزل منزلًا فقال: أعوذ بكلمات الله التامات من شر ما خلق، لم يضره شيء حتى يرتحل من منزله ذلكAnd as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed:
Whoever says: “In the name of Allah, with Whose name nothing on earth or in the sky can cause harm, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing,” three times in the evening, nothing will harm him until morning. And whoever says it three times in the morning, nothing will harm him until evening.
أن من قال: بسم الله الذي لا يضر مع اسمه شيء في الأرض ولا في السماء وهو السميع العليم ثلاث مرات في المساء لم يضره شيء حتى يصبح، ومن قالها ثلاث مرات في الصباح لم يضره شيء حتى يمسيAnd as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed: that whoever reads the Verse of the Throne when he lies down on his bed, nothing will harm him until he rises. And this is from the favor of Allah .
And he (peace and blessings be upon him) informed: that whoever reads Surat al-Ikhlas: (Say: He is Allah, the One), and the two Surahs: (al-Falaq) and (al-Nas) three times when he sleeps, nothing will harm him.
So they are among the causes of safety from all evil, if the believer reads them when he sleeps (three times), and likewise after the five daily prayers, and it is prescribed to repeat them after the Fajr and Maghrib prayers three times, and that is after he finishes from the glorification, the praise, the saying of Allahu Akbar, and the saying of La ilaha illa Allah. And that is from the favor of Allah upon His servants, and His guidance for them to the causes of well-being, and protection from the evil of the enemies.
And likewise among the lawful causes: the frequenting of the four words: Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah, and Allahu Akbar, for they are among the causes of safety and well-being; due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The dearest phrases to Allah are four: Subhan Allah (Hallowed be Allah), Al-Hamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), La ilaha illa-Allah (There is no deity but Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is Greater).
أحب الكلام إلى الله أربع: سبحان الله، والحمد لله، ولا إله إلا الله، والله أكبرAnd likewise the frequenting of saying: La ilaha illa Allah, He alone has no partner, His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is over all things capable, all of which are among the causes of safety, and it is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Whoever says: "La ilaha illal-lah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu-l-mulk wa lahul- hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shai'in qadir," one hundred times will get the same reward as given for manumitting ten slaves; and one hundred good deeds will be written in his accounts, and one hundred sins will be deducted from his accounts, and it (his saying) will be a shield for him from Satan on that day till night, and nobody will be able to do a better deed except the one who does more than he.
من قال: لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك وله الحمد، وهو على كل شيء قدير في يوم مائة مرة، كانت له عدل عشر رقاب، وكتب الله له مائة حسنة، ومحيت عنه مائة سيئة، وكان في حرز من الشيطان يومه ذلك حتى يمسي، ولم يأت أحد بأفضل مما جاء به إلا رجل عمل أكثر من عملهAnd among what gathers all the good for the Muslim: the care for the Book of Allah, and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in speech and action, and taking what Allah has advised His servants and commanded them with in His Noble Book and the Sunnah of His trustworthy Messenger; and among that is that He advised His servants to have mindfulness of Allah and commanded them with it in many verses, and there is no doubt that mindfulness of Allah is the greatest of the advices; for it is the advice of Allah , and the advice of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and it is comprehensive of all the good.
And among the parts of mindfulness of Allah: the care for the Book of Allah, to which falsehood does not come from before it or from behind it; a revelation from the Wise, the Praiseworthy, and Allah has advised with that, so He, the Glorious and Exalted, said:
And this [Qur'an] is a Book We have revealed [which is] blessed, so follow it and fear Allah that you may receive mercy.
وَهَذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَاتَّقُواْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَSay, "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment, and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them. And do not approach immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed. And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason."
قُلْ تَعَالَوْاْ أَتْلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَلاَّ تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئًا وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلاَدَكُم مِّنْ إمْلاَقٍ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ وَلاَ تَقْرَبُواْ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللّهُ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ And, [moreover], this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way. This has He instructed you that you may become righteous.
وَأَنَّ هَذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَSo He said: First:
Perhaps you will understand.
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَPerhaps you will remember.
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَPerhaps you will become mindful of Allah
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَAnd the wisdom in that—as a group of the people of exegesis said—is that if a person understands what he was created for and what he was commanded with, and what he was addressed with, and looks at it and reflects on it, he will attain thereby the remembrance of what is obligatory upon him and what he should leave, and after that comes mindfulness of Allah; by doing the commands and leaving the prohibitions; and by that the servant completes the care for what he read or what he heard, for he begins with understanding and remembrance, then action, which is the intended goal.
So the advice regarding the Book of Allah in speech and action includes: calling to it, defending it, and acting by it; for it is the Book of Allah, and whoever holds fast to it is saved, and whoever deviates from it is destroyed, and it is established in the authentic hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised with the Book of Allah, and that was when Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa was asked: Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advise with anything? He said: Yes, he advised with the Book of Allah, so the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) advised with the Book of Allah; for it gathers all the good.
And in (Sahih Muslim), from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised with the Book of Allah in the Farewell Pilgrimage, so he said:
Indeed, I am leaving among you two things by which you will not go astray as long as you hold fast to them: the Book of Allah. Whoever holds fast to it will succeed, and whoever turns away from it will perish.
إني تارك فيكم ما لن تضلوا إن اعتصمتم به: كتاب الله من تمسك به نجا، ومن أعرض عنه هلكI am leaving among you two weighty things: the one being the Book of Allah in which there is right guidance and light, so hold fast to the Book of Allah and adhere to it
إني تارك فيكم ثقلين: أولهما: كتاب الله فيه الهدى والنور؛ فخذوا بكتاب الله وتمسكوا بهSo he urged regarding the Book of Allah and encouraged it, then he said:
The second are the members of my household I remind you (of your duties) to the members of my family
وأهل بيتي؛ أذكركم الله في أهل بيتي، أذكركم الله في أهل بيتيSo the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised with the Book of Allah, as Allah advised with His Book.
Then the advice regarding the Book of Allah is advice regarding the Sunnah; for the Qur'an advised with the Sunnah and commanded its exaltation, so the advice regarding the Book of Allah is advice regarding the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And they are the two weighty things, and they are the two foundations which are necessary, whoever holds fast to them is saved, and whoever deviates from them is destroyed, and whoever denies one of them disbelieves in Allah, and his blood and his wealth become lawful, and it came in another narration:
Indeed, I am leaving among you two things by which you will not go astray as long as you hold fast to them: the Book of Allah, and my Sunnah.
إني تارك فيكم ما لن تضلوا إن اعتصمتم به: كتاب الله، وسنتيAnd you have known—O Muslim—that the advice regarding the Book of Allah and the command regarding the Book of Allah, is advice regarding the Sunnah and command regarding the Sunnah; for Allah the Exalted says:
And establish prayer and give zakah and obey the Messenger - that you may receive mercy.
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَAnd whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from
وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُواHe who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah; but those who turn away - We have not sent you over them as a guardian.
مَّنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللّهَ وَمَن تَوَلَّى فَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًاAnd there are many verses in which He, the Exalted, commands obedience to Him, and obedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
And the beneficial knowledge is that which is received from them and derived from them, so this is the knowledge, so knowledge: Allah the Exalted said and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and what came from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) ; for they are more knowledgeable of the Book of Allah and more knowledgeable of the Sunnah; so their derivation and their sayings help the student of knowledge, and guide the student of knowledge to the correct understanding of Allah, and of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then seeking help with the speech of the people of knowledge after that: the imams of guidance like the Tabi'un and the generation after the Tabi'un and those after them from the scholars of guidance, and likewise the imams of language, their speech is sought for help in understanding the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
So the student of knowledge cares for the Book of Allah the Exalted and cares for the Sunnah, and seeks help with that by the speech of the people of knowledge transmitted from the Companions and those after them in the books of exegesis and hadith, and the books of the people of knowledge and guidance; so that he knows the meanings of the Book of Allah, so he learns it and acts by it and teaches it to the people; for in that is the great reward and the abundant recompense, and among that is the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
The best among you is he who learns and teaches the Qur'an.
خيركم من تعلم القرآن وعلمهhe who treads the path in search of knowledge, Allah would make that path easy, leading to Paradise for him
من سلك طريقًا يلتمس فيه علمًا سهل الله له به طريقًا إلى الجنةAnd the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) urged the preservation of the Book of Allah and the reflection on its meanings; for in that is the great reward, such as the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever reads a letter from the Qur'an, he will have a good deed for it, and the good deed is multiplied tenfold. And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): “Read the Qur'an; for it will come on the Day of Resurrection as an intercessor for its people.”
من قرأ حرفًا من القرآن فله به حسنة، والحسنة بعشر أمثالها»، وقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: «اقرأوا القرآن؛ فإنه يأتي يوم القيامة شفيعًا لأصحابهAnd his Companions: they are those who act by it, as came in the other hadith, and it is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
On the day of resurrection the Qur’ān and those who acted according to it will be brought with sūra al-Baqara and Āl ‘Imran preceding them* like two black clouds or canopies with light between them, or as though they were two flocks of birds in ranks pleading for the one who recited them.
يؤتى بالقرآن يوم القيامة وأهله الذين كانوا يعملون به، تقدمه سورة (البقرة) و(آل عمران) كأنهما غمامتان أو ظُلّتان سوداوان بينهما شرق، أو كأنهما حزقان من طير طواف، تحاجان عن صاحبهماAnd the verses and hadiths regarding the virtue of the Qur'an and acting by it, and the virtue of the Sunnah and holding fast to it, are very many.
So we ask Allah by His beautiful names and His exalted attributes, that He may guide us and the Muslims to hold fast to His Book, and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and to act by them, indeed He is Generous, Bountiful.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.