Seeking Refuge Against the Open Enemy
Ta’awwudh is something that Allah (SWT) has commanded us to do before we recite the Qur’an. Before we recite the Qur’an, we recite “اعوذ باللہ من الشیطن الرجیم.”. Allah (SWT) has commanded us, “Whenever you recite, take the protection against Shaytan.” The word “Ta’awwudh” and the word “اعوذ” is derived from the Arabic root of “ع”, “و” and “ذ”. This word is what formed the word “uwwudh” in Arabic, which meant either the den that an animal burrows for itself at the base of a tree as a hiding place for its enemies, or it refers to that meat which sticks onto the bone and is very difficult to pull off. It tells us that Ta’awwudh has two meanings – one is to escape the enemy and the other is to hold onto a protector. Whenever we recite ta’awwudh, we mean both – we seek protection against Shaytan and we ask Allah (SWT) to allow us to hold onto him. This is the essence of ta’awwudh. How does ta’awwudh happen? Is it something that happens with the head, heart or body? In fact, it involves all three. The first thing is to get the mind and heart in the mode that you need the protection of Allah (SWT), and when the mind realizes that Allah (SWT) has declared an open enemy, with Shaytan saying, “I am going to come for them from every angle and I will not leave any angle from which I am not going to attack them.”, what do you do? Either you engage with the enemy and try to fight him yourself, or you take the protection of the one who will save you from him.
There are many attacks of Shaytan – one of them is casting doubts, suspicions, worries, anxieties and uncertainties of different kinds. Either you can deal with Shaytan directly or you can take the protection of Allah (SWT). When we say “اعوذ”, we make the choice that we will not deal with Shaytan, but rather, we will run towards Allah (SWT). The example of this could be like when you are walking everyday on your path to work and there is a dog that is barking at you. It is loud and disturbing, so what do you do? You could engage with the dog and start yelling at the dog, but it will probably only aggravate the dog even more. You could also simply ask the owner, “I come by here every day and your dog does this every day. Is it possible to put the dog out of reach?” The owner can do this very easily. Similarly, we are asking Allah (SWT), “This dog, Iblis, is always in my way and causing trouble. Can you put him out of my reach so he cannot access me?” The prophet (SAW) himself used to take the protection of Allah (SWT), as is in the tafsir of surah Falaq and An-Nas. “Allah (SWT) has all of those things that can save mankind from the attacks of Shaytan.” The prophet (SAW), in his sujood, used to ask Allah (SWT), “I seek refuge in your pleasure from your displeasure.” It is almost like the place of the pleasure of Allah (SWT) and the place with which Allah (SWT) is pleased with is a place of protection and anything outside that is the place of the anger of Allah (SWT). “I also take pleasure in the ease that you give from the difficulty that you can bring.” Allah (SWT) can give us retribution and also ease. When he was sick, “Here I am, afflicted with this sickness – where am I going to seek protection from it other than the undefeatable power of Allah (SWT) and his ability from this anguish and pain?” Where do we go to? We always go to Allah (SWT) and his powers and abilities, and, as the prophet (SAW) taught us in his sujood, the things that please him. This is where we will get our protection. May Allah (SWT) give us tawfiq.
