Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:98

Since the matter has reached the sphere of recompense—which is the righteousness and goodness of an action—the command is followed by the letter fa (implying consequence), providing guidance to that which makes a righteous deed good and purifies it from the impurity of corruption. Thus, it is said: "So when you recite the Quran, seek refuge in Allah"—meaning: when you intend to recite the Quran, ask Him (His protection is to be sought) to protect you from the whisperings of the accursed Satan.

This is so that he does not whisper to you during the recitation; thus, "recitation" is a majaz mursal (synecdoche) for the intention of recitation, employing the naming of the effect to signify the cause. The method of seeking refuge according to the majority of reciters and others is: "A'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim" (I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan), due to the abundance of reports that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to seek refuge in this manner.

Al-Tha'labi and al-Wahidi narrated that Ibn Mas'ud recited before him (upon him be peace and prayer), saying: "I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the accursed Satan." The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to him: "O son of Umm 'Abd, say: 'I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan'; this is how Gabriel taught it to me from the Pen, from the Preserved Tablet."

Yes, Abu Dawud and al-Bayhaqi recorded from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), in the account of the Ifk (the Slander), that she said the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) sat, uncovered his face, and said: "I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the accursed Satan. Indeed, those who brought forth the lie..." (the verse). They also recorded from Sa'id that he said: When the Messenger of Allah (upon him be peace and prayer) would rise in the night and begin the prayer, he would say: "Exalted are You, O Allah, and with Your praise, and blessed is Your name, and high is Your majesty, and there is no god but You," then he would say: "I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing," etc. By this, those who seek refuge in this manner are guided. In the al-Hidayah, it is stated: "One should say: 'Asta'idhu billah' (I seek refuge in Allah) to correspond with the Quran, and it is closer to: 'A'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim'." The preferred opinion is what you heard first, because the expression "asta'idhu" is a request for refuge, while the statement "a'udhu" is a compliance that matches what the context requires; proximity to the wording of the text is of no account, and the precedence of what the majority follows is sufficient in the transmitted traditions.

Some of our companions said: The one seeking refuge should not add "the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing," because that is praise, and what follows the seeking of refuge is the place for recitation, not the place for praise. The response to this is that, after acknowledging the two aforementioned reports, this is not sound. Furthermore, this does not constitute adding praise after the seeking of refuge, but rather bringing it during it, as is not hidden. The command regarding it is considered mandub (recommended) by them.

'Abd al-Razzaq in al-Musannaf and Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from 'Ata'—and it is also narrated from al-Thawri—that it is wajib (obligatory) for every recitation, whether in prayer or otherwise, because of this verse. They interpreted the command in it as mandatory, considering that this is its primary meaning, and the fact that it is for repelling the whisperings during recitation is not a factor that turns it away from obligation; rather, the validity of the obligation remains with it. The reply to this is that it is contrary to consensus, and it is unlikely that they would innovate an opinion contradicting consensus after knowing that it is not permissible. Allah the Almighty knows best the justifications according to the majority opinion. It might be said: The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) taught the Bedouin the prayer, yet he (upon him be peace and prayer) did not mention it.

It may be answered that his teaching of it [the prayer] was by teaching what is specific to it, and this [seeking refuge] is not among its obligations, but rather among the obligations of recitation. Or, it may be that its being said at the time of recitation was manifest and well-known, so there was no need to mention it. However, this does not hold up against what you will hear shortly, God willing, from the statement of Abu Yusuf (may Allah have mercy on him). Al-Khafaji said: "The command is carried as recommended because of what is reported about the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) omitting it. Once this is established, it is sufficient as a turning point."

The school of Ibn Sirin and al-Nakha'i, and one of the two opinions of al-Shafi'i, is that it is legislated for recitation in every rak'ah, because the command is attached to a condition, so it repeats with the repetition of that condition, as in His saying: "And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves." Also, since it is legislated in the first rak'ah, it is legislated in other rak'ahs by analogy, due to the shared cause ('illah). The school of Abu Hanifah—and the other opinion of al-Shafi'i—is that it is legislated only in the first, because the recitation of the prayer is entirely like a single recitation. It is said: According to Imam Abu Hanifah, it is for the prayer, and therefore it is not repeated. What is mentioned in al-Hidayah and others is that according to the Imam and Muhammad, it is for the recitation and not for the praise, such that the one who joined the prayer late (masbuq) performs it, but the one following the Imam (muqtadi) does not. Abu Yusuf said: It is for the praise. In al-Khulasah, it is stated that this is the more correct opinion. The result of the disagreement becomes apparent in three issues mentioned therein. What the author of the qila (it is said) mentioned, we have not encountered in the books of the companions. Malik does not see seeking refuge in the obligatory prayer, but sees it in others, such as the standing of Ramadan. What is narrated from him regarding non-prayer matters is what I heard from some of his followers. From Abu Hurayrah, Ibn Sirin, Ibn Dawud, and Hamzah al-Fara', it is said that seeking refuge is after the recitation, taking the apparent meaning of the verse.

The majority have what the Imams of recitation narrated, with a chain of transmission from Nafi' from Jubayr ibn Mut'im, that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to say before recitation: "I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan." It is said in al-Kashf: "The hadith indicates that the precedence is the Sunnah; thus, the causality of the recitation for it remains. The fa in 'So seek refuge' indicates causality, so the 'intention' must be inferred for it to be correct. Also, finishing the action does not befit seeking refuge from the enemy; rather, it befits starting it and being in the midst of it. So, let it be inferred so that both—the recitation and the seeking of refuge—are caused by one cause, and not merely accidental accompaniment, which the fa contradicts." To this, the author of al-Miftah pointed by saying: "by the evidence of the fa and the well-known Sunnah."

From this, it is known that what was said—that the fa has no indication of what was mentioned, and that their consensus on the validity of this majaz indicates that the prohibitive context for intending the literal meaning is not a condition for it—is nothing. Likewise, the claim of the difference between this verse and His saying: "When you rise for prayer, then wash..." etc., on the grounds that there is evidence for the majaz there, so the literal meaning is abandoned for it, unlike what we are dealing with, is invalid. The apparent meaning is that "Satan" refers to Iblis and his helpers. It is said: It is general for every rebellious, insolent being among jinn and mankind. The direction of the address to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and specifying the recitation of the Quran among other righteous deeds for seeking refuge when intending it, is to alert that it is for others—upon him be peace and prayer—even more important in all other righteous deeds. For if he (upon him be peace and prayer) was commanded to do so when reciting the Quran, to which falsehood cannot come from before it nor from behind it, then what is the thought regarding others in actions other than recitation?