Seeking Refuge in the Words of Allah

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Is the supplication “I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah” considered associating partners with Allah Most High (shirk)?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

The Prophetic narration in question is as follows:

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) narrates saying, “A man came to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I was stung by a scorpion last night.” The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “If only you said when night entered “I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil He has created” it would not have harmed you.” [Muslim]

Imam Munawi (Allah be pleased with him) explains the meaning of the ‘perfect words of Allah’ in the following ways:

1) The perfect words of Allah means the ‘perfect words of Allah’s knowledge and wisdom.’ The knowledge and wisdom of Allah Most High are of His attributes.

2) The perfect words of Allah refers to the seven necessary attributes of Allah such as life, knowledge, power, volition, etc… These attributes are also called the ‘Keys of the Unseen’ that are referenced in the Quran.
[Munawi, Faid al-Qadir]

Summary

Thus, there is no contradiction between seeking refuge in Allah Most High and seeking refuge in an attribute of Allah Most High. This is because the attributes of Allah Most High subsist with His Essence and are thus pre-eternal and uncreated.

That said, it is not associating partners with Allah Most High.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then travelled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.