بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Indeed Allah ta’ala has blessed us with many great favors and bounties, through His sheer grace; one of which is Aafiyah. The term aafiyah encompasses many meanings, one of which is protection from all types of harm. For this reason, the Nabi of Allah (عليه السلام) would frequently ask Allah for aafiyah as is reported by Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنه), that the Messenger of Allah would say:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي دِينِي وَدُنْيَايَ وَأَهْلِي وَمَالِي
Oh Allah, I ask You for Aafiyah in this world and the hereafter. Oh Allah, I ask You for chastity and aafiyah in my religious as well as my world affairs, in my family as well as my wealth. [ Abu Dawud: 5074]
Alhamdulilah, we here in Barbados have certainly been granted this great blessing, especially if we were to compare ourselves with the plight of Muslims across the globe. We enjoy freedom to practise our Deen of Islam, good health, safety and security, access to healthcare and education, along with much more. We should thank Allah from the bottom of our hearts, daily, for these blessings He continues to shower upon us.
With this being said, there has been a worrying string of attempted robberies within our Muslim community in the recent weeks, which, as is expected, has been causing great concern and fears within our community. This brief article hopes to highlight some practices established from the Quran and Sunnah that we can implement with the hope of acquiring the protection of Allah, both for the near and
distant future.
[It is not meant to discredit other practical means/safety measures to be adopted, but only to draw our attention to the spiritual aspect of seeking protection, as taught to us by Allah and His Messenger (عليه السلام)]
Firstly, we should recognize Allah as Al Hafeez, The Protector. Surely, the root/source of protection is none other than Allah. Any measures we adopt for our safety, like seatbelts in a vehicle, locks on our doors, alarm systems, etc; are all a means for protection, but are not the true source of this very protection. That source is Allah, who, if He wishes to protect us through these means, will do so. Otherwise, despite the most sophisticated, technologically advanced safety tools, will not. With this being said, an abundance of dua is required, humbling and submitting ourselves to Allah, recognizing Him as our sole Protector and imploring Him to grant us safety and protection from that which we fear.
Allah tells us in the Quran:
ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
Ask from me, I will respond to you. [Surah Gaafir, Ayat 60]
One such dua we can recite in abundance is that mentioned previously, a dua recited by the Nabi of Allah(عليه السلام) himself:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي دِينِي وَدُنْيَايَ وَأَهْلِي وَمَالِي
Secondly, sincere repentance is required. Allah tells us in the Quran:
وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
And repent collectively, oh believers, so that you may be successful! [Surah Noor, Verse 31]
Repentance as defined by the Shariah, is to have remorse for our past sins, to quit these sins and to make a firm resolution, adopting every measure required not to repeat the sin which we are repenting from. It is an understood principle that many types of harms and punishments descend on mankind due to their disobedience and rebellion against Allah. By repenting as a community, we have hope Allah will relieve us from the crimes we fear.
Thirdly, there is charity and the general act of ‘giving back’ to the community we live amongst. Charity is a great means of extinguishing the anger of Allah and hence lifting his punishments. Regarding ‘giving back’ to our community, it must be understood that many crimes may be driven by jealousy. Indeed, the economic situation is not favorable for many Barbadians, and us flaunting our world possessions only adds salt to their wounds. Rather, we should try to assist the local community as much as we can, both on an individual as well as a collective level. In doing so, the community will grow more fond of us and value our presence amongst them.
Lastly, the Messenger of Allah(عليه السلام) has taught us some etiquettes and duas for protection:
1) When closing our doors & windows, Bismillah should be recited.
2) Upon retiring to bed, the ‘Three Quls’ (Surah Ikhlas, Surah Falaq & Surah Naas) should be recited as well as Ayatul Kursi.
A booklet comprising of many duas for protection has been composed by the Islamic Dawah Academy of Leicester, which will be very beneficial to make a practice of reciting daily. The PDF version shall be circulated for our benefit.
May Allah ta’ala grant us the ability to practise on these few guidelines and continue to grant us Aafiyah in this world as well as the next. Ameen
