Protection against Epidemics and Sicknesses
Ḥabīb ʿUmar bin Muḥammad bin Ḥafīẓ (Allāh preserve him) gave some directions after being asked, as to what should be performed for protection against epidemics and sicknesses. They are as follows:
- Giving charity [ṣadaqa].
- Lots of seeking forgiveness [istighfār].
- Increasing in sending ṣalawāt upon the Prophet ﷺ.
- Reciting the Verses of Protection [āyāṭ al-ḥifẓ] in the morning and evening and they are:
وَلاَ يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُم حَفَظَةً
فَاللّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًا وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِّن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللّهِ
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
وَحَفِظْنَاهَا مِن كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ رَّجِيمٍ
وَجَعَلْنَا السَّمَاء سَقْفًا مَّحْفُوظًا
وَرَبُّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَفِيظٌ
وَحِفْظًا مِّن كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ مَّارِدٍ
إِن كُلُّ نَفْسٍ لَّمَّا عَلَيْهَا حَافِظٌ
وَحِفْظًا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ
اللَّهُ حَفِيظٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِوَكِيلٍ
وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَافِظِينَ * كِرَامًا كَاتِبِينَ * يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ
بَلْ هُوَ قُرْآنٌ مَّجِيدٌ * فِي لَوْحٍ مَّحْفُوظٍ
About the Verses of Protection
Imam ad-Damiri mentioned in his text, ‘Hayat al-Hayawan’, in his chapter on the Lamb:
“Abu Muhammad `Abdullah ibn Yahya ibn al-Haytham al-Mus`abi, was amongst the companions of [Imam] ash-Shafi`i, and he was a righteous and erudite Imam from Yemen, stated that some people struck him with their swords but their swords were not capable of cutting him, so he was asked about this, to which he replied, “I recite the Verses of Protection.”
“Then he further said, “I left one day in a congregation of people, and we found a wolf playing with a malnourished lamb and it did not harm it one bit. So we approached the lamb and found tied to its neck an amulet written on it the following verses:…””
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From [the text] ‘Sa`adat ad-Darayn’ authored by the erudite scholar, Imam Yusuf an-Nabahani, (may Allah have mercy on him).