Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
There is a difference between seeking refuge in Allah while seeking nearness to Him through one of His attributes and invoking the attribute as though it were something independent of Allah.
Saying, “I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah” or “I seek refuge in the might and power of Allah” is prescribed and established in the Sunnah, because Allah’s attributes subsist in Him and are not created things independent of Him.
However, if a person intends to invoke the attribute itself as though it were an independent entity that hears, responds, and acts on its own, this is what is prohibited.
It is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever stops at a place and then says, ‘I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created,’ nothing will harm him until he leaves that place.”
Narrated by Muslim.
The Prophet ﷺ also used to seek protection for al-Hasan and al-Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them both, saying:
“I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from every devil and poisonous creature, and from every harmful evil eye.”
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
It is also authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ instructed ‘Uthman ibn Abi al-‘As, may Allah be pleased with him, when he experienced pain, to say:
“I seek refuge in the might and power of Allah from the evil of what I feel and fear.”
Narrated by Muslim.
These are clear texts establishing the permissibility of seeking refuge through Allah’s words, might, and power.
Because Allah’s attributes are not things that exist independently or separately from Him.
When a Muslim says:
“I seek refuge in the might of Allah,”
he does not imagine “might” as an independent entity to which he turns instead of Allah. Rather, he seeks refuge in Allah, who possesses the attribute of might, while seeking nearness to Him through this attribute.
Likewise, when he says:
“I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah,”
he is seeking refuge in Allah, who possesses the attribute of speech, while seeking nearness to Him through His words.
For this reason, the fatwa cites Ibn Abi al-‘Izz as saying that whoever says, “I seek refuge in the might of Allah,” has sought refuge in an attribute of Allah and has not sought refuge in other than Allah, because an attribute is not separate from the One described by it.
Seeking nearness to Allah through His attributes means that the servant asks his Lord while invoking an attribute appropriate to what he is requesting.
For example, he may say:
“O Allah, by Your mercy I seek relief,”
or:
“I seek refuge in Your might,”
or:
“I seek refuge in Your power.”
In all these expressions, Allah Himself is the One intended, while mercy, might, and power are His attributes through which the servant seeks nearness to Him.
Therefore, the word “Allah” does not have to appear independently in every formula for Allah to be the One intended. The Prophet’s ﷺ statement, “I seek refuge in the words of Allah,” clearly means seeking refuge in Allah through His attribute of speech.
It means treating an attribute as though it were something that exists independently of Allah and directing supplication to it on that basis.
The fatwa gives examples such as:
“O forgiveness of Allah, forgive me,”
or:
“O might of Allah, grant me might,”
if the speaker intends to address the attribute itself as something independent of Allah that has the ability on its own to respond and act.
This differs from saying:
“O Allah, forgive me by Your forgiveness,”
or:
“I seek refuge in Your might.”
In the first case, the attribute itself is treated as an independently invoked entity, whereas in the second, Allah is the One being invoked and His attribute is used as a means of seeking nearness to Him.
This expression requires consideration of what the speaker intends.
The fatwa cites Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin as explaining that if someone says, “O mercy of Allah,” intending to ask Allah to encompass him with His mercy, without intending to invoke mercy itself as an independent thing, then his apparent intention is sound.
However, if he believes that “mercy” is an independent entity that hears his supplication and grants him mercy, then this is the prohibited meaning.
Thus, meaning and intention are important here, although using clear and authentically transmitted formulas is preferable and less likely to cause confusion.
According to what the fatwa establishes, yes.
A number of leading scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah used this hadith as evidence that Allah’s speech is uncreated, because the Prophet ﷺ prescribed seeking refuge in the words of Allah.
The fatwa cites Imam al-Bukhari as saying:
“In this is evidence that Allah’s speech is uncreated and that everything other than Him is created.”
It also cites Ibn Taymiyyah as stating that scholars used the permissibility of seeking refuge in Allah’s words as evidence that His speech is not created.
No.
This is the central point that resolves the issue.
When we speak about Allah’s knowledge, power, mercy, might, or speech, we are not speaking about independent created things existing separately from Allah.
Therefore, the concept of an essence completely devoid of attributes, or attributes existing independently and separately from Allah, is not what is meant when discussing Allah’s attributes.
From this, we understand why saying “I seek refuge in the might of Allah” is not seeking refuge in other than Allah.
It is preferable to use established and clear supplications, including:
“I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created.”
And:
“I seek refuge in the might and power of Allah from the evil of what I feel and fear.”
It is also permissible to seek nearness to Allah through His names and attributes. For example:
“O Allah, by Your mercy, have mercy on me,”
or:
“O Allah, by Your knowledge and power, choose what is good for me.”
These formulas clearly show that the supplication is directed to Allah Almighty.
Seeking refuge and seeking nearness to Allah through His attributes are permissible and explicitly established in the Sunnah, as in:
“I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah,”
and:
“I seek refuge in the might and power of Allah.”
This does not mean invoking an attribute independently of Allah, because His attributes subsist in Him and are not separate from Him. Whoever seeks refuge in Allah’s words seeks refuge in Allah, who possesses the attribute of speech, and whoever seeks relief through His mercy seeks relief from Allah, who possesses the attribute of mercy.
What is prohibited is intending to invoke the attribute itself as an entity independent of Allah that hears, responds, and acts on its own.
Thus, there is no contradiction between the prohibition of invoking an attribute and the authentic hadiths that prescribe seeking refuge and seeking nearness to Allah through His attributes.
And Allah knows best.