Source: Sharḥ Kitāb al-Jāmiʿ from Bulūgh al-Marām by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
Translation: Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Salām bin Muḥammad Bhaṭwī
✦ Ḥadīth
عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما عن النبى صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم قال:
من استعاذكم بالله فأعيذوه، ومن سألكم بالله فأعطوه، ومن أتى إليكم معروفا فكافئوه، فإن لم تجدوا فادعوا له.
[رواه البيهقي]
“Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
If someone seeks your protection in the name of Allah, grant him protection.
If someone asks you in the name of Allah, give to him.
And if someone does you a favour, then repay him.
If you cannot find anything with which to repay him, then make duʿā for him.”
[Bayhaqī 4/199, Ḥākim 1/412, Aḥmad 2/28 & 99, Ḥilyah 9/56]
📌 Imām Ḥākim declared it Ṣaḥīḥ on the conditions of Bukhārī and Muslim. Imām al-Dhahabī agreed, and Shaykh al-Albānī also affirmed its authenticity in al-Ṣaḥīḥah (254).
❖ Key Lessons
➊ Value the Name of Allah in Requests
- “…who asks you in the name of Allah, give to him…”
- This emphasises the sanctity of Allah’s name.
- If someone invokes Allah’s name while requesting, respecting this is obligatory.
- A beggar has rights in general—but invoking Allah’s name elevates the obligation.
➋ If You Can’t Repay a Favour, Then Supplicate
- As mentioned in other narrations:
“If you cannot repay him, then make duʿā for him until you feel that you have repaid him.”
[Abū Dāwūd, Ibn Ḥibbān, Ḥākim – with additional wording] - Jābir (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
“Whoever is given a gift and has something to repay it with, let him do so;
and if he finds nothing, then let him praise the giver—for whoever praises, has expressed gratitude;
and whoever conceals it, has committed ingratitude.”
[Tirmidhī al-Birr 871 / Ṣaḥīḥ 1656] - Usāmah ibn Zayd (رضي الله عنه) narrated:
“Whoever receives good and says: جزاك الله خيرًا – ‘May Allah reward you with goodness,’
then indeed he has repaid (the favour).”
[Tirmidhī al-Birr 88 / Ṣaḥīḥ 1657]
✔️ Saying “جزاك الله خيرًا“ implies: “Your favour is too great for me to repay, may Allah reward you better than I ever could.”
➌ Granting Protection When Asked in Allah’s Name
- “…Whoever seeks your protection in Allah’s name, then protect him…”
- Whether the person seeks refuge from harm by you or someone else,
- once he seeks refuge in the name of Allah, it becomes a religious obligation to respond positively.
➍ Limits on Asking or Granting Protection
- Only request what is within the creation’s power.
- Asking for what only Allah can provide (like forgiveness, paradise, children, etc.) from creation is shirk.
- Same applies to seeking refuge — only seek refuge in created beings for worldly matters they can manage.
✿ Summary of Key Rulings
✔️ Respect the sanctity of Allah’s name when used in supplication or request.
✔️ Do not refuse someone who asks or seeks protection by invoking Allah’s name.
✔️ Respond to favours—if not materially, then with duʿā until you feel you’ve adequately reciprocated.
✔️ Avoid shirk by ensuring all unseen or divine matters are only directed to Allah.
