And when these rulings became established in these noble aspects; and indicated by the beauty of their words; and the honor of their context to purposes that are; with their grandeur; subtle and precise; it became clear that the Qur'an is a clarification for everything; regarding the one who is safe from the pitfalls of desire; and the traps of Satan; and concluded that with encouragement towards righteous deeds; and the Qur'an was; in recitation and contemplation; and acting upon what is included; the greatest of righteous deeds; it resulted from this matter that when this Qur'an, revealed in such remarkable styles, is recited; one seeks refuge from Satan; so that his whispers do not prevent the reciter; and from such purposes; and acting upon them; and its outcome is the encouragement towards reflection; and directing all thought towards understanding; and seeking refuge in Him (glorified and exalted is He); in every righteous deed; so that Satan does not corrupt it with his whispers; or prevent understanding; and between it; a clarification of the value of righteous deeds; and encouragement towards sincerity in them; and striving towards them when intending them; especially the actions of the hearts; which are mostly what has been mentioned here; so He (glorified and exalted is He) said - addressing the noblest of His creation; so that others may understand by extension; and be more eloquent in his encouragement; and more inclined to follow him -: 'So when you recite'; meaning: when you intend to recite; like: 'And how many a town We destroyed, and Our punishment came to it'; the Qur'an; which is the foundation of righteous deeds; and the call to it; and the encouragement towards it; while being a clarification for everything; and it is a name of a genus; encompassing both the little of it; and the much; 'So seek refuge'; meaning: if you wish openly; and if you wish secretly; Imam al-Shafi'i said: and secrecy is preferable in prayer; and in a saying: he raises his voice as he does outside of prayer; 'With Allah'; meaning: ask the One who has all perfection to protect you; 'From Satan'; meaning: the one who is engulfed in curse; 'The accursed'; meaning: the one expelled from mercy; from preventing you with his whispers from following Him; for there is no obstacle to submission; to his beautiful styles; except the abandonment of the Most Merciful; with the whispers of Satan; so say: 'I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan'; for that is more fitting for the Qur'an; and some reports have come regarding it; from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud - may Allah be pleased with him - raised; and it is the well-known; and Imam al-Shafi'i - may Allah be pleased with him - indicated it; and the evidence for this matter being non-obligatory are many hadiths; in which the recitation is without mentioning seeking refuge; like the hadith of al-Bukhari; and others; 'From Abu Sa'id al-Mu'allah - may Allah be pleased with him - that the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - said to him: 'What prevented you from answering me?' He said: 'I was praying'; he said: 'Did not Allah say: 'Respond to Allah and to the Messenger when He calls you'? [Al-Anfal: 24]'; then he said: 'I will teach you a surah that is the greatest surah in the Qur'an; 'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds' [Al-Fatiha: 2]'; and in the narration of al-Muwatta it is mentioned that he - blessings and peace be upon him - called Ubayy; and that he said: 'How do you recite when you begin the prayer?' Ubayy said: So I recited: 'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds' [Al-Fatiha: 2] until I reached its end.

Whoever reads my book 'Masa'id al-Nazar li-Ishraf 'ala Maqasid al-Suwar' will see many such hadiths; among the best of them is the hadith regarding the revelation of the Surah 'Al-Kawthar'. It is said that seeking refuge after the recitation is based on the apparent meaning of the verse. The conclusion of the Quran with the two refuge chapters is in agreement with this statement regarding the situation. The first statement is correct regarding what is recommended for the traveler from the recitation of 'Al-Fatiha' and the beginning of 'Al-Baqarah'.