Ibn ‘Abbas reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) used to say:
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْتُ وَبِكَ خَاصَمْتُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِعِزَّتِكَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ أَنْ تُضِلَّنِي أَنْتَ الْحَىُّ الَّذِي لاَ يَمُوتُ وَالْجِنُّ وَالإِنْسُ يَمُوتُونَ
Allahumma Laka Aslam-tu, wa Bi-ka Aman-tu, wa ‘Alai-ka Tawakkal-tu, wa ilay-ka Anab-tu, wa Bi-ka Khasam-tu. Allahumma Innee A’oo-dhu Bi-‘Izzati-ka, La ilaha illa Anta, an Tudillanee, Anta-l-Hayyu-l-la-dhee La Yamootu, wa-l-Jinnu wal-Insu Yamootoon(a)
O Allah! To You I have submitted, In You I have believed, Upon You I have depended (in all of my affairs), To You I have turned (in obedience), and With You (i.e. Your Aid) I make my argument and defense. O Allāh! Indeed, I seek refuge in Your ‘Izzah (Might, Power) – There is nothing which deserves to be worshiped besides You – from You misguiding me. You are al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) Who does not die, while the Jinn (creatures created from fire) and Ins (humans) die.
[Sahih Muslim 2717]
A summarized version reported in Al-Bukhari:
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas (رضي الله عنه) The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say,
أَعُوذُ بِعِزَّتِكَ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، الَّذِي لاَ يَمُوتُ وَالْجِنُّ وَالإِنْسُ يَمُوتُونَ
A’udhu bi izzatika alladhee laa ilaaha illa Anta, alladhee laa yamootu wal jinnu wal insu yamootoon
(I seek refuge (with You) by Your Izzat (Honour, Power and Glory) Laa ilaaha illa Anta, (none has the right to be worshipped but You), Who does not die while the jinns and the human beings die)
[Sahih al-Bukhari 7383]
Explanation of the Hadeeth:
In this supplication there is the seeking of refuge with Allah from misguidance (ad-Dalal): deviation from the Straight Path of Allah, His Upright Way and His True Religion.
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: “…O Allāh! To You I have submitted…” means: I have surrendered and complied with Your command and Your prohibition. [From a linguistic perspective) the prepositional phrase ‘to You’ is advanced (to the beginning of the statement) to indicate the meanings of limitation and restriction (of the “submission‘ – mentioned after it – to Allāh, Alone), i.e. I have submitted to You, Alone, and not to anyone besides You.
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: “…In You I have believed,…” means: I have believed in Your Lofty Divine Being, and those characteristics of perfection with which it is worthy of being described, i.e. I attest to and confirm (Eman in Your Divine Being). Inclusive in the belief in Allāh, the One Free From All Imperfections, is to have faith in everything that He has commanded his worshipers to have faith in, such as al-Mala’ikah (angels), ar-Rusul (Messengers) and al-Yawm al-Akhir (The Last Day).
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: “…and upon You I have depended in all of my affairs)…” means: I have turned over to You my affairs, to the exclusion of anyone besides You.
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: “…and to You I have turned (in obedience),…” is from the word ‘Inabah‘ meaning: I have returned to the worship of You and that which brings about nearness to You (i.e. obedience); and I have turned away from everything besides that.
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: “..and With You (i.e. Your Aid) I make my argument and defense…” means: through Your help I make my argument and defense. And by means of that which You have given me of clear proofs and evidences I have argued against Your enemies, the enemies of the Deen (Religion of Islam). Hence, I have dealt a mortal blow to them by means of (Your) strong proofs, and split to pieces their evidences with the evidences from the Sunnah. And all of this is part of al-I’tisam (holding fast to) Allah.
وَمَنْ يَعْتَصِمْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ هُدِيَ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ …
…And whoever holds firmly to Allah, then he is indeed guided to a Straight Path. [Soorah Ali ‘Imran, 3:101]
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: “…O Allāh! Indeed, I seek refuge in Your ‘Izzah (Might, Power) …” means seeking refuge in one of the Sifat (characteristics or qualities) of Allāh, which in this case is al-Izzah. And al-Izz in essence means al-Quwwah (strength), ash-Shiddah (sternness), al-Ghalabah (ability to conquer) and al-Mana’ah (invincibility). Allāh, the Most High, said:
…وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ…
..And to Allāh belongs al-‘Izzah… [Soorah al-Munāfiqoon, 63:8]
i.e. His is the strength/might and ability to conquer or vanquish.
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: “…there is nothing which deserves to be worshiped besides You…” means: bearing witness and confirmation of the Tawheed of Allah (i.e. that He is One/Unique), which means that there is no Ma’bood (entity that is worshiped) rightfully except Allāh.
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: “…from You misguiding me…” – this is connected to the words ‘….I seek refuge in Your ‘Izzah (Might, Power……’ Within it is the indication that both al-Hidayah (right guidance) and ad-Dalal (misguidance) are in the Hands of Allāh. Allāh, the Most High, said:
مَنْ يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُرْشِدًا …
…He whom Allāh guides, is rightly guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no Walee Murshid (guiding friend) to lead him (to the right Path). [Soorah al-Kahf, 18:17]
And Allāh, the Most High, said:
وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ …
…And whomever Allāh sends astray, for him there will be no guide. [Soorah az-Zumar, 39:36]
And Allāh, the Most High, said:
وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ …
…And he whom Allāh sends astray, for him there is no way. [Soorah ash-Shooraa, 42:46]
And Allāh, the Most High, said:
مَنْ يَشَإِ اللَّهُ يُضْلِلْهُ وَمَنْ يَشَأْ يَجْعَلْهُ عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ …
…Allāh sends astray whomever He wills and He guides on the Straight Path whomever He wills. [Soorah al-An’ām, 6:39]
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: “..You are al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) Who does not die, …” entails praise of Allah, the Most High, through one of the Sifat (characteristics) of His Perfection, which in this case is al-Hayat at-Tammah (the complete and perfect life) which is free of any defect or cessation of existence
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) saying: “..while the Jinn (creatures created from fire) and Ins (humans) all die. …” – is a confirmation that Allāh, the Most High, is alone in (being described with) perfection of life; and that reliance/dependence is not to be upon anyone except al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) Who will never die.
As for the living beings who will (definitely) die, then they are not to be relied or depended upon; how then can those who are dead and buried be relied or depended upon?!
Allāh, the Most High, said:
… وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لَا يَمُوتُ
And put your trust [O Muhammad (SallAllshu Alaihi wa Sallam)] in al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) Who dies not… [Soorah al-Furqan, 25:58]
And He, the Most High, said:
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshiped but He), al Hayy (the Ever-Living), al-Qayyoom (the One Who sustains and protects all that exists). [Soorah Ali ‘Imran, 3:2]
Excerpt taken from the book Explanation of Supplications of the Prophet (ﷺ) Related to ‘Seeking Refuge In Allāh’ which is taken from Fiqh al-Ad’iyah wal-Adhkār’ by Shaykh Abdur-Razzāq ibn Abdul-Muhsin al-Badr
Precious Gems from the Quran and Sunnah 
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