ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās was a boy, perhaps ten or eleven, when he rode on a camel behind his cousin, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him). As they travelled, the Prophet turned and said: “Young man, I will teach you some words.”
“Be mindful of God, and He will guard you. Be mindful of God, and you will find Him in front of you. When you ask, ask God. When you seek help, seek help from God.
“And know that if the whole world gathered together to benefit you with something, they could only benefit you with what God had already written for you. And if they gathered together to harm you with something, they could only harm you with what God had already written. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried” (Tirmidhi 2516).
The Arabic for ‘be mindful of God’ and ‘He will guard you’ is iḥfaẓ Allāh yaḥfaẓka, from the same root as al-Ḥafīẓ. Keep God's commands, and He keeps you.
Ibn ʿAbbās grew up to be one of the greatest scholars of the Qur'an. Muslims still teach these words to children, often as the first long saying they learn by heart.
Judaism
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee”
Numbers 6:24 · JPS 1917
The priestly blessing was given by the descendants of Aaron in the Temple. It is still said in synagogues, and by parents over their children on Friday nights, and it begins with the prayer to be kept.
The Hebrew shamar, to keep or guard, runs through the Psalms. Jewish homes fix a mezuzah to their doorposts: a small scroll in a case. The case often bears the word Shaddai, read by tradition as the initials of ‘Guardian of the doors of Israel’.
Keeping is also a craft. A Torah scroll is still copied by hand by a trained scribe, a sofer, letter by letter on parchment. A single missing letter makes the scroll unfit for reading until it is repaired.
Christianity
“Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy”
Jude 1:24 · WEB
Christians pray for God to keep them, and many churches end services with the same priestly blessing from Numbers. Jesus, praying for his followers on the night before his death, said he had kept them safe (John 17:12).
The short letter of Jude ends with a famous blessing, often used at the close of Christian worship.
Many Anglican and Irish churches sing ‘I bind unto myself today’, Cecil Frances Alexander's 1889 version of the prayer known as St Patrick's Breastplate. It asks for Christ on every side: “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me.”
Islam
“Lo! We, even We, reveal the Reminder, and lo! We verily are its Guardian.”
Qur'an 15:9 · Pickthall (1930)
Al-Ḥafīẓ appears in the Qur'an as the Guardian over all things (11:57; 34:21). The Qur'an says God guards the heavens, guards each soul (86:4), and guards the revelation itself: “Lo! We, even We, reveal the Reminder, and lo! We verily are its Guardian.” (15:9, Pickthall). In Āyat al-Kursī, “His throne includeth the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them.” (2:255, Pickthall).
Classical scholars said al-Ḥafīẓ preserves two things: the existence of all creatures, so they do not fall apart, and the record of every deed, so nothing is lost.
Same and different
All three faiths pray to be kept by God, and the priestly blessing of Numbers 6, ‘The LORD bless thee, and keep thee’, is said by Jews and Christians alike. Islam names God al-Ḥafīẓ and teaches that He keeps creation, every deed and His revelation. Muslims believe the Qur'an has been guarded word for word. Jews and Christians hold their own scriptures as faithfully preserved and handed down. All three teach a two-way keeping: keep God's ways, and He keeps you.
families / schoolsLearn it by heartTake the words Ibn ʿAbbās learned (Tirmidhi 2516), Numbers 6:24-26 or Jude 24 and learn one by heart together over a week. Say it before school or bed.
neighbours / faith groupsKeepers' thank youFind the people who keep your community safe and preserved: archivists, lifeguards, crossing patrols, librarians, vaccinators. Invite one to speak, and send thank-you cards.
families / schoolsLike a scribeA sofer copies a whole Torah scroll by hand, and one missing letter means it must be mended. Try copying a favourite line from any book slowly, by hand, with no mistakes. Talk about what it takes to keep words safe for centuries.
faith groups / walkersChrist before meOn a walk, take turns reading lines from St Patrick's Breastplate (‘Christ behind me, Christ before me…’) at each turn of the path. Afterwards, share where in your life you most want to feel kept safe.
Episode 1
