The Ruling on Avoiding Danger and Its Relationship to Reliance upon Allah

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The path of Hakim ibn Hizam regarding not traveling by sea with a traveler, and not crossing the middle of a river, does this not contradict seeking nearness to Allah (tawassul), since the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Superstition is shirk (associating partners with Allah)."

Answer:
Avoiding danger is not superstition, my brother. What is this confused understanding? This is avoiding danger, and we have been commanded to avoid danger. Allah the Exalted said: . This does not contradict reliance upon Allah (tawakkul); rather, this is part of reliance upon Allah, because reliance upon Allah is built upon taking the means as well. This is taking the protective and beneficial means. Or, does the meaning of reliance upon Allah mean that you do not avoid danger? Who said that?
And the meaning of reliance upon Allah is that you do not work for the means? You rely on Allah and do nothing? You do not seek provision, you do not eat or drink, and you do not get married? You say, "I am relying on Allah"? That is not correct. You must understand this matter: there is no contradiction between reliance upon Allah and taking the means. The one who relies on Allah and abandons the means, they say, has committed a defect in the Shari'ah. Relying on the means is shirk (associating partners with Allah), and abandoning the means is a defect in the Shari'ah. Therefore, one must have reliance upon Allah, and one must take the beneficial means and abandon the harmful means, and this does not contradict reliance upon Allah.