The Hadith of the Seventy Thousand, Abandoning Means, and the Perfection of Reliance
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The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. I am having difficulty understanding the hadith of the seventy thousand who will enter Paradise without being reckoned. Is the reason for their entry that they abandoned the forbidden and disliked means, because abandoning them is part of the perfection of reliance (tawakkul)? And how can abandoning forbidden means be part of the perfection of reliance, given that it is obligatory to abandon them?
The Shaykh:
Also, regarding the condition of forbidden and disliked means: the forbidden ones that do not reach the level of shirk (associating partners with Allah)—this is part of the perfection of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), the perfection of tawhid. As for means that reach the level of shirk, is it obligatory to abandon them? Abandoning shirk. And those mentioned in the hadith of the seventy thousand are those who abandoned forbidden means, such as taking an omen as a bad sign (tatayyur), or disliked means, such as cauterization, seeking healing by Qur'anic recitation (ruqyah), and asking people. This is disliked. It is disliked in the sense of being blameworthy. Yes.
The questioner:
The Shaykh’s daughter.
The Shaykh:
Means that are neither forbidden nor disliked—there is nothing wrong with taking them. Allah has commanded the taking of means, and this does not detract from being among the seventy thousand, except for those means that contain no dislike and no prohibition.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success.
The Shaykh:
So the seventy thousand now eat and drink, and this is among the permissible means. They did not abandon eating and drinking, nor did they abandon marriage. One marries and does not abandon it. These permissible things, which contain no dislike and no prohibition, are what Allah has commanded to be taken, and they do not contradict the perfection of tawhid. Rather, they are part of the perfection of tawhid. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. I am having difficulty understanding the hadith of the seventy thousand who will enter Paradise without being reckoned. Is the reason for their entry that they abandoned the forbidden and disliked means, because abandoning them is part of the perfection of reliance (tawakkul)? And how can abandoning forbidden means be part of the perfection of reliance, given that it is obligatory to abandon them?
The Shaykh:
Also, regarding the condition of forbidden and disliked means: the forbidden ones that do not reach the level of shirk (associating partners with Allah)—this is part of the perfection of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), the perfection of tawhid. As for means that reach the level of shirk, is it obligatory to abandon them? Abandoning shirk. And those mentioned in the hadith of the seventy thousand are those who abandoned forbidden means, such as taking an omen as a bad sign (tatayyur), or disliked means, such as cauterization, seeking healing by Qur'anic recitation (ruqyah), and asking people. This is disliked. It is disliked in the sense of being blameworthy. Yes.
The questioner:
The Shaykh’s daughter.
The Shaykh:
Means that are neither forbidden nor disliked—there is nothing wrong with taking them. Allah has commanded the taking of means, and this does not detract from being among the seventy thousand, except for those means that contain no dislike and no prohibition.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success.
The Shaykh:
So the seventy thousand now eat and drink, and this is among the permissible means. They did not abandon eating and drinking, nor did they abandon marriage. One marries and does not abandon it. These permissible things, which contain no dislike and no prohibition, are what Allah has commanded to be taken, and they do not contradict the perfection of tawhid. Rather, they are part of the perfection of tawhid. Yes.
Source
شرح قرة عيون الموحدين في تحقيق دعوة الأنبياء والمرسلين، باب تفسير التوحيد وشهادة أن لا إله إلا الله — islamhouse.com (1:14:22)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.