Explaining the deviation of the Sufis and the materialists from the concept of reliance upon Allah.

The Shaykh : One of the effects of this reversal and inversion is, for example, that they understand reliance upon Allah (tawakkul) in a way that contradicts its legal meaning. They understand tawakkul to mean laziness (tawakkul), and there is a vast difference between tawakkul and laziness. Tawakkul is mentioned in many noble verses, including His saying—Blessed and Exalted is He: . So, reliance upon Allah comes after the Muslim takes the means that usually lead him to what he seeks. For example, one who wants his land to bear ripe fruit and grow abundant grain must serve it with all the services that land usually requires, such as plowing, planting, weeding, watering, and the like. If he does this, he relies upon Allah—Mighty and Majestic—and does not rely upon his means, because these means may be delayed. Therefore, he must combine them with reliance upon Allah—Blessed and Exalted is He. As for a person saying, "If Allah—Mighty and Majestic—has decreed that I will eat from the fruit and grain of this land, I will eat whether I serve it or not," he is in reality contradicting himself and interpreting tawakkul in a way that contradicts its true intended meaning. And from this inversion in which they fall, when they interpret tawakkul in this sense, they do not fail to rely on some texts to support their interpretation. But at the same time, when they support their interpretation of tawakkul as laziness, they are also afflicted with a reversal in their understanding of some of those texts. For example, they argue with His saying—peace and blessings be upon him: . They understood the hadith inverted. They said, "This is Allah providing for the birds," but they overlooked the text and the distinction in it between going out in the morning and returning in the evening. He—peace and blessings be upon him—said: . He did not say, "They become hungry in their nests in the morning and then become full in the evening," meaning their bellies are full while they are in their nests. Rather, he—peace and blessings be upon him—said, "They go out in the morning," meaning they set out early in pursuit of seeking provision, and they return with their bellies full. So, this hadith does not support these Sufis who interpret tawakkul as equivalent to the meaning of laziness, i.e., idleness and not taking the means.
Rather, this hadith supports the meaning of the previous verse: . "Resolve and rely," as he said: . This is when "an Arab came to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—while he was on his camel and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, should I tie it up?'—meaning, should I restrain it, should I tie it—'or should I rely upon Allah?' He said: ." That is: combine the means with reliance upon Allah—Blessed and Exalted is He. And this position, i.e., combining the means with reliance upon Allah, is the position of the Muslim. Its opposite is at the other extreme. These Sufis, for example, claim to take the means and rely upon Allah, as they claim. These people took one thing and turned away from the other. Their opposite today is the majority of Muslims due to their ignorance. As for the Sufis, it is due to their deviation in their doctrine. As for the majority of Muslims today, they rely upon the means, influenced in this by the European materialist methodology. We know with certainty that Europeans today hardly mention Allah at all; rather, their dependence is on their sciences, their minds, their bodies, and their taking of the means. So, these are at one end, and these relying Sufis are at the other end, and both are at opposite extremes. The truth is between them, and the truth is combining the taking of every part of the two sides, where each of them took one side and turned away from the other. That is, we take the means and rely upon the Lord of Lords. All of this is what we draw inspiration from in this hadith which we are in the process of commenting on. The believer who mixes with people and is patient with their harm is better than the one who does not mix and does not bear their harm. Because in this mixing, as we mentioned, there is an opening of the Muslim's mind or a broadening of the minds of his Muslim brothers, if he is worthy of that. In any case, the one who lives among his brothers is either benefiting or being of benefit, and both may come together, benefiting and being of benefit at the same time. There is no doubt that mixing with people, especially in difficult times when corruption among people is prevalent, there is no doubt that the one who mixes will encounter hardship, and will encounter distress, difficulty, and harm.