Clarifying the people's erroneous understanding of the noble verse: “And provision yourselves, for the best provision is taqwa (mindfulness of Allah).”

The Shaykh : And on the occasion of speaking about taking means, and that it does not require abandoning them in reliance on what they call tawakkul (reliance upon Allah), when in reality it is tawakkul (reliance upon Allah) in name only, not true reliance; Allah (Mighty and Majestic) mentioned in the Noble Qur'an: . Many people do not understand this verse in its correct sense; they understand its apparent meaning as from righteous deeds, understanding it this way, but that is not the case. “Provision yourselves” from righteous deeds, and “the best provision is taqwa” means righteous deeds; this is not the intended meaning. The direct intent is : when you set out as travelers for Hajj or 'Umrah, do not go out without being provisioned with material sustenance, food, and drink; especially in those days when distances were covered in days, or perhaps months, so a person was compelled to carry provisions with him. But now, provisions are made available along the way in many countries. So some people used to go out in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), influenced by some of the views and ideas of the early pre-Islamic age of ignorance. They would leave Yemen for Mecca as pilgrims without carrying any food or drink with them. What did they say? They said: “We are going out relying on Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He).” So 'Umar used to say about people like these: “They only went out relying on the pockets of others,” or as 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said.
So regarding these people, Allah revealed this verse: ; meaning: when you set out as travelers to the Sacred House of Allah, do not go out without provisions, but provision yourselves; for the best provision is taqwa (mindfulness of Allah). That is, this provision prevents you from asking people for help and from eating the wealth of people under the name that you are relying on Allah. This is not of taqwa (mindfulness of Allah) in any way. Rather, taqwa is that you go out provisioned from your land to the Sacred House of Allah. So this verse confirms this meaning that we understand from this passage, which is taking the means of sustenance. And they are of two types, as we mentioned: the cause of turning to Allah in supplication and humility, which we must not forget, and the cause of taking the means of sustenance that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has prescribed.