Among the negative consequences of their incorrect understanding is their misinterpretation of the hadith: “If you had relied upon Allah with true reliance, He would have provided for you…”

The Shaykh : …They have also been afflicted with a reversal in their understanding of some of those texts. For example, they cite his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) and they understood the hadith in reverse. 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, so they return with their bellies full.
So this hadith does not support these Sufis who interpret reliance (tawakkul) as equivalent to the meaning of laziness (tawakkul), i.e., idleness and not taking the means. Rather, this hadith supports the meaning of the previous verse “When you have decided, then rely upon Allah,” as he said This was when a Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) while he was on his camel and said, “O Messenger of Allah, should I tie it up? Should I restrain it and bind it, or should I rely upon Allah?” He said meaning, combine the means with reliance upon Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). This stance, i.e., combining the means with reliance upon Allah, is the stance of the Muslim, and its opposite is at the other extreme. These Sufis, for example, call for taking the means and relying upon Allah, in their claim. So these people took one thing and turned away from another. The opposite of them today is the masses of Muslims due to their ignorance. As for the Sufis, their deviation is in their methodology. As for the masses of Muslims today, they rely on the means, influenced in this by the European materialist methodology. We know with certainty that the Europeans today hardly mention Allah at all, and their basis is their sciences, their minds, their bodies, and their taking of the means. So these are on one side, and the relying Sufis are on the other side, and both are at opposite extremes. The truth is between them, and the truth is combining the taking of every side of the two sides, where each 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 commenting on.