The Meaning of Allah’s Saying: “Upon Him I rely,” and that taking means is part of reliance, and the difference between reliance and passive dependence.

The Shaykh : In this phrase, in this phrase, there is restriction, meaning the ruling is specified to a particular thing and does not extend to anything else. So what is the method of restriction here? Please, what is it?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : What is being fronted?
The student: The predicate.

The Shaykh : Where is the predicate, my brother? What is the predicate of this? Where is the subject? Rest. The method of restriction, my brothers, by Allah, we need to study rhetoric with you for months. Please, what is it?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : I don’t hear.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : No, no, rest now. It is on a preposition, and you know that a preposition must have a governing word to which it is attached, do you hear? In grammar, the preposition and the noun in the genitive case are attached to such-and-such. It is on a preposition, and its governing word is “I relied.” Here, the governed word is fronted before what? Before the governing word. Fronting the governed word before the governing word indicates restriction. Look at Allah’s saying: Its meaning is we do not worship except You. Its meaning is we do not seek help except from You. So “Upon Him I relied” means I do not rely except on Allah. What is reliance? The scholars said: “Reliance is sincere dependence on Allah in bringing benefits and repelling harms, along with trust in Allah, Mighty and Majestic” And some of them said: “Reliance is entrusting one’s affairs to Allah with absolute entrustment” And this is more comprehensive and concise: entrust your affair to Allah, as the believer from the family of Pharaoh said: And what? So reliance is entrusting your affair to Allah in everything. Rely on Allah in everything, even in your eating and drinking. If not for the fact that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, made things easy for you, you would not have achieved this in your clothing, in your marriage, or in acquiring knowledge. Entrust your affair to Allah. But does reliance necessitate that we do not take means? The answer is: No. Rely and take the means, but do not depend on the means, because the means may fail. The effect may fail, because Allah is the Creator, Mighty and Majestic. But rely on Allah and take the means. I ask you: Who is the master of those who rely? Who?
The student: ... (peace and blessings be upon him)

The Shaykh : By Allah, the answer is fatal. Is this the master of those who rely, my brothers?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : The Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). There is no doubt in this. Now, did he take the means of protection from harm? Yes. When he went on a military expedition, he would wear armor, and armor is a shirt of iron so that arrows would not reach him, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him. And when it was the Battle of Uhud, he was clearly between two armors, meaning he wore two armors. All of this was strengthening the means that prevent arrows from reaching him. For this reason, if someone were to say: By Allah, I ... refuse to sit in the house, and even if Allah provides for me, the provision will come to me. He does not sell, does not buy, does not work, and does nothing ever. He says he will sit, and if Allah brings me provision, it will come to me. Would this be someone who relies on Allah? No, this is someone who is passively dependent, not someone who relies on Allah. We say: Take the means. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says: What? Now, another man said: By Allah, I love offspring, and if Allah wills and decrees offspring for me, they will come. He was told: Marry. He said: No, I will not marry. Why should I marry? If Allah gives me offspring, where will they come from? Will they grow on the roof? No, you must take the means. Every person must take the means, otherwise he is not sincere in his reliance, because Allah, the Exalted, is Wise. He made for effects what? Causes, so that things are connected to their causes. This is from the wisdom of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. But if the matter reaches the point of inability, then at that time, nothing remains for you except reliance, meaning if you are unable to take the means, then at that time, nothing remains except absolute entrustment, which is dependence on Allah, the Exalted, with absolute dependence. And Allah will make good for you. It is said that a man was in a desert, he was in a desert, and he was staying near a well, a well that had no water. Every day he would see a snake coming out of the well and stretching its back, as if it were a stick, as if it were a stick. Then a bird would come and what? It would fall on it, thinking it was a stick, and then swallow it. He looked at this snake and saw that it was blind. Allah is the Greatest. Because it was blind, it could not bring its provision by itself. Allah decreed that its provision would come to it in its place.