Two men who fear
قال رجلان يخافون
Allah the Exalted left the two men unspecified, and that is because understanding the issue and understanding the reality do not depend on specifying the two men by their names. For this reason, many verses and many hadiths come without specifying the person in question, because the intended purpose is to understand the issue. And regarding His saying:
from those who feared [to disobey] upon whom Allah had bestowed favor
من الذين يخافون أنعم الله عليهما
We mentioned that the object of
who fear
يخافون
is omitted, and the implied meaning is: they fear Allah. We also mentioned that
upon whom Allah had bestowed favor
أنعم الله عليهما
is a description of "two men," and it is valid to be considered a state (hal). If it is a state, we say there is no problem, because although a state is a description of its possessor, it differs from it in inflection, unlike an adjective (na't), which is a description and follows in inflection. For this reason,
from those who feared
من الذين يخافون
was placed before His saying:
upon whom Allah has bestowed favor
أنعم الله عليهم
And if you make it a later adjective, you have delayed it from His saying:
from those who feared
من الذين يخافون
because an adjective with a nominal phrase is closer to the described noun than a verbal sentence, because we have three things: either the described noun is described by what matches it in singularity, or it is described by a nominal phrase, or it is described by a verbal sentence. And which is closer, the nominal phrase or the verbal sentence? The nominal phrase. And His saying:
Enter upon them through the gate
ادخلوا عليهم الباب
means proceed to them and do not let them know that you are proceeding. Go to them suddenly
Enter upon them through the gate
ادخلوا عليهم الباب
without prior knowledge, because no people have been fought in their lands except that they were humbled. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked his Lord when he intended to strive against the people of Makkah and the conquest of Makkah, he asked Allah the Exalted to obscure the news about them until He crushes them in their land. Did you understand? For this reason he said:
Enter upon them through the gate
ادخلوا عليهم الباب
meaning do not warn them and do not inform them that you are coming upon them. The word "the gate" has the definite article (al), and the "al" here is for known reference (al-'ahd). What is the reference? Mental reference, meaning the gate of the city.
for when you have entered it, you will be predominant
فإذا دخلتموه فإنكم غالبون
Victory will be yours, and this is guidance and direction.
And upon Allah rely
وعلى الله فتوكلوا
When these two men ordered these people to rely on the beneficial means, they guided them to not rely on themselves but to place their trust in Allah, so he said:
And upon Allah rely
وعلى الله فتوكلوا
The prepositional phrase in His saying:
is only for Allah
على الله
is connected to His saying:
Rely upon [Allah]
توكلوا
and the "fa" is added to improve the wording. For this reason, if it were said: "And upon Allah place your trust," it would be correct. And it is not correct here to make it a conjunction, meaning if we made it a conjunction and the "waw" is a conjunction, the speech would not be coherent. But he said it was added to improve the wording. And His saying:
So rely upon [Allah]
فتوكلوا
What is placing trust (tawakkul)? The scholars said that placing trust is sincere reliance on Allah, meaning that a person relies on his Lord with sincere reliance, with trust in Him, good opinion, and doing the means. There are four types: sincere reliance on Allah, second: with trust in Him, third: with good opinion, and fourth: doing the means. If these four descriptions gather, that is the reality of placing trust. So whoever relies on Allah but is in doubt, he is not truly placing trust. Likewise, if he relies on Allah but does not have that trust, either because of what he knows of his sins, or because of what he knows of the insufficiency of the means, or for other reasons, he has not made his trust sincere. The second is good opinion, and good opinion in placing trust is that a person thinks of his Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, that He is sufficient for him, as He said:
And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him.
ومن يتوكل على الله فهو حسبه
And His saying with doing the means, because this is necessary, for Allah the Exalted decrees a thing by its cause, and this is part of His perfect wisdom. So if you look at His saying:
It is He who made the earth tame for you - so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision
هو الذي جعل الأرض ذلولا فامشوا في مناكبها وكلوا من رزقه
then striving is necessary. And He said:
And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah
فإذا قضيت الصلاة فانتشروا في الأرض وابتغوا من فضل الله
then doing the means is necessary, but with the condition that the means are lawful, either explicitly stated in the Book and the Sunnah, or known by experience which the divine decree testifies to.
And upon Allah rely, if you should be believers."
وعلى الله فتوكلوا إن كنتم مؤمنين
This is a condition in the sincerity of placing trust in Allah the Mighty and Majestic, for no one places full trust in Allah except one who has faith in what Allah promised in His saying:
And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him.
ومن يتوكل على الله فهو حسبه
,
And upon Allah rely, if you should be believers."
وعلى الله فتوكلوا إن كنتم مؤمنين
And after this advice and this good, beneficial direction, look at the answer:
