Explanation of the Author's Statement: The Chapter on the Saying of Allah the Exalted: "And upon Allah should you rely, if you are believers"
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The Reciter: [Al-Ma'idah 5:23] And His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Anfal 8:2] And His saying: [Al-Anfal 8:64] And His saying: [At-Talaq 65:3].
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
He said, may Allah have mercy on him: "The Chapter on the Saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Ma'idah 5:23]" First, the connection of this chapter to the one before it is apparent, because when a person singles out Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, with fear, he relies on Him for the attainment of his desires and the removal of his distress, not relying on anyone else. Thus, the connection of this chapter to the preceding chapters is clear.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Because when a person's fear of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is complete and he singles out fear for Him, his reliance becomes upon Allah for the attainment of what is desired and the removal of what is disliked. Know that reliance (tawakkul) has been defined by many scholars with many definitions. Some defined it by its fruit, some by its causes, and some by its rulings, i.e., the ruling on reliance. The closest definition of reliance is to say: It is relying on Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, for the attainment of what is desired and the removal of what is disliked, while performing the causes that are permitted. Relying on Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, for the attainment of what is desired and the removal of what is disliked, while performing the causes that are permitted. So these two things are necessary: that your reliance on Allah, the Exalted, is true and genuine reliance, and the second thing is that you perform the causes that are permitted. Whoever makes his reliance mostly upon the causes, his reliance on Allah is deficient. And whoever makes his reliance mostly upon Allah, neglecting the causes, has criticized the wisdom of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. So the first one, who relied more on the causes, has criticized the sufficiency of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and the second has criticized the wisdom of Allah. Because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has made a cause for every thing. So whoever relies on Allah in a pure manner and says, "I do not perform the causes because I am relying on my Lord," we say to them: This is a criticism of the wisdom of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Because Allah, the Exalted, is Wise and connects causes with their effects. If the lowest of people said to you: "Rely on Allah for the attainment of a child and do not marry," this statement would be a joke to you. Does a child grow from above the shoulders? Does it not grow from the head? Does it not grow from the back? It is not reasonable. One must perform the cause. And if you relied only on the causes, that would be a criticism of the Lord's sufficiency, as if you made the cause alone the sole means for what you aspire to in attaining the desired and removing the disliked. So both things are necessary. For this reason, we do not doubt that the best of those who rely and the greatest in reliance is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And yet, he performed the causes. He would carry provisions on his travels, he would wear armor in his battles, and he would seek help from those who guide him to the road, among other things that are clear and known to everyone. Did he say, "I will leave Mecca emigrating and rely on Allah, and I will not take with me anyone to guide me to the road"? No, rather he hired a man to guide him, peace and blessings be upon him. And when he went to Uhud, what did he do? It is clear: he was between two armors, meaning he wore two armors. All of this was taking the causes. And he, peace and blessings be upon him, would guard against the cold, guard against the heat, and guard against harm. Yes, and he performed all the causes that are permitted by the Shari'ah. Did that diminish his reliance? It did not diminish it. But if one leaves off the causes, it is said to him: This is a criticism of the Lord's wisdom, and your reliance is weak. For this reason, it is mentioned regarding 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that a group of people from Yemen were brought to him who had come for Hajj without provisions. He asked them, and they said: "We are those who rely on Allah." He said: Yes, and this is correct. One goes out to the desert or on a journey without provisions or a water skin and then says, "By Allah, I am relying on Allah." This is not correct. There is no doubt that this is a criticism of the Lord's wisdom.
So the definition of reliance is true reliance on Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in bringing benefits and repelling harms, while performing the causes that are permitted. This is necessary so that we take both sufficiency and wisdom, so that we do not miss either this or that.
And know that reliance is half of the religion. Reliance is half of the religion in reality. For this reason, we say in our prayer, in every prayer,[Al-Fatihah 1:5] So we ask Him for help, relying on Him, Glorified and Exalted is He, because He will help, and we worship Him. And Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): [Hud 11:123] And He said: [Hud 11:88] Among other verses indicating that the religion is two halves, or two parts: worship and reliance. And it is not possible to realize worship in truth except by relying on Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Because if a person is left to himself, he is left to weakness and incapacity and is unable to act. So when he stands up to worship, he feels that he is relying on Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and by performing the worship, he attains two rewards: one is the reward of reliance, and the second is the reward of worship. But I wonder, what are we in this matter? Does a person among us, when he wants to do an act of worship or a custom, feel that he is relying on Allah in it? Or does the person forget, and he is nothing but a wheel that turns and does what he wants to do? Yes, answer with sincerity and truth. The majority is the second. The majority is that the second is the case, and that the station of reliance is very deficient among us. We do not feel when we perform the act that we are relying on Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and with His help, support, and preparation, we attain this act. We have a great deficiency in reliance in reality, because we mostly rely on the apparent causes and forget what is behind them. So we miss much good. What do we miss? First, we miss the reward of this worship, which is reliance. This is one thing, and this is a great deprivation. We also miss that we may not be granted the perfection of the worship, as is often the case. We are not granted its perfection. Yes, whether we encounter circumstances that cause its interruption or circumstances that cause its deficiency. This is a known matter, and a person witnesses it from himself. So it is obligatory upon us from now on to correct the station of reliance and to be, in our worships, our customs, and all our states, relying on Allah, Mighty and Majestic, taking the beneficial causes that Allah has permitted. Clear. And after this, and since we are now speaking about reliance as a station among the stations of those who travel to Allah, and that it is necessary for a person to realize it completely, after this we return to the rulings of obligation regarding reliance. So we say: Reliance is divided into three categories. The first of them, or rather the first of them, is reliance as worship. It is absolute reliance on the one relied upon, such that one believes that this one relied upon has in His hand the bringing of good and the repelling of harm. So this type must be made sincere for Allah. And whoever directs it to other than Allah is an associate of partners with Allah (mushrik) with major shirk, because no one possesses that except Allah alone, without partner. So if one relies on anyone in this matter, whether living or dead, he is an associate of partners with Allah (mushrik) with major shirk. And in reality, a person does not rely on this except while believing that there is a hidden cause that necessitates bringing benefit to him or repelling harm from him. So this is major shirk...
The second category: Relying on a person in his provision and livelihood, and the like of that. So the scholars said: This is from minor shirk. And some of them said: It is from hidden shirk. Like the reliance of many of us on the financial institution in what? In the salary. And so you find a person feels from himself that he is relying on this with a reliance of need, relying on it with a reliance of need. So you find in himself a kind of favoring of the one in whose hands this provision is, which is not apparent. This is no doubt a type of hidden shirk, as if the person did not believe that it is a mere cause, but rather he placed it above the mere cause. And thus there is a type of shirk in it.
The third category is to rely on a person in matters delegated to them, such as appointing someone to sell an item for you, buy an item for you, or handle one of your affairs. There is no doubt that you depend on him, but is my dependence on him like my dependence on the salary that comes from the state? No, I depend on him while feeling that I hold the higher status above him, because I made him my deputy. So I depend on him while feeling that I am the one with the authority and that his status is below mine. It is in my hand: if I wish, I keep the agency; if I wish, I revoke it. But the second issue, which is the second category, is not like that. Rather, I feel a need for this and a dependence on it. So it is reliance born of need, dependence, and necessity. Is this last one permissible or not? This last one is permissible, and it was done by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He appointed 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) to slaughter the remainder of his sacrificial animals, did he not? And he appointed Abu Hurayrah to guard the charity, and he appointed 'Urwah ibn al-Ja'd to buy a sacrifice for him, and so on. This is permissible and there is nothing wrong with it, as long as it is in a matter where one has been given permission. However, if you appoint someone in something forbidden, it is forbidden, according to the nature of the matter in which the appointment was made. So reliance and dependence are divided into three categories: reliance in worship, reliance in need, and reliance in appointment. Reliance in worship: what is its ruling? It must be made sincere for Allah alone; it is for Allah alone, and directing it to anyone else is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). As for reliance in need, the scholars said that it is a type of minor shirk or hidden shirk. So even if you have a salary from the public treasury, you should not feel that you are in need and that you are below this, and you should not attach your heart to this entity, for example. No, rather, your reliance should be on Allah alone. And the third category, what did we say?
The student: Appointment.
The Shaykh : Yes, reliance in appointment means that you appoint a person to handle an affair in which you have the right to act, delegating the action to him. This is permissible because it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he did it, and the Muslims have agreed on the permissibility of agency in matters where action is valid. We referred to the medicine a moment ago. We said that a person should rely on the fact that this is a pure cause and not attach his heart to it, and that he should rely on Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because Allah is the One who subjected these people to you, providing you with this livelihood and the like. Do not rely on them, and know that this which happened to you through the hand of so-and-so or the hand of so-and-so, who directed it to you?
The student: Allah
The Shaykh : Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), if He had willed, would have turned their hearts away from you, and if He had willed, He would not have informed them of you. Yes.
The questioner : Some people, I mean, say that the Provider is Allah, but when they lose this, they panic, and yet... but the tongue...
The Shaykh : The tongue is one thing: it says, "Come here, boy, I will give you the hundred for a hundred and ten," and then says, "O Allah, forgive me for the riba (usury or interest)," and then goes to the second person and says, "Come, I will give you," and says, "O Allah, forgive me for the riba." This is of no benefit if the action does not match the words. If the action does not match the words, the words are of no use. Therefore, the station of tawakkul (reliance upon Allah) has some difficulty for the souls. First, many souls are completely heedless of it, as if it is not one of the acts of worship. And second, its station is very subtle. For this reason, the believers said:[Ibrahim 14:12] And what comes after? It is the result of guidance, and the result of guidance means that it is a matter of the highest peak. Yes.
And upon Allah rely, if you should be believers."
وعلى الله فتوكلوا إن كنتم مؤمنينThe believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely -
إنما المؤمنون الذين ذُكر الله وجلت قلوبهم وإذا تُليت عليهم آياته زادتهم إيمانا وعلى ربهم يتوكلونO Prophet, sufficient for you is Allah and for whoever follows you of the believers.
يا أيها الناس حسبك الله ومن اتبعك من المؤمنينAnd whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him.
ومن يتوكل على الله فهو حسبهThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
He said, may Allah have mercy on him: "The Chapter on the Saying of Allah the Exalted:
And upon Allah rely, if you should be believers."
وعلى الله فتوكلوا إن كنتم مؤمنينThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : Because when a person's fear of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is complete and he singles out fear for Him, his reliance becomes upon Allah for the attainment of what is desired and the removal of what is disliked. Know that reliance (tawakkul) has been defined by many scholars with many definitions. Some defined it by its fruit, some by its causes, and some by its rulings, i.e., the ruling on reliance. The closest definition of reliance is to say: It is relying on Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, for the attainment of what is desired and the removal of what is disliked, while performing the causes that are permitted. Relying on Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, for the attainment of what is desired and the removal of what is disliked, while performing the causes that are permitted. So these two things are necessary: that your reliance on Allah, the Exalted, is true and genuine reliance, and the second thing is that you perform the causes that are permitted. Whoever makes his reliance mostly upon the causes, his reliance on Allah is deficient. And whoever makes his reliance mostly upon Allah, neglecting the causes, has criticized the wisdom of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. So the first one, who relied more on the causes, has criticized the sufficiency of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and the second has criticized the wisdom of Allah. Because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has made a cause for every thing. So whoever relies on Allah in a pure manner and says, "I do not perform the causes because I am relying on my Lord," we say to them: This is a criticism of the wisdom of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Because Allah, the Exalted, is Wise and connects causes with their effects. If the lowest of people said to you: "Rely on Allah for the attainment of a child and do not marry," this statement would be a joke to you. Does a child grow from above the shoulders? Does it not grow from the head? Does it not grow from the back? It is not reasonable. One must perform the cause. And if you relied only on the causes, that would be a criticism of the Lord's sufficiency, as if you made the cause alone the sole means for what you aspire to in attaining the desired and removing the disliked. So both things are necessary. For this reason, we do not doubt that the best of those who rely and the greatest in reliance is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And yet, he performed the causes. He would carry provisions on his travels, he would wear armor in his battles, and he would seek help from those who guide him to the road, among other things that are clear and known to everyone. Did he say, "I will leave Mecca emigrating and rely on Allah, and I will not take with me anyone to guide me to the road"? No, rather he hired a man to guide him, peace and blessings be upon him. And when he went to Uhud, what did he do? It is clear: he was between two armors, meaning he wore two armors. All of this was taking the causes. And he, peace and blessings be upon him, would guard against the cold, guard against the heat, and guard against harm. Yes, and he performed all the causes that are permitted by the Shari'ah. Did that diminish his reliance? It did not diminish it. But if one leaves off the causes, it is said to him: This is a criticism of the Lord's wisdom, and your reliance is weak. For this reason, it is mentioned regarding 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that a group of people from Yemen were brought to him who had come for Hajj without provisions. He asked them, and they said: "We are those who rely on Allah." He said:
You are not among those who place their trust in Allah, but you are those who rely on others.
لستم من المتوكلين على الله بل أنتم المتواكلونSo the definition of reliance is true reliance on Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in bringing benefits and repelling harms, while performing the causes that are permitted. This is necessary so that we take both sufficiency and wisdom, so that we do not miss either this or that.
And know that reliance is half of the religion. Reliance is half of the religion in reality. For this reason, we say in our prayer, in every prayer,
It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إياك نعبد وإياك نستعينso worship Him and rely upon Him
فاعبده وتوكل عليهUpon him I have relied, and to Him I return.
عليه توكلت وإليه أنيبThe second category: Relying on a person in his provision and livelihood, and the like of that. So the scholars said: This is from minor shirk. And some of them said: It is from hidden shirk. Like the reliance of many of us on the financial institution in what? In the salary. And so you find a person feels from himself that he is relying on this with a reliance of need, relying on it with a reliance of need. So you find in himself a kind of favoring of the one in whose hands this provision is, which is not apparent. This is no doubt a type of hidden shirk, as if the person did not believe that it is a mere cause, but rather he placed it above the mere cause. And thus there is a type of shirk in it.
The third category is to rely on a person in matters delegated to them, such as appointing someone to sell an item for you, buy an item for you, or handle one of your affairs. There is no doubt that you depend on him, but is my dependence on him like my dependence on the salary that comes from the state? No, I depend on him while feeling that I hold the higher status above him, because I made him my deputy. So I depend on him while feeling that I am the one with the authority and that his status is below mine. It is in my hand: if I wish, I keep the agency; if I wish, I revoke it. But the second issue, which is the second category, is not like that. Rather, I feel a need for this and a dependence on it. So it is reliance born of need, dependence, and necessity. Is this last one permissible or not? This last one is permissible, and it was done by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He appointed 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) to slaughter the remainder of his sacrificial animals, did he not? And he appointed Abu Hurayrah to guard the charity, and he appointed 'Urwah ibn al-Ja'd to buy a sacrifice for him, and so on. This is permissible and there is nothing wrong with it, as long as it is in a matter where one has been given permission. However, if you appoint someone in something forbidden, it is forbidden, according to the nature of the matter in which the appointment was made. So reliance and dependence are divided into three categories: reliance in worship, reliance in need, and reliance in appointment. Reliance in worship: what is its ruling? It must be made sincere for Allah alone; it is for Allah alone, and directing it to anyone else is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). As for reliance in need, the scholars said that it is a type of minor shirk or hidden shirk. So even if you have a salary from the public treasury, you should not feel that you are in need and that you are below this, and you should not attach your heart to this entity, for example. No, rather, your reliance should be on Allah alone. And the third category, what did we say?
The student: Appointment.
The Shaykh : Yes, reliance in appointment means that you appoint a person to handle an affair in which you have the right to act, delegating the action to him. This is permissible because it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he did it, and the Muslims have agreed on the permissibility of agency in matters where action is valid. We referred to the medicine a moment ago. We said that a person should rely on the fact that this is a pure cause and not attach his heart to it, and that he should rely on Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because Allah is the One who subjected these people to you, providing you with this livelihood and the like. Do not rely on them, and know that this which happened to you through the hand of so-and-so or the hand of so-and-so, who directed it to you?
The student: Allah
The Shaykh : Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), if He had willed, would have turned their hearts away from you, and if He had willed, He would not have informed them of you. Yes.
The questioner : Some people, I mean, say that the Provider is Allah, but when they lose this, they panic, and yet... but the tongue...
The Shaykh : The tongue is one thing: it says, "Come here, boy, I will give you the hundred for a hundred and ten," and then says, "O Allah, forgive me for the riba (usury or interest)," and then goes to the second person and says, "Come, I will give you," and says, "O Allah, forgive me for the riba." This is of no benefit if the action does not match the words. If the action does not match the words, the words are of no use. Therefore, the station of tawakkul (reliance upon Allah) has some difficulty for the souls. First, many souls are completely heedless of it, as if it is not one of the acts of worship. And second, its station is very subtle. For this reason, the believers said: