What is the importance of seeking help from Allah the Exalted?
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The student: Questions, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Questions?
The student: You mentioned yesterday that reliance upon Allah is... what is the explanation of that?
The Shaykh : The explanation is that a person is both an actor and one who seeks help, so he must act and he must seek help. For example, when you want to pray, you must combine this action of yours with seeking help from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). You must combine it with seeking help from Allah. All acts of worship are the creation of an action by the human being, and this creation must have support from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So you seek help from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). For this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 2664 In reality, with great regret, we worship Allah, but seeking help from Allah is little among us. Who among us, when he stands to pray, stands feeling that were it not for Allah's help, he would not have prayed? He prays while feeling that he is in need of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in this prayer. I think most of us are heedless of this, and therefore we do not find the taste of worship, nor do we find the perfection of worship, due to the lack of seeking help.
The student:[Al-Fatihah 1:5] How, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Because Allah the Exalted divided it into two parts: worship and seeking help. So a person must be both a worshipper and one who seeks help. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) divided people in this matter into four categories at the end of al-Tamimiyyah: a worshipper who seeks help, one who seeks help but does not worship, a worshipper who does not seek help, and one who neither seeks help nor worships. Yes, that is correct.
The Shaykh : Questions?
The student: You mentioned yesterday that reliance upon Allah is... what is the explanation of that?
The Shaykh : The explanation is that a person is both an actor and one who seeks help, so he must act and he must seek help. For example, when you want to pray, you must combine this action of yours with seeking help from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). You must combine it with seeking help from Allah. All acts of worship are the creation of an action by the human being, and this creation must have support from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So you seek help from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). For this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
cherish that which gives you benefit (in the Hereafter) and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart
احرص على ما ينفعك واستعن بالله ولا تعجزنThe student:
It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إياك نعبد وإياك نستعينThe Shaykh : Because Allah the Exalted divided it into two parts: worship and seeking help. So a person must be both a worshipper and one who seeks help. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) divided people in this matter into four categories at the end of al-Tamimiyyah: a worshipper who seeks help, one who seeks help but does not worship, a worshipper who does not seek help, and one who neither seeks help nor worships. Yes, that is correct.