Is reliance upon Allah with the means or without the means?

Q: A questioner in the city of Kirkuk in Iraq says in his question: We have a discussion regarding the issue of reliance upon Allah (tawakkul). Is reliance upon Allah with the means or without the means? Because we know of the reliance of some of the righteous, such as Maryam, to whom fruit of summer came in winter and vice versa, and she did not take the means but devoted herself to worship. So please inform us about that. May Allah reward you.

A: Reliance upon Allah (tawakkul) combines two things:
The first is: relying upon Allah, and believing that He is the Creator of the causes, that His decree is effective, and that He has decreed, counted, and written the affairs, Blessed and Exalted is He.
The second is: taking the means. It is not part of reliance upon Allah to neglect the means; rather, reliance upon Allah combines taking the means and relying upon Allah. Whoever neglects them has contradicted the Shari'ah and reason; for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, commanded the means and encouraged them, Blessed is He, and He commanded His Messenger to do so, and He created the servants with an inclination to take them. Therefore, it is not permissible for a believer to neglect the means, and one is not truly a person of reliance upon Allah except by taking the means. For this reason, marriage was legislated for chastity and the obtaining of children, and intercourse was commanded. If someone were to say, "I will not marry and I will wait for a child without marriage," he would be counted among the insane, and this is not the way of the sensible. Likewise, if one were to sit in his house or in the mosque seeking charity, that would not be prescribed nor would it be reliance upon Allah; rather, it is obligatory for him to strive to seek provision, work, and exert himself, provided he has the ability to do so.
And Maryam (may Allah have mercy on her) did not abandon the means, and whoever says that has erred. Allah said to her: So eat and drink the verse [Maryam: 25, 26]. This is a command for her to take the means. She shook the palm tree and took the means until the dates fell down. So there is no abandonment of the means in her biography. As for the presence of provision with her, and Allah having honored her with it and made some provisions available to her, this does not indicate that she neglected the means; rather, she was worshipping and taking the means. And if Allah grants some of His awliya (close friends of Allah) from the people of faith some of the karamah (a miracle granted to a righteous person), this is from His grace, Blessed is He, but it does not indicate that they neglect the means. It is established from our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: And He, Blessed is He, said: [al-Fatihah: 5]. So He legislated for His servants to worship Him and seek His help, and both are among the causes of happiness in this world and the Hereafter, and the verses indicating this are many.