Why does abandoning lawful means conflict with complete reliance?
2026-09-21
T64 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Selected explanation · Selected source passage(s) — fully translated
Selected continuous passage; light punctuation normalization has been applied for reading. The English translates every displayed Arabic paragraph; this selection is not the complete surrounding work. Square brackets identify translator-supplied clarification.
النص العربي
المقتطف
وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ تَرَكَ الْأَسْبَابَ الْمَشْرُوعَةَ الْمَأْمُورَ بِهَا أَمْرَ إيجَابٍ أَوْ أَمْرَ اسْتِحْبَابٍ مِنْ جَلْبِ الْمَنَافِعِ أَوْ دَفْعِ الْمَضَارِّ قَادِحٌ فِي الشَّرْعِ خَارِجٌ عَنْ الْعَقْلِ وَمِنْ هُنَا غَلِطُوا فِي تَرْكِ الْأَسْبَابِ الْمَأْمُورِ بِهَا وَظَنُّوا أَنَّ هَذَا مِنْ تَمَامِ التَّوَكُّلِ وَالتَّوَكُّلُ مَقْرُونٌ بِالْعِبَادَةِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: {فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ} وَالْعِبَادَةُ فِعْلُ الْمَأْمُورِ فَمَنْ تَرَكَ الْعِبَادَةَ الْمَأْمُورَ بِهَا وَتَوَكَّلَ لَمْ يَكُنْ أَحْسَنَ حَالًا مِمَّنْ عَبَدَهُ وَلَمْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ بَلْ كِلَاهُمَا عَاصٍ لِلَّهِ تَارِكٌ لِبَعْضِ مَا أُمِرَ بِهِ.
English translation
English translation reviewed against the displayed Arabic by SalafAlSalih editorial preparation (AI-assisted); explanatory additions appear in square brackets or separate notes.
Selected explanation
Likewise, whoever abandons the prescribed means that are commanded, whether obligatorily or by recommendation, for obtaining benefits or averting harms, undermines the religious law and departs from reason. This is how they erred in abandoning the means they were commanded to take, thinking this was part of complete reliance. Reliance is joined to worship in His statement, “So worship Him and rely upon Him.” Worship is doing what is commanded. Someone who abandons the commanded worship and relies [upon Allah] is no better off than someone who worships Him but does not rely upon Him. Rather, both disobey Allah by leaving part of what they were commanded to do.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 8/177
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic passage checked against the cited volume and printed page. English reviewed against every displayed Arabic paragraph on 14 October 2026.