Tafseer: The means are useless without Allaah’s Will

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

﴿وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ﴾

{and (it is Allaah who) sent down water (rain) from the sky and (it is He who) brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you.} [Surah al-Baqarah (2): 22]

While mentioning some of the points of benefit of this Aayah, Shaikh Ibn al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله said:

5. Affirmation of the means (in fulfilling an objective) and this is due to the saying of Allaah تعالى: {and (He) brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you} (i.e. Allaah تعالى made the rain as the means by which He تعالى brings forth fruits and vegetables).

6. Also: The means are ineffective except with the permission of Allaah عز وجل. For He تعالى said: {and (He) brought forth therewith} [i.e. The rain is only a means, but the real Originator is Allaah تعالى:

﴿إِنَّ اللَّـهَ فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ﴾

{It is Allaah Who causes the seed-grain and the date-stone to split and sprout.} [Surah al-An`aam (6): 95]

He تعالى also says:

﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهُ خَضِرًا نُّخْرِجُ مِنْهُ حَبًّا مُّتَرَاكِبًا وَمِنَ النَّخْلِ مِن طَلْعِهَا قِنْوَانٌ دَانِيَةٌ وَجَنَّاتٍ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُشْتَبِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ ۗ انظُرُوا إِلَىٰ ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَيَنْعِهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكُمْ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ﴾

{It is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds, and out of it We bring forth green stalks, from which We bring forth thick clustered grain. And out of the date-palm and its spathe come forth clusters of dates hanging low and near, and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety and taste). Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and the ripeness thereof. Verily! In these things there are signs for people who believe.} [Surah al-An`aam (6): 99]

Note how Allaah تعالى changes the address from the second person “He”: {It is He Who sends down}, to the first person “We”: {and with it We bring forth}]

7. Also: The one who wants to attribute a thing (or an action) towards the means should (first) attribute it to Allaah along with linking it to the means. Example: If someone is drowning and a person comes and pulls him out and saves him from drowning. So he should say: ‘Allaah تعالى has saved me through so-and-so’. He can also say: ‘So-and-so has saved me’, because he did indeed (helped) in saving him. He can also say: ‘Allaah تعالى and thereafter so-and-so have saved me.’ But he should NEVER say: ‘Allaah and so-and-so have save me’, because this is making the person equal with Allaah تعالى. And the proof for this, i.e. of attributing a ting towards Allaah while linking it with the means is the following narration in which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم visited a sick Jewish boy who was on his deathbed. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked him to accept Islaam and he accepted Islaam. But he only accepted Islaam after consulting his father. He looked at his father, seeking his advice, so his father said: ‘Obey Abu al-Qaasim.’ The father ordered the son to accept Islaam but he himself did not accept Islaam there and then. But as for the father later accepting Islaam; we don’t know about it, and Allaah knows best. So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم came out exclaiming: “Praises be to Allaah Who saved the boy through me from the Hell-fire.” * This is how we should do too when something (good) happens through some means, then we should attribute it to Allaah تعالى while mentioning the means, because the means only acts as the link (while the real helps comes from Allaah alone).

*[Narrated Anas رضي الله عنه: A young Jewish boy used to serve the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and he became sick. So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم went to visit him. He صلى الله عليه وسلم sat near his head and asked him to embrace Islaam. The boy looked at his father, who was sitting there; the latter told him to: ‘obey Abu al-Qaasim’. So the boy embraced Islaam. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم came out saying: “Praises be to Allaah Who saved the boy through me from the Hell-fire.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (1356) and Sunan Abu Dawood (3095) and the wordings are his]]