Sharh al-Arba'in al-Nawawiyya by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح الأربعين النووية) — Page 228

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

شَرْحُ الأَرْبَعِينَ النَّوَوِيَّةِ.

Explanation of the Forty Nawawi Hadith.

الْعَوْنُ مِنْ أَحَدٍ فَلَا تَطْلُبِ الْعَوْنَ إِلَّا مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، لِأَنَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَهُوَ يُعِينُكَ إِذَا شَاءَ وَإِذَا أَخْلَصْتَ الِاسْتِعَانَةَ بِاللَّهِ وَتَوَكَّلْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَعَانَكَ، وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْتَ بِمَخْلُوقٍ فِيمَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ فَاعْتَقِدْ أَنَّهُ سَبَبٌ، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَهُ لَكَ.

As for help from anyone, do not seek help except from Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, because He is the One in Whose hand is the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and He helps you if He wills; and if you are sincere in seeking help from Allah and rely upon Him, He will help you; and if you seek help from a created being in something they are capable of, then believe that they are a means, and that Allah is the One who subjected them to you.

وَفِي هَاتَيْنِ الْجُمْلَتَيْنِ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى أَنَّهُ مِنْ نَقْصِ التَّوْحِيدِ أَنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ يَسْأَلُ غَيْرَ اللَّهِ، وَلِهَذَا تُكْرَهُ الْمَسْأَلَةُ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي قَلِيلٍ أَوْ كَثِيرٍ، وَاللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى إِذَا أَرَادَ عَوْنَكَ يَسَّرَ لَكَ الْعَوْنَ سَوَاءٌ كَانَ بِأَسْبَابٍ مَعْلُومَةٍ أَوْ غَيْرِ مَعْلُومَةٍ، فَقَدْ يُعِينُكَ اللَّهُ بِسَبَبٍ غَيْرِ مَعْلُومٍ لَكَ، فَيَدْفَعُ عَنْكَ الشَّرَّ مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لِأَحَدٍ بِهِ، وَقَدْ يُعِينُكَ، وَلَكِنْ مَعَ ذَلِكَ لَا يَجُوزُ لَكَ إِذَا أَعَانَكَ اللَّهُ عَلَى يَدِ أَحَدٍ أَنْ تَنْسَى الْمُسَبِّبَ وَهُوَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.

In these two sentences is evidence that it is a deficiency in Tawhid for a person to ask someone other than Allah, and for this reason, asking someone other than Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, is disliked, whether it is for a little or a lot; and Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, when He wills to help you, He facilitates help for you, whether it is through known or unknown means; for Allah may help you through a cause unknown to you, warding off from you evil that no one has the power to withstand, and He may help you, but despite that, it is not permissible for you, if Allah helps you at the hands of someone, to forget the Causer, who is Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.

…6 more translated lines, 30 more verbs and 53 more nouns on this page — subscribe to study every page.

Vocabulary · المفردات (33 verbs · 56 nouns)

• طَلَبَ — to request
• أَعَانَ — to help
• شَاءَ — to will
• شَرْحٌ — explanation
• أَرْبَعُونَ — forty
• عَوْنٌ — help