and this is just as taking life is an act of Allah, yet one may seek to bring it about by killing. Likewise, knowledge and guidance arising in the heart are acts of Allah, yet one may seek them through their prescribed means and through supplication.
As for someone saying, “Allah acts both with and without a cause, so why must we pursue the means?” the answer is:
That is not so. Rather, everything Allah creates and decrees, He creates and decrees through causes. Some causes, however, lie beyond a person’s power, while others are within it; some are brought about by the person, while others are not. Some causes are “customary,” while others are “rare.” In some years, He may withhold rain and nourish the crops with a wind He sends. Likewise, food and drink may be multiplied through the supplication of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, or of a righteous man; this too is one of the causes.
Undoubtedly, provision may come through created beings. Some people have their provision brought to them by a jinn, an angel, or certain birds or beasts. This is rare, however; most people receive their provision through other human beings. For example, most of those unable to pursue the means of earning a living receive their provision through people who give to them, whether as charity, gifts, offerings in fulfilment of vows, or anything else Allah grants them through those whom He makes available to them.