The first category consists of the true believers who follow their Prophet, the foremost of Adam’s descendants. His extraordinary occurrences served only to provide proof by which he established Allah’s religion, or to meet a need that helped him obey Allah.
Because errors concerning this principle are so widespread, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade passively yielding to divine decree without striving to do what one has been commanded and what benefits one. Muslim narrated in his Sahīh from Abū Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, though there is good in both. Strive for what benefits you, seek Allah’s help, and do not give in to helplessness. If something befalls you, do not say, ‘If only I had done such and such, this and that would have happened.’ Rather, say, ‘Allah decreed this and did as He willed,’ for ‘if only’ opens the door to Satan’s work.”
In Sunan Abī Dāwūd, it is related:
“Two men brought a dispute before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he ruled against one of them. The man against whom he ruled said, ‘Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Allah censures helpless inaction. Rather, you must be resourceful; then, if something overcomes you, say: Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.’”
Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded the believer to strive for what benefits him and to seek Allah’s help. This accords with the words of the Most High:
“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help,”
and His words:
“So worship Him and put your trust in Him.”
Striving for what benefits the servant means obeying and worshipping Allah, for obedience to Allah is what benefits him, and nothing benefits him more. Everything that helps one obey Allah is itself an act of obedience, even if it belongs to the category of permissible things.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Saʿd in an authentic hadith:
“You will never