Abū al-ʿAbbās said—after the ḥadith of Zayd ibn Khālid in which Allah, Exalted is He, says, “Some of My servants arose this morning as believers in Me, while others arose as disbelievers…,” a ḥadith cited earlier—“This theme recurs frequently in the Quran and the Sunnah: the Almighty censures anyone who attributes His favors to another, thereby associating partners with Him. One of the early scholars remarked, ‘It is like their saying, “The wind was favorable and the helmsman was skillful,” and similar expressions that many people habitually utter.’”
Glossary
• Abū al-ʿAbbās: Shaykh al-Islām Aḥmad ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH).
• “Cited earlier”: i.e., in the chapter on seeking rain by the constellations.
• Al-mallāḥ: the captain of a ship.
• Al-salaf: the early scholars of this community—namely the Companions, their Successors, and those who followed them.
Overall meaning of the report
When ships sail smoothly under a gentle wind—by Allah’s command—the people on board attribute the successful voyage to the pleasant breeze and the skill of the captain, forgetting their Lord who, out of mercy, enables the vessels to glide across the sea. This is akin to attributing rainfall to the stars.
Ruling on someone who speaks in this manner
The ruling is detailed:
- If the speaker does not intend that the wind, the captain, or the like act independently of Allah’s creation and command, but merely traces the outcome to the apparent cause