بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

Know that it has been proven by rational evidence (dalāʾil ʿaqliyya) that there is no ability to avoid disobedience (ma’siya) to Allāh except through His protection (ʿismat), and no power to perform obedience (tāʿa) to Allāh except through His guidance (tawfīq). This is supported by both reason (ʿaql) and revelation (naql). As for reason (ʿaql), it is supported by the following points:

The first:

A person is equally capable of performing or refraining from an action. As long as no preponderator (murajjih) occurs, no preponderance (rajhān) occurs. And that preponderator is not from the servant, otherwise it would result in an infinite regress. Therefore, it is from Allāh taʿālā. Thus, it is established that the servant cannot proceed with an action except by the assistance of Allāh.

The second:

All creatures seek the true religion and the truthful belief (iʿtiqād) while being equal in ability, intellect, seriousness, and pursuit. Therefore, the success of some in attaining the truth can only be through the assistance of a helper, and that helper is none other than Allāh taʿālā. Because if that helper were a human or an angel, it would lead to an infinite regress in the seeking.

The third:

A person may be asked for something for a long time and not fulfill it, then in a certain condition or time, he may fulfill it and take action. This condition does not come to him except if a decisive call occurs in his heart that invites him to that action. Therefore, the casting of that call into the heart and the removal of the opposing motives to it are nothing but from Allāh taʿālā. There is no meaning of “assistance” other than that.

As for the transmission (naql), it is indicated by the āyāt:

The first of them is His saying:

«وإياك نستعين»

 “And You alone we ask for help”

And the second is His saying:

«استعينوا بالله»

“Seek assistance from Allāh.”

The Jabrīyyah and the Qadarīyah have differed regarding this verse.

The Jabrīyyah said:

“If the servant were self-sufficient (mustaqlan) in action, there would be no benefit in seeking assistance for that action.”

The Qadarīyah said:

“Seeking assistance is only proper if the servant is capable of the essence (asl) of the action, in which case assistance from others becomes void. However, if he is unable to act, then seeking assistance has no benefit.”

And I [imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī] believe that power (qudra) does not affect the action (fiʿl) except with a decisive motivator (al-dāʿiya). The requested assistance is an expression of creating the decisive motivator and removing the opposing motivator.

Let us mention what is contained in this word of subtleties and benefits:

One might say: Seeking assistance (istiʿāna) for the action is proper only before commencing the action, and here it is mentioned by His saying:

«إياك نعبد»

“You alone we worship.”

then subsequently He mentioned:

«إياك نستعين»

 “You alone we seek assistance.”

What is the wisdom (hikmah) in this? The answer has several aspects.

The first:

If a worshipper says: “I have begun the act of worship, so I seek Your assistance in completing it; do not prevent me from completing it by death, nor by illness, nor by the changing of motives and their alterations.”

The second:

If the person says:

“Oh my Lord, I bring myself to worship, but my heart flees from me. I seek Your help in keeping my heart present; so I seek Your assistance in bringing it back”.

And how it be otherwise when the prophet (ﷺ) said:

“The heart of the believer is between two fingers of the Most Merciful.”

This indicates that a person cannot bring his heart to him except with the assistance of Allāh.

The third:

I do not want assistance from anyone besides You (Allāh) —not Jibrīl (ʿalayhi as-salām ), nor Mikāʾīl (ʿalayhi as-salām )—but I desire You alone.

I follow in this approach the way of Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi as-salām ), because when Namrūdh bound his feet and hands and cast him into the fire, Jibrīl (ʿalayhi as-salām ) came to him and said:

“Do you have any need?”

He (Ibrāhīm) (ʿalayhi as-salām) replied:

“As for you, no.”

Jibrīl (ʿalayhi as-salām) said:

 “Then ask (God).”

Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi as-salām) responded:

“It is enough for me that He knows my condition.”

Indeed, I might even exceed Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi as-salām) in this regard. This is because only his feet and hands were bound, while I have had my legs bound so I cannot walk, my hands bound so I cannot move them, my eyes bound so I cannot see with them, my ears bound so I cannot hear with them, and my tongue bound so I cannot speak with it. Ibrāhīm was facing the fire of Namrūdh, and I am facing the fire of Hell.

Just as Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi as-salām) was not content with anyone besides Allāh as his helper, so too do I not desire any helper besides You.

«اياك نعبد وإياك نستعين»

“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help”.

It is as if Allāh is saying, “You have done what Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi as-salām) did and exceeded it, so We will also increase the reward.”

 For We said back then:

«يا نار كوني برداً وسلاماً على إبراهيم»

“Oh fire, be cool and safe for Ibrāhīm.”

As for you, We have saved you from the fire, led you to Paradise, and increased your reward by allowing you to hear the Qurʾān and see Allāh.

Just as We said to the fire of Namrūdh:

«يا نار كوني برداً وسلاماً على إبراهيم»

“Oh fire, be cool and safe for Ibrāhīm.”

so will the fire of Hell say to you,

«جز يا مؤمن قد أطفأ نورك لهبي»

“Pass, oh believer, for your light has extinguished my flames.”

The fourth:

«إياك نستعين»

“You alone we seek for help.”

This means that I do not seek help from anyone other than You. This is because that other person cannot assist me unless You (Allāh) enable them to provide that assistance. If the assistance of others cannot be completed without Your aid, then let us cut off that intermediary (wāsiṭah) and restrict ourselves to seeking Your help alone.

The fifth:

The phrase;

«إياك نعبد»

“You alone we worship”

Implies the attainment of a great rank for the soul through the worship of Allāh, and this can lead to arrogance. Therefore, it is followed by;

«وإياك نستعين»

“And You alone we seek for help.”

to indicate that the rank achieved through worship is not due to the servant’s strength; rather, it is attained through Allāh’s assistance. Thus, the purpose of mentioning;

«وإياك نستعين»

“And You alone we seek for help.”

is to remove arrogance and annihilate that pride and vanity.

[al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr Volume 1]

جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًا