Ma Tahtal-Asbab & Ma Fawqal-Asbab: Understanding Causes, Tawheed & Shirk in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah
By: Rizwan ibn ali Abdullah
Contents
- Are these terms in Qur’an or Sunnah?
- Understanding the two realities
- Qur’anic foundation
- Prophetic balance: tie your camel
- The central ayah: help through patience & prayer
- Practical life examples
- Types of Shirk
- Wisdom of the scholars
- Common misunderstandings corrected
- Repentance & renewal
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion & Call to Action
Are These Terms Mentioned in the Qur’an?
The exact phrases Ma Taht al-Asbab and Ma Fawq al-Asbab do not appear in the Qur’an or authentic Hadith. However, their meanings are deeply rooted in revelation. Scholars like Imam al-Ghazali, Ibn Taymiyyah, and Ibn al-Qayyim used these terms to describe the relationship between Allah’s will and the natural causes He created.
The Qur’an shows that Allah created means and commanded us to use them (Ma Taht al-Asbab), yet He is not bound by any means; He acts beyond them (Ma Fawq al-Asbab). So the words are not Qur’anic, but the message is thoroughly Qur’anic.
Understanding the Two Realities
Ma Taht al-Asbab (Under the Causes)
This is the world of human action and effort. Allah made physical laws — hunger by food, thirst by water, illness cured by medicine. Using these causes is not weakness of faith; it is obedience to the divine order.
Ma Fawq al-Asbab (Beyond the Causes)
This is the realm of divine power. Allah is not limited by His own creation. He can give without means, heal without medicine, and protect without tools. The believer works within causes but relies on the One who transcends them.
The Qur’anic Foundation
وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُم مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ Prepare against them whatever power you can. (Al-Anfal 8:60)
If relying on means were Shirk, Allah would not command preparation. Acting through causes is faith, not weakness.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. (Ar-Ra’d 13:11)
Change begins with human effort. Action invites divine mercy.
وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا Seek by means of what Allah has given you the home of the Hereafter, and do not forget your share of this world. (Al-Qasas 28:77)
Islam balances both worlds — work for the Hereafter through the means of this life.
Prophetic Balance: Tie Your Camel & Trust Allah
“Tie your camel and trust in Allah.” (Tirmidhi 2517)
The Prophet ﷺ used means but never relied on them. True Tawakkul combines both — effort and trust.
“If you rely upon Allah as you should, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds.” (Tirmidhi 2344)
Birds work — but trust in Allah. That is perfect Tawheed in practice.
The Central Ayah: Seek Help through Patience and Prayer
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ O you who believe, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with those who are patient. (Al-Baqarah 2:153)
The Misinterpretation ❌
Some say: “Since Allah told us to seek help from patience and prayer — both are not Allah — we can seek help from others.” This reasoning is false. It confuses the means with the source of help.
The Correct Understanding ✅
Allah commands seeking help through patience and prayer — not from them. They are paths leading to His aid.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help. (Al-Fatihah 1:5)
When distressed, the Prophet ﷺ prayed; he never said, “O prayer, help me.” He sought Allah’s help through prayer, not from prayer.
Practical Life Examples
Here’s how both realities work together in daily life:
Example 1: Seeking a Job
You prepare a resume, apply, and attend interviews — this is Ma Taht al-Asbab. But selection and success occur only if Allah wills — that is Ma Fawq al-Asbab.
Example 2: Visiting a Doctor
You consult a physician and take medicine — using lawful means. But healing is from Allah:
وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ And when I am ill, it is He who cures me. (Ash-Shu‘arā 26:80)
Example 3: Asking Your Mother for Food
You ask her because she has the means — natural and allowed. But believing she feeds by her own independent power would be Shirk. Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ Indeed, Allah is the Provider, the Possessor of Strength, the Firm. (Adh-Dhāriyāt 51:58)
Example 4: Calling Upon the Dead
This is beyond permissible causes. The dead cannot act, respond, or deliver benefit. Allah says:
وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِن قِطْمِيرٍ Those you call upon besides Him do not own even the skin of a date seed. (Fāṭir 35:13)
Invoking the dead is major Shirk because only Allah hears all and answers every caller.
Types of Shirk
Understanding the types of Shirk protects Tawheed and purifies intention:
1) Major Shirk (Shirk Akbar)
This gravest form takes a person out of Islam. It includes worshipping or calling upon others besides Allah, believing any being independently controls destiny, or sacrificing in someone else’s name.
إِنَّهُ مَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ Whoever associates partners with Allah — Allah has forbidden Paradise for him. (Al-Mā’idah 5:72)
2) Minor Shirk (Shirk Asghar)
This does not expel one from Islam but corrupts sincerity — such as showing off, swearing by other than Allah, or saying, “Whatever Allah and you will.”
“The thing I fear most for you is minor Shirk.” They asked, “What is that?” He said, “Riyā’ — showing off.” (Musnad Aḥmad)
3) Hidden Shirk (Shirk Khafī)
When the heart leans more to creation than the Creator — subtle, almost invisible.
“Shirk in my Ummah is more hidden than the crawling of an ant.” (Ibn Mājah)
Wisdom of the Scholars
- Ibn Taymiyyah: “To depend on causes as if they act by themselves is Shirk. To deny causes is foolishness. To abandon causes is against Sharī‘ah. The believer uses causes but depends on Allah.”
- Imam al-Ghazālī: “Causes are like shadows — they exist only because of the light of Allah’s Will.”
- Ibn al-Qayyim: “The servant acts through causes, but his heart stays attached to the Causer of causes.”
Common Misunderstandings — Corrected
| Wrong Belief | Correct Understanding |
|---|---|
| Asking someone for help is Shirk. | Asking the living for what they can do is allowed; the heart relies only on Allah. |
| Using medicine shows weak faith. | The Prophet ﷺ used medicine; healing is from Allah, and using means is Sunnah. |
| Depending on work denies Tawakkul. | Effort is part of faith; trust follows effort (tie the camel, then rely on Allah). |
| “Seek help through patience and prayer” means help from others. | It means seek Allah’s help through these acts — not from them. |
| Calling saints for help is good. | Calling the dead is major Shirk; only Allah is invoked and hears everywhere. |
Repentance & Renewal of Faith
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins.” (Az-Zumar 39:53)
If you discover reliance on causes or people has crept into your heart, turn back to Allah. Tawbah renews Tawheed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these terms Quranic?
No. They summarize Qur’anic teachings on means and divine will as explained by scholars.
Can I ask a person for help?
Yes — if the person is alive and capable of what you ask. Your heart should rely on Allah for the outcome.
Is using technology or medicine a lack of faith?
No. Using means is Sunnah; the lack of faith is trusting means more than Allah.
Is calling upon the dead allowed?
No. That is major Shirk. Only Allah is invoked in worship and need.
Conclusion & Call to Action
The phrases may be post-Qur’anic, but their meanings are deeply Qur’anic. Islam teaches a perfect balance: act within the causes Allah created, and rely only on Allah who is beyond them.
The verse “O you who believe, seek help through patience and prayer” captures this balance. We do not ask help from patience or prayer; we use them to reach the One who helps — Allah.
Work with the means Allah has given you, but never depend on them more than on Him. Live under the causes, but keep your heart with the One beyond all causes — Allah, Lord of the worlds.
رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
“My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”
(Qur’an 20:114)
اَللّٰهُمَّ أَرِنَا الْحَقَّ حَقًّا وَارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَهُ،
وَأَرِنَا الْبَاطِلَ بَاطِلًا وَارْزُقْنَا اجْتِنَابَهُ،
وَلَا تَجْعَلْهُ مُلْتَبِسًا عَلَيْنَا فَنَضِلَّ
“O Allah, show us the truth as truth and grant us the ability to follow it. Show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it. Do not make it unclear to us, lest we go astray.”
اللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ كَمَا أَمَرْتَ،
وَكَمَا صَلَّى نَبِيُّنَا مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ
وَارْزُقْنَا الْخُشُوعَ وَالْإِخْلَاصَ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ.
🌸 Jazakumullahu Khayran for reading.
🌙 May peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
✍️ Written By:
Rizwan Ibn Ali Abdullah
Student of Islam and Science | Researcher | Thinker | Against Sectarianism | Reviving Ummah | Qur'an and Sunnah
© 2019– Rizwan Ibn Ali Abdullah. All Rights Reserved.
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