The Fourth Matter

One should not accept the favours that come through apparent causes while regarding those causes as the true bestowers. If a cause possesses no consciousness, such as an animal or a tree, it presents those favours directly in the name of Allah. In other words, through the language of its state it says “BismillahIn the Name of Allah.” and offers you the favours of Allah. Therefore, you too should say “BismillahIn the Name of Allah.” before accepting them.

If the apparent cause possesses will, it should say “BismillahIn the Name of Allah.” so that you may accept the favour from it. Otherwise, you should not accept it. For one of the implicit meanings of the verse

وَلَا تَاْكُلُوا مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْهِAnd do not eat of that over which the name of Allah has not been mentioned. — The Qur’an 6:121

is this:

“Do not accept favours that do not remind you of the Munim-i HaqīqīAllah, the true Bestower of all kinds of blessings and favors. and are not given in His name.”

Thus both the giver and the receiver should say “BismillahIn the Name of Allah..” If the giver does not say it, but you are in need of accepting the favour, then say “BismillahIn the Name of Allah.” yourself. See the hand of Allah’s mercy behind that favour, show your gratitude by kissing that hand, and then accept the favour.

In other words, recognise the favour itself, and through it turn your attention to the Munim-i HaqīqīAllah, the true Bestower of all kinds of blessings and favors. Who bestowed it. Such reflection is itself a form of gratitude. You may also pray for the apparent cause, since the favour has reached you through him.

What deceives those who attach excessive importance to apparent causes is that the cause and the result appear together; this is called iqtirānThe joining or association of two things; their occurrence together, without necessarily implying that one causes the other.. They mistakenly suppose that the apparent cause is the true cause of the result. Furthermore, because the absence of a certain condition may prevent a result from occurring, they imagine that the presence of that condition is itself the true cause of the result. They therefore direct their gratitude toward that condition and fall into error. Yet the occurrence of a result requires all its necessary conditions, whereas its non-occurrence may follow from the absence of only one condition.

For example, a gardener who fails to open the water channel may be regarded as the cause of the garden drying up and failing to produce its fruits. Yet the appearance of those fruits does not depend upon the gardener’s action alone. It depends upon countless other conditions as well, and ultimately those fruits come into existence through the power and will of the Lord, which are their true cause.

Understand, then, how baseless this deception is, and see how mistaken are those who attach excessive importance to apparent causes.

It is important to understand that iqtirānThe joining or association of two things; their occurrence together, without necessarily implying that one causes the other. is different from true causation. If a favour reaches you through a person, that person’s intention accompanies the favour, but it is not its true cause. The true cause is the mercy of Allah.