The Devils Deception by Imam Ibn AL-Jawzi

T H E D E V I L ' S
D E C E P T I O N S
This man said this story to seek other's praise of his performance,
when in fact he deserves to be condemned.
Abii Hamzah al-Siifi said: "I feel embarrassed from Allah to enter
the desert well-fed, being a believer in reliance; lest my satiation should
be provision that I had taken!"
I have already discussed such arguments and shown how these
people suppose reliance to mean rejection of means. If this been
true, then the Messenger (;i) did not have proper reliance when he
took provision on his way to the cave of al-hird, likewise Musa ('alt!Jhissald!µ)
, when he sought for al-Khidr, took with him as provision a
fish.237 Similarly, the people of the cave did not have reliance because
they took some money with them!
These people were too ignorant to understand the true meaning
of reliance.
And Abii I:Iamid looked for excuses for them. He said: "It is not
permissible to enter a desert with no provision except with two conditions:
First. That the person tames himself not to eat for an entire week
or so.
Second-. To be able to eat from grass. It is unlikely for a person to
travel for a week in a desert without coming across other people, or
not to find some grass to eat."
The worst thing about this opinion is that it came from a scholar.
The traveller may meet no one, may lose his way, or fall ill, so grass
is not enough for him. Or again a person whom he meets may decline
to give him food, or he may be confronted with one who will
treat him unfairly. We have already discussed about isolation (al-wil}da).
m See al-Kahf (1'if): 59-64
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