This word (pl. asbāb) appears in a few āyāt of the Quran. Imam Raghib al-Isfahani, may Allah have mercy on him, in his well-known and beautiful work, Al-Mufradāt fī Gharīb al-Quran, provides linguistic, semantic and contextual analysis of Quranic words and their meanings.
Regarding “sabab” he mentions:
“Every means that leads to something is called a sabab.” Allah says [referring to Dhu’l Qarnayn]:
(84) إِنَّا مَكَّنَّا لَهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ سَبَبًا
(85) فَأَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا
Surah Kahf, 84, 85
“Surely, we established him in the land, and gave him the means to all things. One such means he took…”
Imam Raghib comments:
“…meaning that Allah granted him knowledge and means to achieve various things, and he pursued one of these means.”
Interestingly, he notes that the word originally refers to the rope used to climb date palms.
After mentioning this, he brings the following ayah:
(10) أَمْ لَهُم مُّلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ۖ فَلْيَرْتَقُوا فِي الْأَسْبَابِ
Or (is it because) the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything in between belongs to them? Let them then ascend (to the heavens) by (great) means (to rule as they see fit).
Surah Sad, 10
He then goes on to say that this usage of the word points to a similar meaning to that found in the following ayah:
(38) أَمْ لَهُمْ سُلَّمٌ يَسْتَمِعُونَ فِيهِ ۖ فَلْيَأْتِ مُسْتَمِعُهُم بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ
Or do they have a ladder, by which they eavesdrop (on the heavens)? So then let their listener bring a compelling proof!
Surah Tur, 38
Here the word sabab is not used, but Imam Raghib is pointing out that the word sullam—ladder—is used in the same meaning: a means by which to reach a goal.
Here are two more ayahs where “sabab” is used:
(36) وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَا هَامَانُ ابْنِ لِي صَرْحًا لَّعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبَابَ
أَسْبَابَ السَّمَاوَاتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلَىٰ إِلَٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ كَاذِبًا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ
(37) لِفِرْعَوْنَ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ وَصُدَّ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ ۚ وَمَا كَيْدُ فِرْعَوْنَ إِلَّا فِي تَبَابٍ
And Pharaoh said, “O Haman, build me a high tower, that I may attain the ways and means—the ways and means to the heavens themselves, to ascend and behold the god of Moses: indeed I deem him a liar.”
Surah Ghafir, 36-37
So, we can say that the word sabab points to the meaning of: a means by which a goal is accomplished (though, there are more shades of meaning associated with it based on these āyāt, which we will return in another time post insha Allah).
Muslims have come to use this word in our everyday language, especially when we want to remind ourselves or others that it is not the sabab itself that is accomplishing the goal—but Allah alone.
For example, when we are sick, we take medicine, which is a means of cure. But if we want to remind someone we think might be putting too much faith in a medicine, we would say to them, “Remember that the medicine is only the sabab (the means); it is in fact Allah who does the curing.”
Indeed it is true: our aqidah (foundational belief) is that the medicine in and of itself has no effect. Allah alone creates the effect. The medicine is merely a means. In other words, the medicine is merely a sabab.
In this sense, the word sabab points to a meaning of: “an ineffectual thing that we use to accomplish a goal.” This sentence may not make sense to a non-Muslim: how can you use something that has no effect to accomplish anything? But to us it makes perfect sense. We know very well that Allah is the One who “puts the effect in things,” and that things in and of themselves are intrinsically ineffectual (i.e., have no effect). We take medicine knowing it is Allah who can create the effect of cure, or not. We go to work knowing it is Allah who will give us our rizq, or not. We walk from point A to point B knowing it is Allah who will permit us to reach our destination, or not.
All day, every day, we all take ineffectual means to accomplish myriad goals, and all day, every day, Allah out of His mercy, blesses us to accomplish those goals.
But here is the thing: everything in the creation is a sabab. In fact the world itself, both its seen and unseen aspects, is a sabab. How do we know this?
Well, by understanding what the word “world” means, of course.
We cannot understand what the word “world” means without seeing how Allah, great and majestic, uses this word.
That word, in the Quran, is: ‘ālam (العالم)
Again, Imam Raghib in his Mufradāt writes that the word “‘ālam” refers to the cosmos and everything it contains (both seen and unseen).
In Surah Fatihah we say, “alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen”, meaning, “all praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds.” “‘Ālameen”, in essence, refers to creation and everything in it.
The word “‘ālam” is based on the morphologic Arabic pattern of an ism al-ālah, an instrumental noun. Imam Raghib himself mentions the implications of this:
وجعل بناؤه على هذه الصّيغة لكونه كالآلة
Referring to the word “al-ālam” he says, “Its structure is set up in this (particular) form due to it being like a tool.”
Since its root letters (ع ل م) mean, “to know”, we join between these two meanings of “tool” and “knowing” to produce the meaning of “ālam”: literally, “that by which something other than it is known.”
Indeed this is what Imam Raghib says the word originally means:
الأصل اسم لما يعلم به
“Originally, it is a term for something by which something else is known…”
If “‘alam” refers to a thing by which something else is known, and the thing that “‘alam” is referring to is the world itself, then this means the world, according to the Quran is, by definition: a thing by which something other than it is known.
But, what exists, other than the world?
Only: Allah.
In other words, the Quran literally refers to “the world” as “a tool by which Allah is known.”
Imam Raghib:
والعَالَمُ آلة في الدّلالة على صانعه، ولهذا أحالنا تعالى عليه في معرفة وحدانيّته
“And the world is a tool for indicating to its Creator, and for this reason, Allah has referred us to it (the world) for the purpose of recognizing His Oneness.”
By understanding this single word, we learn something foundationally and absolutely true about the nature of reality—about every single thing in creation. This single word opens new horizons, dramatically changes how we interpret the findings of science, and opens the doors of our minds to the meanings present in every created thing. How could a single word have this effect? Indeed, it can, when it is a word from the Lord of the Worlds! The meanings of His words contextualize and shine light upon physical reality stronger than any of our investigations do. If we want to “see reality as it is” (not how 18th century Europeans conceived of it), then our starting point must be the words of the One who created it.
There is much more that could be said about this word, as with all the words of the Quran, because each word is an infinite ocean—each word cures the hearts, heals the minds, strengthens the bodies, and clarifies, enlightens and beautifies our existence.
This one word shows us what we are really looking at when we see a sagacious oak tree, a feisty microbe under a microscope, or a flower enjoying a breeze sent by a westerly wind! All of these, being part of the world are means or asbab by which we can know a little bit more about our Beautiful and Majestic Lord, Allah.
Everything in the heavens and the earth is, by Quranic definition, a sabab – a means – by which we can draw closer to Allah.
By having the right relation between us and any given sabab.
By honoring the sabab of our parents.
By taking the asbab of making wudu and praying.
By using medication to improve our health; by reading a book to study—all created things and all natural processes are comprised of asbab—so that we can use our strength and our learning for Allah’s causes.
Whether we can immediately see how a particular sabab draws us closer to Allah or not is besides the point. The fact of the matter is, every single thing in creation is a sabab—a means—of drawing closer to Allah.
A single molecule of water? A sabab.
An atom of hydrogen? A sabab.
A giraffe? A sabab.
Its spots? Asbab.
Every quantum particle popping into and out of existence? Asbab.
Time. Sabab.
Space. Sabab.
Even unseen realities are asbab because they too are creations of Allah. Angels are asbab. Jinn are asbab. The higher heavens are asbab. The arsh of Allah is a sabab.
Everything that Allah has created are asbab. They are means by which we can become closer to Him through having the right relation with each one of them. To have the right relation to a giraffe may simply mean to reflect upon its beauty and remember Allah. To have the right relation to our parents means to honor them. To have the right relation to a pile of bricks depends on the context – if my job by which I earn halal income is to construct walls, and those bricks are the ones I need to use to do so, then the right relation is to use those bricks to make a wall! If those bricks belong to another construction company, not the one I am working for, then the right relation is to leave those bricks alone. Everything that makes up our context on any given day, in any given moment, are asbab.
But wait, what about things like idols? They exist. Yet they could not exist without the permission of Allah. Are they also asbab (means) by which we draw closer to Allah? Indeed, they are – again, it’s all about having the right relation with any given sabab. In this case the right relation is one of turning ourselves away from them and from ascribing any power to them whatsoever. The same could be said about our desires for things that are not good for our akhira. Don’t human beings have lower desires that pull them towards doing the wrong thing? Allah Himself says in the Quran, “[We] inspired (the soul) with its instincts of sin and instincts of piety (Surah Shams, 8).” Why were those darker desires placed within us? For a great wisdom! Had they not been there we would not have had choice; we would not have been able to choose Allah’s path. Choosing is the ultimate expression of love and devotion. Such love and devotion is not expressible if the option to take the wrong way doesn’t exist. In this way, even our lower desires are asbab—they are created by Allah for the purpose of our drawing closer to Him by having the right relation to them. What is the right relation to them? To regulate them according to Allah’s rules.
Ultimately, the purpose of all asbāb, of all created things, is to return our hearts, our minds, our sight, to Allah.
This is the first mental habit: to see that all created things are asbab. To recognize and to see every single thing in creation—whether the product of our scientific investigations or of our everyday experience—as a sabab to Allah.
We will get into this in more detail in another post on K-12 Mental Habits, but the manner in which modern knowledge is currently taught, engenders a Mental Habit of seeing created things as independent realities in and of them selves, not as asbāb.
That’s why we call this first Quranic Mental Habit: Seeing Asbāb as Asbāb.
This takes practice. The first step is what you’ve done here by reading these words.
Now, when you look around, or when you are in the thick of reading a dry science textbook, or watching a YouTube video on the difference between an animal cell and a plant cell, practice bringing to mind that what you are studying are, fundamentally, asbāb. They only exist to connect you back to Allah.
But: how, exactly, does knowing about hydrogen bonds connect you back to Allah?
Click here to read the next post in the series.1
