Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
This statement has no known authentic basis from Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), and its meaning is also incorrect. Supplicating to Allah for provision is legislated, and although provision is decreed and written, supplication and striving are among the means that Allah has decreed for obtaining it.
We have not found any reliable source or authentic chain of transmission for this statement attributed to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Therefore, it is not correct to attribute it to him.
Moreover, its meaning is not sound when stated absolutely, because the revealed texts indicate that it is legislated to ask Allah Almighty for provision and His bounty.
Allah تعالى says:
“So seek provision from Allah, worship Him, and be grateful to Him. To Him you will be returned.” [Al-‘Ankabut: 17]
And He says:
“And do not wish for that by which Allah has favored some of you over others. For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned. And ask Allah of His bounty.” [An-Nisa’: 32]
This verse explicitly commands people to ask Allah for His bounty.
It is authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ taught some of his Companions to say:
“O Allah, forgive me, have mercy upon me, guide me, and provide for me.” Narrated by Muslim (2696).
Muslim (2697) also narrated from Abu Malik al-Ashja‘i, from his father (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet ﷺ used to teach those who embraced Islam to say:
“O Allah, forgive me, have mercy upon me, guide me, and provide for me.”
If asking Allah Almighty for provision were not legislated on the grounds that it is already written and decreed, the Prophet ﷺ would not have directed people to supplicate for it.
Belief in divine decree does not mean abandoning the means. Rather, Allah has decreed things together with their means.
Just as He has decreed provision, He has also decreed its means, including work and earning, supplication, reliance upon Allah, and doing good to others.
Ibn Abi al-‘Izz (may Allah have mercy on him) stated that some people mistakenly thought that reliance upon Allah contradicts earning and taking the necessary means. This is incorrect. The Prophet ﷺ was the best of those who relied upon Allah, yet he took the means: he wore armor for battle and went through the marketplaces to earn a living.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“The means by which provision is obtained are among the things that Allah has decreed and written.”
He then explained that Allah may decree provision for a servant through his efforts and earnings, inspiring him to undertake the effort that becomes a means of obtaining it.
Therefore, supplication is not an objection to divine decree, just as working is not contrary to reliance upon Allah. Rather, all of this is included within Allah’s decree.
Another problem with this statement is that its ending contradicts its beginning. The speaker says: Do not ask Allah for provision because provision is written, then instructs people to ask Allah for blessing, even though blessing is also decreed and written.
If it is permissible for a Muslim to ask Allah to bless his provision, then it is even more appropriate to ask Him for the provision itself, because blessing is itself a form of goodness that Allah grants to His servant.
In both cases, supplication does not contradict divine decree, because supplication itself is among the means that Allah has decreed.
What further indicates that this statement should not be attributed to Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) is that what has been narrated from him concerning supplication contradicts its meaning.
Al-Tabari narrated in his Tafsir (13/564) from Abu Uthman al-Nahdi that he heard Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) say while circumambulating the Ka‘bah:
“O Allah, if You have written me among the people of happiness, then affirm me among them; and if You have written sin and misery for me, then erase it and affirm me among the people of happiness, for You erase whatever You will and affirm whatever You will, and with You is the Mother of the Book.”
This report indicates that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to ask Allah and supplicate to Him while believing that everything is decreed and written.
Based on what we have found, it is not authentically established that the statement “Do not ask Allah for provision, for provision is written; rather, ask Him to bless it” was said by Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him).
The meaning of the statement is also incorrect, because the fact that provision is written does not prevent a person from asking Allah for it or striving to obtain it. Rather, supplication, work, and reliance upon Allah are among the means that Allah has decreed for obtaining provision.
Therefore, a Muslim combines belief in divine decree with asking Allah for His bounty and taking the lawful means. He should not make belief that provision is written an excuse to abandon supplication or work.
And Allah knows best.