Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Abandoning the use of means on the pretext of relying upon Allah and believing in divine decree is an error and misguidance. Taking legitimate means does not contradict reliance upon Allah; rather, it is part of its completion.
Allah تعالى is the Doer of whatever He wills, and everything occurs by His decree and destiny. However, He has made causes and effects in the universe and commanded His servants to undertake whatever legitimate means they are capable of. Therefore, it is not correct for a person to use belief in divine decree as an excuse to abandon action, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, seeking knowledge, eliminating causes of weakness and corruption, or striving for the interests of the Muslims.
The confusion in this matter arises from mixing up what Allah has decreed for us with what Allah has commanded us to do. We have no power to reject what Allah has decreed for us, whereas we are required to carry out what He has commanded us to do, while believing that all outcomes are by Allah’s decree.
Believing that Allah is capable of granting victory to the believers does not mean that they should abandon the means of victory and then wait for it to occur. Rather, they should exert whatever effort they are capable of, take the necessary means, and then rely upon Allah regarding the results. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Be keen on what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not be helpless.”
Likewise, Allah’s تعالى power does not mean that a servant has no need to work or act. Allah is capable of all things, and He has established means for many things to occur and commanded His servants to pursue them. Therefore, true reliance upon Allah combines reliance of the heart upon Allah with taking the legitimate means. Completely abandoning the means is not part of reliance upon Allah.
Accordingly, the correct position is: believing in divine decree while taking the necessary means, exerting effort in what Allah has commanded, and then entrusting the outcomes to Allah تعالى.
And Allah تعالى knows best.