The word “نَسْتَعِينُ” is derived originally from the root word “awn,” which consists of the letters “ع”,“و”, “ن”.This word is used in the Qur’an to refer to assistance that is used or given to achieve something important. In the case of Zhul Qarnayn, when the wall needed to be constructed, he said, “Lend me your awn so that we may complete this project.” In another place, Allah (SWT) says, “Give assistance to one another – help each other in matters of dutifulness and piety.” In another place, people claimed the prophet (SAW) had the Qur’an compiled by him and others who had assisted him, and the word “awn” was used. There are also other words in the Arabic language that mean help or assistance; nasr, for example, means to help, but it is generally a very broad term. It is not necessarily used to achieve something important. The word istaghafa is also used, coming from the word “ghawf”, meaning help, but istaghafa means help in the face of a calamity. The word imdaad is also used – this is to lend support, primarily by sending more people. There are many words that indicate help, and in Surah Al-Fatiha, the word “awn” is selected. “إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ” – “it is only you, O Allah (SWT), that we ask for help from.” The other terms, if they were to be used in the way of seeking, are not included in the realm of kufr because all of us are constantly seeking help with something from someone. There is no harm in turning to the resources Allah (SWT) has created to provide physical or intellectual assistance. The word “awn” here conveys that we seek assistance from Allah (SWT) in this world and the hereafter, and, in fact, all the physical means of the world combined cannot grant us the success of the hereafter. This is a specific type of assistance that we turn to Allah (SWT) for, and one of the first examples of this assistance that we are seeking is in the next phrase, “اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ”, asking Allah (SWT) for guidance.
“وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ” means that we are seeking success from Allah (SWT) and asking for help in the akhira, as well as asking Allah (SWT) for all the means necessary for that success. This success is built up by thousands, perhaps millions, of small achievements – doing certain things and refraining from certain things. At any given time in life, we are required to do certain things and refrain from certain things. These actions are not in the hands of a person or physical means; they rests largely on hidayah, which we will talk about next. We are asking Allah (SWT) to assist us in doing that which we must, and we are asking for his assistance in keeping us away from that which is undesirable.
This is the first step towards “إِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ”. The next question that arises is, “How do we seek this help from Allah (SWT)?” “نَسْتَعِينُ” is a statement and a pledge that we only seek Allah (SWT)’s help. The next question is, “How will we do this?” Will we do it by making du’a or doing a specific act? Is there something we have to say or a place we have to go? May Allah (SWT) give us tawfiq.
