Imam al-Sadiq ( ‘a ) states...

Imam al-Sadiq ( ‘a ) states: “When they cast Abraham in the fire, the arch-angel Gabriel, who was in a state of descending from the sky, saw him and said, ‘Do you need help and assistance?’ His Holiness Prophet Abraham ( ‘a ) said, ‘But not from you’.”[^4] This discourse of Prophet Abraham ( ‘a ), which has been narrated by both the Shi‘ahs and Sunnis, denotes the high level of monotheism in the spirit and soul of this divine champion and it is this belief and spirit which made him befitting of receiving invisible help; Allah commanded the fire to become cold.

They say that the fire got so cold that Prophet Abraham ( ‘a ) begun shaking and gritting his teeth, so that Allah once again ordered the fire to become suitable and sound for him. The Archangel Gabriel descended and sat down with Abraham in the fire and they began to converse. Imam al-Sadiq ( ‘a ) states: “Qanbar, Imam ‘Ali’s ( ‘a ) slave, loved Imam ‘Ali ( ‘a ) very much and armed with a sword, he used to follow Imam ‘Ali ( ‘a ) whenever His Holiness left the house and went out.

One night, Imam ‘Ali ( ‘a ) saw him and asked, ‘O Qanbar! What is that you are doing?’ Qanbar answered, ‘O Amir al-Mu’minin! I came behind you in order to protect you.’ Imam ‘Ali ( ‘a ) stated, ‘Woe upon you!

Are you protecting me from the dwellers of the skies or the dwellers of the earth?’ Qanbar answered, ‘Not from the dwellers of the skies, but from the inhabitants of the earth.’ His Holiness replied, ‘The inhabitants of the earth cannot harm me save with Allah’s permission, therefore, return and go back.’ Qanbar returned as ordered.”[^5] Reliance on Everything Else Other than Allah Is a Result of Lack of Belief in the Unity of Divine Actions What has been mentioned is a reflection of the belief in the unity of divine actions in the human perception, temperament and behavior of man and that man ought to rely only on Allah and not pay any heed to anything else other than Allah regardless that before arriving at the stage of inner witnessing of the unity of divine actions, man depends on other people and imagines that he is in need of them and hopes that they will provide his needs and solve his problems.

Or, he fears that they will harm him. In reality, he believes in the independence of causes and effects in influencing events and puts his faith in them. With all certainty, this trend is not compatible with monotheistic thinking.