How can the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) call to flee from a leper be reconciled with his interaction with lepers and the actions of the Companions, such as Salman eating with them and Umar drinking from a leper’s vessel, taking into account Allah’s saying: (And do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction)? And does taking precautions contradict the strength of faith in Allah, or is it a matter of reliance [on Allah] and striving for all without relation to the strength or weakness of faith?

The prophetic traditions (hadiths) related to lepers are to be understood as recommending and cautioning against close contact with them, rather than obligating it. As for eating with them, the Prophet's act of doing so was to demonstrate permissibility. The issue, then, is the presence of a cause for something disliked (illness) and the presence of a greater cause to repel it, which is reliance on Allah (Tawakkul (definition)). Thus, the matter is not about abandoning means, but rather about counteracting some means with others. And whoever truly relies on Allah, will achieve what they seek.

A distinction is made between a person strong in reliance, who may sit with a leper to show permissibility, and a person weak in reliance, for whom it is preferable to avoid causes of dislike, as a protection for their belief.

If there is a necessity to be close to a leper, there is no harm, provided there is true reliance on Allah.