فالسبب ما يكون طريقاً إلى الشيء بواسطة.
A sabab provides a path to something by means of an intermediary.
A road allows one to reach a destination, but traveling still requires movement. A rope provides a means of retrieving water, but an act of lowering and drawing it remains involved. These examples separate a facilitating route from the effective operation.
In legal analysis, a sabab is a means leading toward a ruling, whereas the intervening operation explains how the consequence actually occurs. Making an outcome possible does not alone establish direct responsibility for that outcome.