Tawakkul - Depend, have trust upon Allah - Must Read!!!

Tawakkul : It is an obligatory act and one of the tenets of Eemaan (faith). It is a light for our hearts and a means for us to seek nearness towards Allah in a manner that absolutely nothing else can achieve. The essence of this quality of the heart is built upon two very important pillars: dependence upon Allah and trust in Allah

We may often trust a person, without necessarily depending upon them, and likewise we may depend upon a person without fully trusting them. However when it comes to Our Lord, both exist simultaneously in perfection. So why are we so ready to trust others, but so quick to question Allah?

Have full Tawakkul in Allah and never belittle that. For the Tawakkul we have in Allah is a path to success and a means to achieving victory. Never lose hope and always remember that the situation of a true believer is always one of goodness: For when they are granted a blessing from Allah they praise Him and due to that they are rewarded and their blessings increase and when a calamity strikes they patiently persevere, and as a result of which they are rewarded and granted something better than what they lost.

Put your trust in Allah. Allah loves those that trust (in Him). [Quran 3: 159]

Have you ever had that feeling of anxiety in your heart? What if it doesn’t work out? What if you never get over it? The truth is, we have all felt this way at some point in our lives. Sometimes, the uncertainty is just too much to bear, or the hardship of a moment prevents us from seeing any light at the end of the tunnel. At times we desperately want some kind of medicine, a pill perhaps, to miraculously take these worries away.

But we do have that. This pill is the tawakkul. Like any pill, it’s sometimes hard to swallow. There are moments when we wonder whether this medicine even works, or if it is just some tool to make us simply believe we can be better. But Allah, the One – the only One – in control of this universe has said:

And whosoever depends upon Allah, then He is sufficient for him. [Quran 65:3]

So what does it mean to rely on Allah; to have tawakkul in Him?

It means to be firm in your heart. 

Ibn Ata’illah stated:

“Relieve yourself of worry after you have planned; do not concern yourself with what Allah has undertaken on your behalf.”

Allah is Al-Wakeel; this means that it is He who controls His worshipers’ affairs and takes care of them. He never abandons them nor leaves them to another source. He has given Himself this Name and made it known to us, so that we know this is an essential attribute of His; thus, we will never be let down insha’Allah. Even if things do not go according to plan, we know that Allah will give us something that is better. We could not have entrusted our affairs to anyone better than Him. This is why, whenever the idea of relying on Allah is mentioned in the Qur’an, Allah reminds us of His power:

“[He is] the Lord of the East and the West; there is no deity except Him, so take Him as Disposer of [your] affairs.” [Quran 73:9]

Tawakkul is one of the powerful moral means helping to achieve goals and fulfill purposes. However, a Muslim should combine it with other means, whether they are acts of `Ibadah (worship) like Du`a’ (supplication), Salah (Prayer), Sadaqah (voluntary charity) or maintaining the ties of kinship, or other material means which Allah has predestined that their effects follow from their causes. As in the Hadeeth below:-

One day Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it and he asked the Bedouin, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I put my trust in Allah.” The Prophet then said, “Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah” 
[Tirmidhi].

There are some of us who strive our utmost to prepare for things wherein no certainty exists, whilst others fail to prepare for certain things wherein lies no doubt.  

If the condition of tawakkul is that we use our provisions and resources, what if we lack the means?

Look at the example from Imaam Ahmadh ibnu Hambal

Imaam Ahmad said the happiest day of his life was when he woke up one morning only to find no food in his home, because he knew that on this day he had to rely completely on Allah. Imam Ahmad was very, very poor since he didn’t have the means as we do to just go to the market and buy what his heart desired. 

"If you had all relied on Allah as you should rely on Him, then He would have provided for you as He provides for the birds, who wake up hungry in the morning and return with full stomachs at dusk."

[At-Tirmidhi]

Let's take a moment to ponder over one ayah in the Quran, yes, just one ayah. If I asked you to guess which ayah it is, what would you say? Would it even cross your mind that you read this ayah without fail in every single rakat (standing) of your salah?

You Alone we worship and You Alone we ask for help [Quran 1: 5] "Surah Faathiha; The Opening" 

This ayah clearly establishes the tawakkul of the believer. Some of the Salaf (early believers) have said, "Al-Faatihah is the secret of the Qur'an, while these words are the secret of Al-Faatihah." 

So how can we stand before Allah day in and day out, uttering such perfect words of tawakkul, and yet not sincerely mean them? For belief, undoubtedly, must be followed by action. 

'Say: "Nothing will befall us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Protector. In Allah let the believers put their trust." [Quran 9:51]  

This trust give us the peace of mind and tranquility of heart knowing that Allah is always doing the best for us. This tranquility is developed when we face situations of discomfort and uncertainty. When we truly have tawakkul, we will never seek haram means to escape our situation, because we believe it is only Allah who determines the result.

So the next time you stand before Allah and consult Him in your affairs, don't think He'll give you what is good for you; know with certainty that He will

[taken from the notes of some Sheikhs]