At-Tawakkul: Reliance on Allaah – I

Allaah the Most High has created us of the best stature and granted us
many abilities so that we may look after our needs and those of our
relatives and fellow Muslims. He Almighty has invited us to explore
the earth and use itfor our subsistence. Allaah Sayas what means:"It
is He who made the earth tame for you – so walk among its slopes and
eat of His provision – and to Him is the resurrection."]Quran 67:15[
Yet Allaah Almighty has made it clear in this very verse, as well as
in other verses, that had He not made this earth manageable to us, we
would not be able to explore it nor benefit from it.
The Chapter Al-Mulk is actually a yardstick for understanding
Tawakkul. It starts and finishes with the same message: To Allaah
belong all that is in the universe and nothing would happen without
His Mercy and Hisconstant watchful care. He Almighty Says in the first
verse what meand:"Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is
over all things competent."He Almighty then Says in the last verse
what means:"Say, "Have you considered: if your water wasto become
sunken ]into the earth[, then who could bring you flowing
water?"]Quran 67 :30[
Yes, we can surely explore the earth, look for regions holding water
and successfully discover fountain sources and streams. But without
Allaah's permission and facilitation, we will not be able to reach
this water. Furthermore, what would happen if - all of a sudden -
Allaahmade the sources and springs of our water supply to disappear in
the deep undergrounds of the earth. Blessed and Glorified is He! No
one will bring it back but He.
There is a meaningful touch in the verse mentioned earlier. Allaah
Says what means:"…so walk among its slopes…"Then Hesaid"...and eat of
His provision."So Allaah is telling us that thoughyou are encouraged
to strive and work hard, what you produce is not yours; what you earn
is not yours. Rather, your production, your earnings and all your
subsistence comes from Allaah. He made it available to you out ofHis
Mercy and care for you. Hence,if Allaah wills, your work and efforts
will be fruitless.
Similar verses where Allaah ascribes subsistence solely to Himare
found in many places in the Quran. Allaah Says what means:"...So seek
from Allaah provision and worship Him and be grateful to Him. To Him
you will be returned."]Quran 29:17[
Those who misunderstood the Plan of Allaah and His Wisdom have felt
confused by this double command of Allaah - to strive andwork on the
one hand, and rely on Allaah to make the actions possible and goals
attainable, on the other. Initially, this question was presented
before the Prophet. The companions asked: Should we quit working and
rely on Al-Qadar )Allaah's predetermined decree(? The
Prophetanswered:"You should initiate and do things. Everyone shall be
facilitated towards that for which he was created."]Al-Bukhaari and
Muslim[ Consequently, the Companions of the Prophetmoved on and
initiated righteousdeeds while putting their trust inAllaah.
The work that we are referring tois not that of the acts of
worship)Prayer, Zakaah, Fasting, Hajj, etc(.Rather, it is the work
pertaining to our subsistence. Furthermore, we do not refer to
Haraam)forbidden( work and Haraam subsistence. It is the
Halaal)permissible( work and the Halaallivelihood that we are
concerned about, for it is more tempting to the believer. What are the
guidelines and limits of the Halaalwork? How much dedication do we
give it? Do we attribute the source of subsistence to our work or to
Allaah's bounties? Anddo we associate the loss and deprivation of
wealth, health andsuccess with our loss of job, or with Allaah's
universal plan?
Islam is a dynamic religion. Not only does it not condone passiveness,
but also, it strongly rejects laziness and dependency on others. The
Prophetsaid:"Begging is forbidden except when there is great debt,
suffering, injury, or abasing poverty."]Abu Daawood and Al-Bayhaqi[
Healso said:"It is much better for one of you to take his rope and go
to chop some wood )for his livelihood( than to beg from people,
whether they give him anything or deny him."]Al-Bukhaari[
The Prophet himself sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam worked hard for his
living. He spent his boyhood as a shepherd and took to trade in
manhood. Hecarried people's goods to Syria and otherplaces and shared
the profits with them. Heused to constantly seek refuge with Allaah
from laziness as reported by Zayed Ibn Arqam:"O Allaah! I seek refuge
in You from incapacity, from laziness, from cowardice, from
miserliness, from ineptitude and from the torment of the
grave..."]Muslim[
However though we might strive hard to secure our livelihood, we
should not attribute our achievements solely in the work we do, but to
Allaah. We should not put our reliance on our work,our possessions,
our wealth, our position, etc. Neither should we rely on our manager,
our employer, our friends, or our families. The only one on Whom we
should rely is Allaah. He Almighty Says what means:"...And rely upon
the Ever-Living who does not die, and exalt]Allaah[ with His praise.
And sufficient is He to be, with the sins of His servants,
Acquainted."]Quran 25:58[
Whoever attaches his/her heart to his job, or to his/her employer or
to any created beings in order for them to provide him/her
withsustenance or to make him/her prosperous and successful, and so
on, he/she has submitted to them. And the more one relies onthe
created beings, the weaker becomes one's submission to Allaah.
Hence as much as Allaah wants from us to initiate actions and seek and
use all permissible means to secure our needs and those of our
families, He also wants us not to depend on these means as the source
of our sustenance. This is the genuine understanding of Tawakkul.
Deviant groups on Tawakkul:
Those who deviated from the right concept of Tawakkul have fallen into
two extremes. The first group of people are those, attracted by the
temptations of this world, and have gone so far as to forget their
relationship with Allaah. Their heart has become so attracted to these
temptations that they became subservient to their desires. Such people
have become - knowingly or unknowingly - slaves of their own desires.
They will ultimately claim that all their achievements are but the
result of their own work and that Allaah had no involvement
whatsoever. They donot rely on Allaah. Allaah Says what means:"Then,
have you seen he who disbelieved in Our verses and said, 'I will
surely be given wealth and children ]in the next life[?' Has he looked
into theunseen, or has he taken from the Most Merciful a
promise?"]Quran 19:77-78[ This type of man who rejects Allaah and
denies His bounties regards himself as "self-sufficient" and thus,
cannot be expected to rely on Allaah.
The second group of people are those who understood the reliance on
Allaah as meaning to completely break away from all mundane affairs.
They regarded piety and the pursuit of any material interests as
contradictory. For them, reliance on Allaah would mean not to take any
initiatives for securing one's subsistence. Consequently, they
renounce the world and retire themselves to remote areas or secluded
spots and cut themselves from daily life!
Both of these two groups have not understood the meaning of Tawakkul
according to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Prophet. Had
they attemptedto understand the Book of Allaah,according to the
understanding and implementation of the Prophetand his honorable
companions, they would have found that Tawakkul is far removed from
how they conceived it. Through the instinctive behavior of some of His
creatures and the sublime conduct of His Prophets may Allaah exalt
their mention and righteous slaves, Allaah has set out in His Book the
genuine Tawakkul.