TRUSTING IN ALLAH

Bismillah ir-rahman ir-rahim

Assalam alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatu

“If you had all relied on Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala 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] Do you truly have full trust in Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala? 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 no doubt lies. And let us not forget those that believe their destiny is completely in their own hands, though their counterparts hold, in what can only be described as ‘bravery’, that they have full trust in Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala, thus granting themselves the ticket to do nothing at all. The root of Tawakkul is ‘reliance’ or ‘dependence’. We say that we depend on Allah Subḥanahu wa ta’ala for everything, and place reliance on Him. The reality of Tawakkul is that we place our trust and reliance on Allah Subḥanahu wa ta’ala in terms of both our worldly affairs, as well as our Deen, as well as utilizing our visceral, or tangible means of attaining that which we want to attain. Tawakkul, therefore, involves belief, dependence, and action. This is because in order to gain at least some level of Tawakkul, the slave needs to be aware of the fact that all the matters of this world and the Hereafter lie in the Hands of Allah Subḥanahu wa ta’ala. Nothing occurs except by His Permission and His Leave. It is worth noting that depending upon Allah in attaining one’s provision is itself a form of worship, and is from the completion and perfection of one’s Iman.

Tawakkul 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? I’m sure we can all recall at least one incident in our lives when we experienced the rahma of Allah in disguise. What did we do? What did we say? When one of the innumerable blessings we failed to count and thank our Lord for was unexpectedly taken from us, what thoughts rushed to our minds? What regrettable words came from our mouths? Why has this happened? What did I do wrong? Why has my blessing been taken away from me? Such spur of the moment questions, tainted by our false comprehension that the blessings bestowed upon us belonged to us, in an instant, shakes our building of tawakkul, sometimes causing it to collapse, consequently opening up a door for our enemy -Shaytaan and closing a door for us to Our Beloved (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Brothers and sisters, why do we become so devastated at the onset of calamity? Why do we lose all hope? Why do we not simply trust in Allah? For every goodness and blessing we own has only been by His Rahma (Mercy). The Amaanah (trusts) within our possessions are only ours for a temporary period of time; they belong to Allah and one day we’ll have to return them to Him. When something is taken away from us or we are faced with a calamity, always remember that Allah is testing our Imaan (faith) and He knows that we are strong enough to deal with it, otherwise it would never have come to us in the first place, for Allah never burdens a soul with more than it can bear. Have full Tawakkul (trust) in Allah and never belittle that trust. For the trust 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 (SWT) 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. For Allah loves those that trust [in Him].” [Surah al-Imran 3: 159] Know that Allah is pleased with those servants who persevere and He loves those that trust in Him. Build a strong foundation of trust and allow for it to accompany you in all that you do. For it is a quality that will remain sufficient for you in the matters of this world, your deen (religion) and in the Akhira (hereafter) insha’Allah.

A beautiful example that never fails to touch my heart is that of our mother: Umm Salamah (May Allah be pleased with her), when her husband Abu Salamah (May Allah be pleased with him) passed away and she remained steadfast, uttering the best statement at the time of any calamity: ‘Inna Lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’un -Surely to Allah we belong and surely to Him we will return’. And she received exactly as Allah promises, blessings and mercy. “And give good news to those who persevere, those who say, when a misfortune strikes them. Surely to Allah we belong, and surely to Him we will return, these are the ones on whom blessings from their Lord descend, and mercy, and these are the ones who are rightly guided”. [Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 155-157] For who could be better as a husband than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), A gift to our mother, Umm Salamah for her trust in Allah (SWT). It may seem difficult to imagine, and I don’t make out that it’s always the easiest of things to do. However, with complete conviction, as I too have witnessed such a great blessing from Allah after a calamity had befallen me, that if you truly trust in your Lord, with every atom’s weight of your heart, Allah will provide for you in ways you could never have imagined.

We also have many, many examples from our Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allah be uon him) including examples of certain supplications which he made. In an authentic ḥadīth contained in Bukhari and Muslim, Ibn ʿAbbas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah) used to supplicate: “O Allah! To You I have submitted, and in You do I believe, and in You I put my trust, to You do I turn, and for You I argued. O Allah, I seek refuge with You through Your Power; there is none worthy of worship except You Alone; that You safeguard me against going astray. You are the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists; the One Who never dies, whereas human beings and jinn will all die”. What this demonstrates is just how necessary this trust and reliance on Allah is, whereby we make Allah the disposer of our affairs. As it becomes clear from the aforementioned ḥadeeth. Tawakkul is interlinked, fused even, with submission to Allah, and belief in Allah. This becomes apparent in another ḥadeeth, “O Allāh! To You I have submitted, and in You do I believe, and in You I put my trust”. In a single breath the Prophet refers to submission, Iman, and Tawakkul. In another ḥadeeth showing the importance of Tawakkul and its benefits in this world and the Hereafter, Abū Hurairah reported, The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘A group of people (both men and women) whose hearts will be like the hearts of birds, will enter Jannah’. But the people of Tawakkul know the balance between action and trust in Allah, like the famous hadeeth, “Tie your camel first.” then trust in Allah. Meaning do to your very best then leave the rest to Allah. Allah says: “…So seek provision from Allah and worship Him (alone).” [Al-‘Ankaboot 29: 17] Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzaan stated about this verse, “Look for sustenance and do not sit around in the masaajid claiming that you are putting your trust in Allah. Do not sit in your homes and claim that your daily sustenance will come to you.” This is wrong and a true believer doesn’t say such things.” (Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzaan Haqeeqat-ut-Tawakkul (pg.15-25) This obviously applies to not just seeking provisions but in striving to resolve other matters of our lives – just as long we remember and believe that His will is a prerequisite for our matters to get resolved and to accept what He ultimately decrees. The scholars have also stated that, “Other than our efforts that we put in, a Muslim should also combine Tawakkul 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.” Some scholars have stated that “Tawakkul in reality does not deny actually working and striving for provision, for Allah Almighty has decreed that we should work and it is from His ways that he gives people when they strive. In fact, Allah Almighty ordered us to both depend upon Him and to work, to take the necessary steps needed to achieve our goals, and so the act of striving for our sustenance is an act of physical worship while trusting and depending upon Allah is faith in Him.”

We also know that He states in [Surah Al-Anfal], referring to the qualities of Al-Mu’minun: “The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses are recited to them, they increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord.” Another such reference which we spend our nights reading, is contained in Surah Al-Mulk, “Say: ‘He is the Most Gracious (Allah) in Him we believe, and in Him we put our trust. So, you will come to know who it is that is in manifest error.’” It is worth pondering the benefits of Tawakkul. There are many, the first of which is, of course, it can relieve us from unnecessary anxiety, worry, and resulting depression from the challenges that we may be facing. By believing that all our affairs are in Allah’s hands and we can do only what is in our control, we leave the results to Allah and accept His decree whatever it may be. Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali said, “The fruit of tawakkul is the acceptance of Allah’s decree. Whoever leaves his affairs to Allah and then is accepting of what he is given has truly relied on Allah. Al-Hassan and others among the Salaf defined tawakkul as ridhaa (acceptance).” Secondly, and on a more practical note, knowing that our responsibility for what happens is limited is very comforting. We know that as long as we are trying our utmost, we can rely on Him, safe in the knowledge that whatever trial we are going through, Allah has decreed it for us and we will by His Leave be able to bear it. That is the meaning of the verse, “Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope”.

Moreover, Tawakkul also gives us a good understanding of the balance to be had between putting our trust and reliance on Allah willingly on the one hand, and our individual responsibility in utilizing the means available on the other. Another significance of Tawakkul is that it invites us to connect to a powerful Supporter; this is the Lord Himself, Allah. The more we rely on Him, the greater the chances that we will try to please Him by following the guidance He has given us. Tawakkul is that we are not depressed by what we have lost or intoxicated by our success. As Allah states, “In order that you may not grieve at the things over that you fail to get, nor rejoice over that which has been given to you. And Allah likes not every prideful boaster.” Relying on Allah can instil an enormous amount of peace and contentment in a person, and we ask Allah that He helps us all attain the highest degree of Tawakkul, in order that, by His Permission, we may benefit from that in this world, and in the eternal world of the Hereafter.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, “(Sufficient for us is Allah and He is the best disposer of affairs): ‘Prophet Ibraheem said it when he was thrown into the fire. Prophet Muhammad said it when people said on the day of Uhud, ' Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them. But it only increased them in faith and they said, “Sufficient for us is Allah and He is the best Disposer of affairs.” Thereafter this ayah [Surah Al-‘Imran 3:173] was revealed.

Let us take a moment to ponder over one ayah in the Qur’an, 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.” [Surah Al-Fatihah 1:5] "The Opening" This ayah clearly establishes the trust of the believer to his Creator. Some of the scholars have said, “Al- Fatiha is the secret of the Qur’an, while these words are the secret of Al-Fatiha.” So how can we stand before Allah day in and day out, uttering such perfect words, and yet not sincerely mean them? For belief, undoubtedly, must be followed by action. Our Lord with His Hikmah, Love and Rahma knows exactly what is good for us, so let us not be amongst the sinful servants of Allah who suspect Him of wrongdoing. 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: “Say: ‘Nothing will befall us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is our Protector. In Allah let the believers put their trust.’" [Surah At-Tawbah 9:51]

May Allah open our hearts and minds into trusting Him with our affairs.

And Allah knows best.