At-Tawakkul: Reliance on Allah

Nahmaduhu wa nusallee ala Rasoolihil Kareem. Amma ba’d! Qalallahu Taa’la fil Qur’an

وَتَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى الْبرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَلاَ تَعَاوَنُواْ عَلَى الإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ

Distinguish guests, respected teachers, and dear audience! My today’s talk is “At-Tawakkul: Reliance on Allah” may Allah enable me to speak right and true.

Dear audience! Allah 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 human beings. He Almighty has invited us to explore the earth and use it for our subsistence. Allah says in the glorious Qur’an:

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ ذَلُولًا فَامْشُوا فِي مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوا مِن رِّزْقِهِ وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

"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." [Qur’an 67:15]

Yet Allah Almighty has made it clear here, 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 Surah Al-Mulk is actually a yardstick for understanding Tawakkul. It starts and finishes with the same message: To Allah belong all that is in the universe and nothing would happen without His Mercy and His constant watchful care. Allah (swt) Says in the first verse what means:

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ الْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

"Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent."
And in the last verse:

"Say, "Have you considered: if your water was to become sunken [into the earth], then who could bring you flowing water?" [Qur’an 67:30]

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ مَاؤُكُمْ غَوْرًا فَمَن يَأْتِيكُم بِمَاء مَّعِينٍ

Yes, we can surely explore the earth, look for regions holding water and successfully discover fountain sources and streams. But without Allah’s permission and facilitation, we will not be able to reach this water. Furthermore, what would happen if - all of a sudden - Allah made 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 I mentioned earlier. Allah Says what means:

"…so walk among its slopes…" Then He said "...and eat of His provision." So Allah is telling us that though you 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 Allah. He made it available to you out of His Mercy and care for you. Hence, if Allah wills, your work and efforts will be fruitful.

Similar verses where Allah ascribes subsistence solely to Him are found in many places in the Qur’an. Allah Says what means:

فَابْتَغُوا عِندَ اللَّهِ الرِّزْقَ وَاعْبُدُوهُ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

"... So seek from Allah provision and worship Him and be grateful to Him. To Him you will be returned." [Qur’an 29:17] (Alankaboot)

Those who misunderstood the Plan of Allah and His Wisdom have felt confused by this double command of Allah - to strive and work on the one hand, and rely on Allah to make the actions possible and goals attainable, on the other. Initially, this question was presented before the Prophet (saw).



“The companions asked: Should we quit working and rely on Al-Qadar (Allah's predetermined decree)? The Prophet answered: "You should initiate and do things. Everyone shall be facilitated towards that for which he was created." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] ” Consequently, the Companions of the Prophet (saw) moved on and initiated righteous deeds while putting their trust in Allah.

The work that we are referring to is not that of the acts of worship (Salah, Zakat, Sawm, Hajj, etc). Rather, it is the work pertaining to our subsistence. Furthermore, we do not refer to Haram (forbidden) work and Haram subsistence. It is the Halal (permissible) work and the Halal livelihood that we are concerned about, for it is more tempting to the believer. What are the guidelines and limits of the Halal work? How much dedication do we give it? Do we attribute the source of subsistence to our work or to Allah's bounties? And do we associate the loss and deprivation of wealth, health and success with our loss of job, or with Allah'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 Prophet said:



"Begging is forbidden except when there is great debt, suffering, injury, or abasing poverty." [Abu Dawood and Al-Bayhaqi] He also 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-Bukhari]

The Prophet himself (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) worked hard for his living. He spent his boyhood as a shepherd and took to trade in manhood. He carried people's goods to Syria and other places and shared the profits with them. He used to constantly seek refuge with Allah from laziness as reported by Zayed Ibn Arqam:



"O Allah! 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 Allah. 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 Allah. Allah (swt) says what means: ]

وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لَا يَمُوتُ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِ وَكَفَى بِهِ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا

"...And rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die, and exalt [Allah] with His praise. And sufficient is He to be, with the sins of His servants, Acquainted." [Qur’an 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 with sustenance or to make him/her prosperous and successful, and so on, he/she has submitted to them. And the more one relies on the created beings, the weaker becomes one's submission to Allah.

Hence as much as Allah 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 groups of people are those, attracted by the temptations of this world, and have gone so far as to forget their relationship with Allah. 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 Allah had no involvement whatsoever. They do not rely on Allah. Allah Says what means:

أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالَ لَأُوتَيَنَّ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا
أَاطَّلَعَ الْغَيْبَ أَمِ اتَّخَذَ عِندَ الرَّحْمَنِ عَهْدًا

"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 the unseen, or has he taken from the Most Merciful a promise?" [Qur’an 19:77-78]

This type of man who rejects Allah and denies His bounties regards himself as "self-sufficient" and thus, cannot be expected to rely on Allah.

The second groups of people are those who understood the reliance on Allah 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 Allah 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 could not understand the right meaning of Tawakkul according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet. Had they attempted to understand the Book of Allah, according to the understanding and implementation of the Prophet and 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 Allah exalt their mention and righteous slaves, Allah has set out in His Book the genuine Tawakkul.

Tawakkul of the birds:

Let us look at another creature of Allah: the bird. Allah Says (what means):

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَافَّاتٍ وَيَقْبِضْنَ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا الرَّحْمَنُ إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ بَصِيرٌ

"Do they not see the birds above them with wings outspread and [sometimes] folded in? None holds them [aloft] except the Most Merciful. Indeed He is, of all things, Seeing." [Qatar 67:19]

As He did for all of His creatures, our Sustainer provided for the birds just those conditions that are best for their lives; He (swt) also inspired them to use their physical shapes and unique movements to take off, fly and land. Thus, in order to fly, birds would have to move their wings upwards and downwards, spread them and fold them.

However, the birds know that the One Who upholds them in the air, is not their upward and downward move, nor the spreading and folding of their wings, but rather Allah Almighty. They have understood that they have to exert effort and rely on Allah alone to uphold them high. As opposed to many rebellious men, birds recognize and exercise total Tawakkul on Allah without giving up the work.

In pursuing this way of life, the birds have become the example to follow for how the Tawakkul should be and how Allah would reward the one who exercises Tawakkul as the birds do.

The Prophet (saw) said:
"Were you to put your complete trust in Allah, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds. They issue forth hungry in the morning and return filled in the evening." [At-Trimidhi]

Did the birds remain in their nest waiting for Allah's provision? Of course not! Did they claim that since they were engaged in Tasbeeh (praising of Allah), they would not have to strive for their subsistence? Of course not! So praised is Allah Who inspired the birds to set forth to seek provisions for themselves and for their little ones. Praised is He Who taught them Tawakkul so they would not expect provision but from Him.

Tawakkul of Lady Maryam:
Let me bring you back to the world of mankind to put before you an ultimate example of Tawakkul. This is the story of an expectant mother who retired with her conceived baby to a remote area. The pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree. She was alone with no one to attend her. She was hungry, thirsty. She cried:

فَأَجَاءهَا الْمَخَاضُ إِلَى جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَذَا وَكُنتُ نَسْيًا مَّنسِيًّا

"And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, "Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten."[Qur’an 19:23]

But a voice cried to her from beneath the palm-tree: "But he called her from below her,

فَنَادَاهَا مِن تَحْتِهَا أَلَّا تَحْزَنِي قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا

"Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream." [Qur’an 19:24]

She knew now that Allah would deliver her from her hunger and thirst and release the pain of her pangs. But the Most High wanted her to initiate an action to benefit from Allah's provisions:
وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ تُسَاقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا

"And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates." [Qur’an 19:25]

Now that she fulfilled the physical part of her duties - by shaking the tree, she had to fulfill the spiritual part – relying on Allah for deliverance. Allah's help was prompt: the fresh dates were now falling upon her:

فَكُلِي وَاشْرَبِي وَقَرِّي عَيْنًا

"So eat and drink and be contented..."[Qur’an 19:26]

This is the story of Maryam (Mary) whom Allah has destined to be the mother of Prophet 'Eesaa (Jesus), May Allah exalt their mention. And when she conceived her baby and entered the pains of childbirth with no one to attend her; when she got hungry and thirsty with no visible help for food and drink; when she became weak and anguished; she was asked to shake a palm-tree for her provision.

A weak, tired, hungry and thirsty woman shaking a strong deeply rooted palm-tree. Could not Allah send with Jibreel (Angel Gabriel) enough food and drink for her? Could not Allah send down from the heavens a ready-to-eat plate of dates? Or could not Allah say to the dates 'fall upon Mary!', upon which they would? After all, is not Allah the only One Who, when He wills a thing, only says to it "Be" - and it is? Yes, He Almighty is! But Allah's way is that the effort has to be made, and the reliance has to be complete; the Tawakkul has to be fulfilled.

These were some examples of Allah's creatures putting their trust in Him. The wisest course for us, therefore, is to follow their example. So let us use all lawful means and exert reasonable effort to secure our needs, and let us remain faithful to Allah by putting all our affairs in His Hands and hope and expect for the best outcome. Let us say like the early believers said, as Allah informs us in the Qur’an saying (what means):

قُلْ هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ آمَنَّا بِهِ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ هُوَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

"Say, "He is the Most Merciful; we have believed in Him, and upon Him we have relied…" [Qur’an 67:29] Allah also says (what means):

Let us pray; O Allah! Grant us great courage and fortitude; bless us with complete Tawakkul, unwavering trust and belief in the noble Qur'an, and the ability to obey Your commandments as they should be obeyed.

Compiled by Muhammad Asjad Qasmi trainee speaker with Markazul Ma’arif education and research center Mumbai mailto:asjadqasmi@yahoo.com 8/5/2009 4:50 PM