TAWAKKUL

Insaan (man) is attracted to this material world to such an extent that he forgets the spiritual side of life. For example, when he looks at a flower, he is fascinated by the beauty of that flower without trying to figure out the source of that beauty. Just like a sick person who takes medicine, thinking that his recovery is due to the effect of this medicine without realizing that it is Allah who cures and that medicine is only a means of healing.

Man must not forget that nothing happens without the will of Allah Ta'ala and that the beauty of a flower or the skill of a worker or the effectiveness of medicine is only due to the will of Allah.

All our knowledge and abilities are gifts that come to us from Allah. (But man in his vanity and ingratitude forgets that all these gifts come from Allah and he thinks that everything he has is only the result of his own labour.) Therefore, if this Aqeedah (conception) is anchored in the heart of man, he will undoubtedly place his entire trust in Allah alone.

At that time, he will fully recognize the Ni'mats (gifts) of Allah and instead of praising these Ni'mats, he will instead thank Allah for these Ni'mats.

This does not mean that one should not use the appropriate means to achieve one's goal. Nabi-e-Karim (Sallallaahu A'laihi Wasallam) used all useful, just and legal means in his mission. Therefore, adopting any means is not against Tawakkul. But what is important is to realize that without the will of Allah one cannot achieve anything and all means lose their effectiveness.

Man must therefore place his complete trust in Allah - the source of all results. Just as placing one's trust totally in the means is wrong, so is it if one neglects the appropriate means.

In a word, the prosperity or poverty of a person, his success or failure, is in no way based on the means he uses or even on his abilities but on the will of Allah.

A striking example is when the Sahabah (Radiyallahu anhum) found themselves on the day of the battle of Badr in front of a powerful army, while their numbers were three times smaller than those of their enemies. Nevertheless, the victory was still on their side. On the other hand, on the occasion of the battle of Hunain, the Sahabah (Radiyallahu anhum) had all the means at their disposal and they were more numerous than in the battle of Badr, but at the beginning of the battle they suffered a slight setback because they showed themselves to be independent of the will of Allah, believing that only their numbers, weapons and strength would have sufficed.

This historical event will always remain an obvious example that victory is not the result of one's means but only of the divine will, hence the importance of Tawakkul - trust in Allah.

[English version of "Tawakkoul" – Al Haadi – Vol. 1 No. 3]