Brothers and sisters! In today’s khatira, I want to share some thoughts with you on the subject of tawakkul, a virtue that the Qur’an seeks to inculcate in man. Tawakkul is total reliance and dependence on Allah, and to trustfully commit oneself to Him.
وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ
“Let the believers put their trust in Allah.” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:122)
One of the names of Allah is al-Wakeel. It means the one who can be trusted—the Trustee. Al-Wakeel also means the Guardian, the Protector, the Defender, and the Disposer of affairs.
وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا
“And put your trust in Allah. Allah is sufficient as a Trustee.” (al-Nisa’, 4:81)
We should trust in Allah because everything belongs to Him.
لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا
“Everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him and Allah is sufficient as a Trustee.” (al-Nisa’, 4:171)
We should trust in Allah because He is the Lord of the east and the west and there is none other worthy of worship but Him.
رَّبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلًا
“Lord of the east and the west; there is no god but Him so take Him as your Trustee.” (al-Muzzammil, 73:9).
We should trust in Allah because He alone is Ever-Living and does not die.
وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لَا يَمُوتُ
“And put your trust in the Ever-Living, the One Who does not die.” (al-Furqan, 25:58)
We should trust in Allah because He is the Mighty; the Wise.
وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
“And whoever trusts in Allah, then surely Allah is the Mighty; the Wise.” (al-Anfal, 8:49)
We should trust in Allah because He is the Mighty; the Merciful.
وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْعَزِيزِ الرَّحِيمِ
“And put your trust in the Mighty, the Merciful.” (al-Shu’ara, 26:217)
We should trust in Allah because He alone has the knowledge of the unseen in the heavens and the earth, and all affairs will return to Him for decision.
وَلِلَّهِ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُ الْأَمْرُ كُلُّهُ فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ
“To Allah belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth, and all affairs will return to Him. Hence worship Him and put your trust in Him.” (Hud, 11:123)
We should trust in Allah because He alone provides the right guidance. The prophets and messengers of Allah used to say,
وَمَا لَنَا أَلَّا نَتَوَكَّلَ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَقَدْ هَدَانَا سُبُلَنَا
“How should we not put our trust in Allah when He has guided us in our ways?” (Ibrahim, 14:12)
Putting one’s trust in Allah is not only advantageous for the above reasons, but it is also one of the demands of faith.
وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَتَوَكَّلُوا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ
“So put your trust in Allah if you are believers.” (al-Ma’idah, 5:23)
One of the blessed names of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is al-Mutawakkil, meaning ‘one who puts his trust in Allah’. Remember what the Prophet (SAW) said to Abu Bakr (RA) when they were in a cave during their hijrah to Makkah and some of their enemies had reached the very mouth of the cave.
إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا
“When they were both in the cave, he [Muhammad] told his companion, Do not worry; for Allah is with us.” (al-Tawbah, 9:40)
How often we are depressed and worried about our future; about the future of our children? Allah tells us to put our trust in Him because He will manage our affairs in the way that is best for us.
وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ
“Whoever puts his trust in Allah — He will be sufficient for him.” (al-Talaq, 65:3)
According to a hadith, whoever when leaving his house says,
بِسْمِ اللهِ ، تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللهِ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ
“In the name of Allah, I put my trust in Allah and there is no power and no strength except with Allah,” it will be said to him: “You are taken care of and you are protected and guided, and the devils will move away from him…” Another hadith tells us that whoever says
حَسْبِيَ اللهُ لَآ إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ
seven times in the morning after Fajr, and seven times after Asr, Allah will take care of whatever worries him of the matter of this world and the hereafter. The meaning of this dhikr is “Allah is sufficient for me. There is none worthy of worship, but Him. I have placed my trust in Him and He is the Lord of the Majestic Throne.”
It is important to understand, however, that tawakkul does not mean to sit back and think that one’s problems will be solved just by believing that Allah will take care of one’s affairs. To put one’s complete trust in Allah is not equivalent to fatalism or the doctrine that all events are subject to fate. One has to place one’s trust in Allah in a matter only after doing all that is in one’s power in regard to that matter. Yaqub (AS) placed his trust in Allah and he was praised for that. And yet, before sending his sons to Egypt in search of Yusuf (AS), he asked them to take the necessary precautions.
Here, as can be seen, tawakkul is regarded as being complimentary, and not opposed to planning and using one’s judgment. The same lesson is taught when Allah (SWT) tells Muhammad (SAW),
وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
“And consult with them upon the conduct of affairs; and when you have decided, then place your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves those who trust.” (Aal ‘Imran, 3:159)
Just as iman is the combination of faith and acting upon that faith, the same goes for tawakkul. Don’t give up on your own efforts. Rather strive and work with the attitude that Allah will take care of your affairs and will help you get through your trials. This proactive attitude is in fact part of you having tawakkul. Taking advantage of available means is not only consistent with tawakkul, but an aspect of expressing it.
Brothers and sisters! Every human being comes to this earth by the decree of Allah with a pre-ordained plan that balances the nature of his temporary abode with good and evil, with ease and difficulties, and with death and life. As Muslims, we should believe that Allah (SWT) out of His wisdom may decide to let our plans not work out as desired by us for reasons that only He knows. The fruit of tawakkul is the acceptance of Allah’s decree. Whoever leaves his affairs to Allah and then accepts what he is given has truly relied on Allah. Believing in al-Qadr or Allah’s divine decree is one of the pillars of our faith. For a righteous believer, there is good in every matter.
Yusuf (AS) was thrown into a well. This was wrong. He was picked up and sold into slavery. This was outrageous. His master’s wife tried to seduce him, and when he refused, he was put into prison! This was blatant injustice. And yet, all of this was good for him! And that is why later when Yusuf (AS) became the Ruler of Egypt, he remarked that Allah was lateef towards Him. Al-Lateef is the One who is subtle. He is the One who brings benefit to His slave in a way that the slave can never perceive.
Brothers and sisters! Tawakkul requires training. We are humans, and every now and then, we face situations of discomfort and uncertainty. We begin to think whether or not our plans will work out. These are moments when we should remind ourselves to trust Allah. If we truly rely on Allah, then this reliance gives us peace of mind and tranquility of heart knowing that Allah is always doing the best for us.
One of the ways of achieving tawakkul is to perform the istikharah prayer whenever a need arises. Ask Allah that if the matter is good for you; to make it easy for you and if not, to take it away from you and then be content with the decree of Allah. We should make it a habit to practice this Sunnah in our daily life. The Prophet (SAW) used to teach his companions to make istikharah just as he used to teach them surahs from the Quran.
Tawakkul is to entrust our affairs to Allah and be content knowing that He will take care of us. Tawakkul is to know that all will be well, even if things look impossible. Tawakkul is to understand and appreciate that when Allah takes away something from us, He is actually redirecting us to something better. Tawakkul is to know and believe that at the end of the tunnel there is light, even if we don’t see it.
Brothers and sisters! Let us remind ourselves that Allah (SWT) is al-Wakeel, the ultimate and the best Trustee. Let us give ourselves and our affairs over to Him with a sense of full comfort and certainty in our hearts. Everything He decrees for us is good for us. He’s the best Disposer of affairs. He always opens a pathway for success when we have firm faith in Him. He’s sufficient for all of us.
May Allah (SWT) make us of those who gracefully rely on Him. May He guide us to work in this world to our full potential. May He protect us and make us entrust our souls to Him, both in times of ease as well as in times of hardship. May He give us the tawfiq to use all His blessings in the best way we can while trusting in Him and depending on Him. Allahumma Ameen!
